Here are a few examples of excellent first drafts for the community profile assignment from students in past semesters. Use these as a guide for how to assemble your draft of the profile.
_Bibliography
http://www.census.gov/
http://www.infoshare.org/
http://www.fifthave.org/
http://www.oldstonehouse.org
http://www.insideschools.org
_Essay
Census Tract 135 / Park Slope
I have chosen Census Tract 135 in Brooklyn to represent my community profile. Census Tract 135 is essentially a rectangle made up of four blocks, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th streets and 4th, 5th and 6th Avenues. Census Tract 135 exists entirely within the larger neighborhood known as Park Slope. I would have preferred to use what is considered "Park Slope" as the basis of my profile, but I could not find an empirical representation of this area, they were all either too small, or way too big. I think Census Tract 135, the tract in which I live, serves as a microcosm for the larger neighborhood, Park Slope.
I have lived in Park Slope, in one place or another, for over ten years. I had been coming to Park Slope for at least five years prior to this. In the years since I have noticed the neighborhood change quite a bit, physically, socially and economically, the neighborhood has expanded. I first started going to Park Slope with a friend of mine, a college student from Rhode Island. Being unfamiliar with Brooklyn I accompanied him to various real estate agents, all of them basically saying the same thing, "Do not look at anything below 6th ave, it's a bad area", Many of them actually said they wouldn't list apartments below 6th ave. Well he ended up on 7th ave, in a "good area". This however did not last long. Indeed Park Slope, or more to the point, the area real estate agents would refer to as "Park Slope" had already been expanding to include blocks that were not long before considered undesirable. A friend of mine -- who grew up in Park Slope Ð told me in the 70s Park Slope was extremely ethnically diverse. He said it was basically bodegas on the corners, neighborhood bars and a lot of empty storefronts. His family paid $40,000 for the Brownstone his mother currently occupies. Today that Brownstone is worth over $1 million. Now that's appreciation. So, in my years associated with Park Slope, as a tenant, businessman, homeowner and landlord I have seen areas with properties that were not considered valuable, were now considered extremely valuable. The minorities that had inhabited the area were for the most part pushed out, not being able to afford the rents the neighborhood demanded. Nowhere is this more evident than when examining Census data from 1980, compared to the data from 2000.
According to Census figures of 1980, out of 2,758 residents of Census Tract 135, 2,353 were black and 90 were white (Census 1980), that sounds a lot like the neighborhood my friend described growing up in. Jump to 2000 and we find these numbers almost completely reversed. According to Census figures of 2000, out of 2,917 residents of Census Tract 135, 2,051 were white and 373 were black (Census 200). 116 residents were Asian, compared to zero in 1980. With the influx of new residents, the neighborhood changes from being considered working poor in 1980, to being filled with educated professionals in 2000. According to Census figures of 1980, only 994 out of the total 2,758 residents completed high school, and only 33 completed 4 years of college. (Census 1980). We shoot forward to 2000 and find that fully 1,202 residents have achieved a post-secondary degree, 473 residents achieving bachelor's degrees and 609 achieving graduate or professional degrees. (Census 2000).
The neighborhood has not just changed to exclude minorities; indeed it excludes anyone who doesn't have money. Just as we learned in class that elite colleges do not have to blatantly discriminate, because they already have the perfect tool for discrimination, The incredible price of tuition. The same principle works here, the price of living here precludes "undesirables" from affording to live here. According to the Census of 1999 the median household income for residents of Census Tract 135 was $51,420 (Infoshare, Census), compare that to the median household income for the rest of Brooklyn in 1999, which was 32,135. That is a huge difference, and 4 years later I can only imagine that the divide is only growing bigger.
With the new wealth streaming into the neighborhood, buildings begin to be renovated, parks are cleaned up. Inside of J.J. Byrne park (Census Tract 135) lays The Old Stone House (www.oldstonehouse.org). The house dates back to 1699 and has an incredible history; it was involved in the Battle of Brooklyn. It lay dormant for years when there was no money in the neighborhood but in the mid 90s it was turned into a museum. Schools also improved, P.S.321 (in which Census Tract 135 completely resides) is now considered the crown jewel of the New York Education System. According to insideschools.org , "PS 321 has achieved almost mythic status in Brooklyn. Many families move to the neighborhood just to get their children into the school."(insideschools.org) People who I have spoken to attribute 321's success to the wealthy families of the student body.
