Personally, while I continue to be very disappointed with the direction the City of Sacramento chose to take “New Sacramento” (namely the influx of low income housing they rubber-stamped–housing that should have been dispersed throughout the city, rather than concentrated in a single area), this development should come as no surprise to North Natomas residents, and furthermore I opine they might consider celebrating the idea, rather than decrying it.

First, North-North Natomas is replete with low income individuals and families. There are thousands. As it stands, aside from a Marshall’s, these folks have essentially nowhere to shop–unless they have transportation to get them over the I-80 freeway to One Dollar Land.  In fact, the only grocery stores nearby are Raley’s, Safeway, Longs and Rite Aid, and even middle class families are struggling right now to afford their inflated prices. In my opinion the City of Sacramento created a situation RIPE for crime by adding thousands of low income housing units, but only middle class shopping outlets to support them. Sure, there is a Wal Mart and Target a few miles down the road, but many low income folks don’t even have cars.

Second, Goodwill is more than just a thrift store. Check out this article on Adventure Mom’s web site for a full run down of what they are and the services they bring to communities. From Adventure Mom’s site regarding Goodwill locations in Wyoming:  “We have over 30 programs to help people from every circumstance imaginable.  Some of the programs include a certified nurses training program targeted to at risk youth, a prisoner reentry program, a hospitality and catering program, manufacturing opportunities and on top of that we have 500 of our own employees.” Seems to me low-income-friendly North Natomas needs all the help it can get, and we should be applauding Goodwill, not shaking sticks at them.

Third, Goodwill will bring many jobs for those who need them the absolute most. I see this as another blessing in disguise. North Natomas is now full of young people from low income homes with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nowhere to work unless they want to hoof it up the road to I-80. Hopefully Goodwill will employ a whole bunch of them and give them the much needed income they need to support their families.

Fourth. Goodwill is one of the most significant recyclers in most major cities. Got stuff you don’t want? You now have a place to put it–with a tax incentive to boot.

Again, in my opinion the City of Sacramento BLEW IT with North Natomas by saddling it with high concentrations of low income housing that SHOULD HAVE been dispersed throughout the city–especially in the absence of a properly-staffed police force, adequate social and youth services, and retail outlets geared towards low income families. To be sure, I believe the city made unacceptable, irresponsible, and reckless decisions about North Natomas, and I hold them directly accountable for the exorbitant number of robberies and burglaries that have taken place here in the past several years–not to mention the many many issues with youth.

BUT, at the end of the day, what’s done is done; the demographic is what it is; and no amount of protest or petition is going to make life more livable for the socio-economically diverse people living in North Natomas. Like it or not, property values be damned, this area NEEDS stores like Goodwill desperately. Some residents are saying a Goodwill will only increase crime rates in the area. Maybe. But I say it’s quite possible more stores like Goodwill will actually reduce crime.

Anyways, I find it difficult to be cynical about a little bit of Goodwill. I say bring it on.

source: http://adventuremom.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/goodwill-stores/

But one aspect of the show that has troubled me for a while is the fact that almost every time the producers do a segment on a black perpetrator(s), they use a gangsta-flavored style of hip hop or rap as the background music. In my opinion this is not a good idea for a number of reasons, and I think the formatting should be changed.

First, playing rap music while showing a black person committing a crime may offer dramatic embellishment to make a story more compelling and relevant to viewers, but it also enforces negative stereotypes that perpetuate racial disharmony (i.e. “Look at them kids and their rap music killing people, Martha.”)

Second, and most importantly, I think AMW needs to remember their show is watched by both law abiding citizens, AND the “element” committing the crimes. Hence, I believe they have a social obligation to ensure their depictions are always clearly ‘crime re-enactments for the purpose of apprehending criminals,’ and NOT ‘music videos hollywood-izing violent crime.’

Music videos? Not literally, I’m talking implications here. Think about it: Most rational adults watch AMW and can easily separate fantasy from reality, but studies have proven young, at risk kids sometimes can NOT. What might be a scary crime re-enactment to you and I, might not be seen that way to an at-risk kid who is smoking a bowl and bobbing his head as some deranged idiot knifes a human being for a cell phone on his TV set.

Forget about how YOU perceive AMW for a moment, and think of it from the perspective of at-risk young people. These kids are often searching for a blast of ANYTHING to give them some sense of power over their lives–or worse, someone else’s. Why do you think video games like Grand Theft Auto are so popular with them? Why should AMW give them yet another outlet to associate violence with hip hop?

On AMW they see a gangster rolling down the street to the sound of 808 bass booms, driving a luxury car on 24’s, wearing fat jewelry, three girls in the car.. with John Walsh narrating his every move. To you and me that’s a sad commentary on the erosion of family values in America, BUT to one of these kids, it’s potentially an enticing alternative to their present lives.

I’m not saying AMW should play Hannah Montana when they are showing a gangster in a Cutlass “rolling real slow with the lights out,” aiming his bandana-wrapped AK47 into a crowd of teens, I’m just saying the sonic soundscape should be a little more–shall we say–less provocative and entertaining? Maybe a little less.. Hollywood? For instance, why not some dark sounding string movements? You can create dramatic flare without the Roland drum machines.

Let’s agree it is challenging–if not impossible– for us to control the proliferation of violent movies and video games, music videos, and so forth having a quantifiable negative impact on our youth (check out this story), but we CAN control the presentation of shows like AMW to ensure they can never be construed as “entertainment” for criminals and would-be criminals who also watch the show. Granted, this one change will not eradicate youth violence, but it is yet one more small step that can positively change the message we want to send to our youth.

I personally feel the use of rap music in AMW re-enactments inadvertently may glorify the acts to impressionable youth who lack morality and good judgment, AND potentially re-enforces a dangerous stereotype that associates black crime with rap music and vice versa–which is not doing racial tensions in this country ANY favors.

Finally, I’m not blaming AMW or anyone else for crime so don’t even try to some back at me on that bulls#@. I’m saying AMW can make the show even more effective than it already is by making it less like a video game, and more like an all points bulletin. Don’t feed the monster. Starve it.