While walking around the neighborhood I was drawn to some flyers posted on some lampposts. The flyers were placed by Furee (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality). They were about the displacement of virtually all the remaining families of low economic status. Although Census Tract 135 is wealthy there still exists some long time residents of the neighborhood who are just now experiencing displacement. The people at Furee directed me to their website (www.fifthave.org) which has a lot of information on the current displacement of not only Census Tract 135 but all of South Brooklyn. According to fifthave.org "It has gotten so bad that FAC has mounted a "Displacement Free Zone" covering 36 square blocks where tenants are facing escalating rents. FAC vigorously defends every tenant facing eviction within this area by petitioning and picketing landlords." This is how I became aware of them, the flyers on the lampposts were part of their campaign.
I do enjoy living in Park Slope, especially inside Census Tract 135. I enjoy the doublewide sidewalks outside my house (I have yet to see wider sidewalks anywhere). The residents in general are very friendly; people seem to go to great lengths to get to know their neighbors. There are a lot of community activities, like block parties, stoop sales. Every block seems to have organized a block committee. People take a lot of pride in the appearance of the neighborhood; lots of renovation always going on, people decorating for holidays. There are plenty of good restaurants, great shops, and there always seems to be something to do. There is a real feeling of neighborhood, not just the place where I live. In talking to some of the other students I think that is one of the biggest differences between Park Slope and some of the other neighborhoods being covered. I intend to raise my family here. I intend to send my kids to P.S. 321, why not? It's a great school. I just wish someone would figure out some way to make it more accessible. It is my opinion that most people in New York City do not feel the same sense of pride that is evident in the residents of Census Tract 135/Park Slope, and that is a shame. Then again I feel shame at how the neighborhood grew to be so idyllic while at the same time growing so exclusionary.
_Bibliography
Infoshare.org
_Essay
For many Americans the Suburbs are an ideal place to live. We tend to think of a suburb as a quit middle class neighborhood far away from the city and full of private residential homes. Crime is low and education is above average. New Springville is a typical middle class suburb in Staten Island with a population of 18,221. It is an interesting unit of analysis because of its lack of racial diversity especially in relevance to the large population of the neighborhood. It is also the neighborhood in which I live. New Springville is the average resident's definition of the neighborhood which they consider their home. Certain minorities such as African Americans have an entrance barrier into the neighborhood and when they achieve residential status they tend to have a more difficult time remaining so.
Many characteristics of a stereotypical suburb can be seen in New Springville. 93% of the neighborhood is residential and my observation confirmed just that (NYC Dept. of Finance 1999, Infoshare.org). While walking through the neighborhood two main sections to New Springville were observed. The largest section was comprised of moderate private homes, where mostly whites were seen, except for one young African American boy waiting at the bus stop. The second and much smaller portion of the neighborhood surrounds the Staten Island Shopping Mall, consisting of a mixture of shopping centers as well as private homes, buildings and condominiums. This section of the neighborhood is the most diverse, and in addition to working in this area, minorities such as blacks reside here as well.
In the last 20 years the neighborhood has changed as there was an influx of minorities into the neighborhood. On the contrary the big picture remained unaltered as whites persisted to be the dominant population within New Springville. The U.S. census reported that from 1980 till 1990 the Asian population in New Springville increased dramatically while the percentage of black residents had a slight growth. Looking at the trend form 1980 to 1990 one is likely to predict that in the 90's the neighborhood would greatly diversify. Unfortunately this is not the case and as the 2000 Census reveals only the Asian population continued to grow although not as dramatically as in the 1980's. Blacks on the other hand composed roughly the same percentage as in 1990. The resulting population in 2000 was reported to be 80% white, 1.8% black and 13% Asian. (1980, 1990 & 2000 Census, Infoshare.org) What is the reason for such a small increase in minorities such as blacks while the percentage of Asian residents had a large growth rate?
There are many social factors that affect a neighborhood's racial makeup. Over the last few decades New Springville remained a middle class neighborhood, as the medium income of its residents persisted to be within the middle class range in relevance to the years (1980, 1990 & 2000 Census, Infoshare.org). Most people with a considerably lower income may not be able to live within this neighborhood because of financial incompatibility. Minorities such as Blacks are traditionally believed to be less affluent than the whites and the cost of living in New Springville may be keeping many out of the neighborhood, especially since public housing and similar forms of government aid are unavailable (2000 Census, Infoshare.org). Another social factor keeping many minorities within the inner city and away form New Springville is the common ideology of its white residents. During my observation I encountered a white neighbor whom I've known for many years. I asked him how he felt about the two black families that had recently moved to our block, a situation that caused a lot of commotion in the area. He was quick to respond that he did not want certain minorities (such as Blacks) within the neighborhood, " not because I'm prejudice," he stated, but because it brings the value of our house down. This is a very straightforward example of how the white inhabitants of New Springville feel about certain minorities living amongst them. Another indirect observation allowed me to see the same attitude towards minority neighbors. During a typical afternoon four white women, two Asian girls and one black male awaited their children's return form school at the assigned bus stop. There was no interaction between the white women and the minorities, even though these people most likely have stood at the same bus stop many times previous to this encounter. The white women on the other hand conversed with one another without hesitation.
Many social factors keep minorities from becoming residents in suburbs like New Springville but when they do make an entrance, more obstacles come their way. In order for Black's to remain within New Springville it appears that they have to work twice as hard as the average white resident. In both the 1990 and 2000 Census the average black resident was paying at least 200 dollars more rent as compared to both whites and Asians. If higher rent for black residents is typical scenario unemployment cannot be tolerated. The trend from 1990 till 2000 remained the same as there was no unemployment for African Americans in the labor force and both Whites and Asians had a slight unemployment rate ranging from 2%-6% for both males and females.(1990 & 2000 Census, Infoshare.org)
While Minorities have more difficulty moving into New Springville integration is not necessarily the case when they do make an entrance into the neighborhood. It seems minority neighbors especially those who are of African American decent appear to be separated from the community as a whole. They are residing in a community that is not welcoming them with open arms but rather presenting them with obstacles that many neighbors (especially whites) do not experience.
_Bibliography
http://factfinder.census.gov
http://www.nyc.gov
http://www.infoshare.org
NYC zoning dept. 718-720-3291
_Essay
This is a predominately middle to upper class white neighborhood which is socially stratified by race. My neighborhood is Bay Ridge, Census tract 52.02, Kings County, New York. It is a five block area that covers twenty acres of land bordered by 92nd Street, Ridge Blvd., 94th Street, and Shore Road. I chose this unit of measure because it is were I have lived for almost two years and have some level of comfort with it. The tract is zoned R7-1 residential, where apartments are allowed with homes (http://www.nyc.gov and NYC zoning dept. 718-720-3291). In this zone, lawyer offices, real estate offices, and commercial business are not allowed. Some of the places that are allowed where social interaction might normally take place such as schools, houses of worship, and medical offices are not present here.
The majority housing units are red brick apartments that have four to one hundred or more units in them. Compared to the small percentage of the brick, cedar shake, and brownstone two and three story attached and detached homes. There is a park and green belt across the street where people go to relax, walk the dog, play on the playground equipment, and play on the baseball fields. 85% percent of housing units are renter occupied compared to thirteen percent owner occupied units, with a 2% over all vacancy rate at any given time http://www.infoshare.org. The rents range from $450 to over $2000 a month, but if you are new to the neighborhood from some where else studio apartments start at $950 and one bedroom apartments start at $1100 a month. I believe that the real estate prices and the small apartment size here do not lure Blacks, Hispanics, and other races into the area.
There were 2448 people in 1395 household units in the 2000 census, which is a decline in the White population by 4.4% from the 1990 census. While in that same time frame the minority population doubled to 8% of the total population. At present 91% of the residents are White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 1% other, 0.04% Black, and 0.03% American Indian (http://factfinder.census.gov). Language is always a factor when we look at social interaction and stratification; of the 1370 households reporting seventy three percent speak English, five point five percent Spanish, and twenty one percent speak another language, with only four percent of the population is linguistically isolated (http://factfinder.census.gov). So language which could cause stratification does not seem to be a barrier here.
The Whites educational attainment from some college thru Masters or Professional degrees is 61% compared to 33% of the Hispanics reaching the same goal. Thirty one percent of White families that attend pre-K thru college go to private schools compared to one hundred percent of Hispanic families attend public schools. The Blacks educational attainment and income went unreported by the 2000 census (http://factfinder.census.gov).
All of the Asian, Hispanic, and American Indians are above the poverty line. In comparison five percent of Whites and 1.5% of other races are below poverty level (http://factfinder.census.gov). While Whites run the spectrum of income brackets, with 66% making over $50K per a year. The Hispanic race has a higher income level than the Asian race. No one in the Hispanic race makes less than $35k and Asian the same. Both races make a livable household wage, and I suspect that is the reason why they might be living in this neighborhood. One would suspect with the aging population here of the 1395 households thirty point five percent receive Social Security benefits with a majority of the recipients are white women (http://factfinder.census.gov).
It is my observation that this neighborhood gets a daily influx of day laborers from the subway, and that one hundred percent of the caregivers (nurses and aids) are of African decent. The nannies are African, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern decent. The physical laborers that are hired by contractors are Hispanic, East Indian, and Middle Eastern. 2161 people reported to the question on labor force. White females have fifty percent higher unemployment than white men and ninety percent more females than males are not in the labor force at all. Now, the Hispanic females have double the amount not on the labor rolls compare to males. For those Hispanics in the labor force they are one hundred percent employed. There are no races presently serving in the armed forces http://www.infoshare.org.
_Bibliography
2000 U.S Census
Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional research
Writings of C. Wright Mills
_Essay
The neighborhood by convention is described as proximity where a number of people live close together in a group that constitutes a commune, identifying themselves with its distinct social character and its social norms which in turn make them neighbors. The proximity which I'm going to describe is what U.S Census calls "census tract 152". I know it as Bloomfield, New Jersey, in particular north-western part of Bloomfield. It is the area that surrounds my place of residence within the walking distance of about 1.5 miles in diameter. It is strictly my conception of a neighborhood, as a walker.
This community is a quintessential of American working-class suburban life. It is a medium size city, stuck in between other towns of roughly the same dimensions. It is definitely not a destination, but rather a place of peaceful residence. It comprises of average size, two storey family houses painted in light shades, green lawns and tall trees. The neighborhood is primarily white accounting for about 83% of population; the rest is 6% Black, 5% Hispanic and 7% Asian. (www.census.gov) The people are fairly nice, by contrast more polite and welcoming than that in NYC. The median household income for the population is about $47k and a per capita income of around $25k, which explains the average lifestyle that these people lead. The majority own mostly American and Japanese made cars in a relatively good condition, work full time, and take their kids to school.
They are budget minded families with kids, fairly educated, 80% of the population are high school graduates or higher and 20% possess at least bachelor's degree. They are employed in a variety of occupational fields, the distribution for which looks like 35.7% in managerial, professional, and related occupations, 14.4% in service, 28% in a sales and office, 7.1% in construction, extraction, and maintenance, and 14.7% in production, transportation, and material moving occupations. (www.census.gov) It appears that females outnumber males in all of those occupational fields, except the last two which involve physical labor. They also have a higher percentage of post secondary education attainment with females reaching almost 24% compared to only 16% for males. And yet the median income for females is about 10k less than that of males. This is an example of the gender inequality seen through out United States which seems to prevail here as well. As a result of this women do not seem to be satisfied. This also could be the reason to be more involved in the other spheres of their daily lives. They appear to be more involved with their children, taking them to various sport practices and such. The other aspect of social stratification taken in historical context is the one of the ethnical change of Bloomfield's population in the past 20 years. Although the data accounts for the population of the whole Bloomfield, and my particular proximity being a part of it, this data must still apply. It shows that the ethnic population is on the rise compared to the white population. In fact the white population had fallen from almost 93% in 1980 to that of 63% for the year of 2000. (www.albany.edu/mumford/) The figures are not the same for my particular area but it is changing, especially the increasing presence of Hispanics and Blacks. Such is the case, as the representatives of minorities move in, the white population moves out. These are the visible aspects of this social environment and people are aware of them, which results in the change of its structure.
Otherwise people are leading a typical perpetual suburban life. Since most of them are property-less wage workers and salariats, the major part of their life is work. It is a part of their identity, as Mills put it that of "a cheerful robots". This social reality is as depressing as its scary; with its daily routine consisting of going to work, working, coming home from work, talking over dinner about your day - "work", and then may be watching "quality" TV programming with your kids. On weekends people sleep late, male population mows the lawn, with inexplicable pride and pleasure, women go shopping for supplies and food. In the evening they go to show their pride and support for the local high school football team "Bengals", loudly enough to be heard unwillingly. Most of these people do not mind this reality, partly due to the fact that it's very functional, which makes them think that it is the most sufficient economic system in the world and there could be none better. As the authentic supporters of this belief they show it by the display of pride in the form of the American flags, put up on almost every house. And there is nothing wrong with that, except that they do not know any other type of existence.
We are socialized to be socialized the way that we socialize. It is a vicious circle that has to be cut. I'm afraid that even the social imagination may not suffice for this kind of task.