My invitation followed a response to a FB inquiry. A graduate student from UNC wanted to assemble panels of citizens in Charlotte, Louisville, and Wilmington to assess the state of those cities for his sociology dissertation. He would meet in my town for two consecutive early evenings. I chose the second, having another place to be the first.
We met as scheduled. Our meeting took place at a regional library, a place I had not been before, or at least thought so, though I've been close by for many activities, from OLLI, my synagogue, and at one time daily hospital rounds. Most years I attend the city's Greek Festival and some years their Italian Festival, each walking distance from the meeting. I had been there, in fact. The librarian reminded me that this building was once the state's Department of Motor Vehicles Center. I took my written drivers test there to transfer my license from my previous state to my current one, and had my car inspected there from when I first moved to the area until the state built a larger facility someplace else. I had not known that the county purchased this rather large building for a library. Parking lot more than ample for a regional library, never ample when citizens had to conduct their motor vehicle needs.
It sits in a transition neighborhood, much as it did when I arrived forty years previously. Little Italy with its restaurants and row houses sits two blocks over, the St. Francis Hospital just beyond that. Up the hill stands the Catholic church and a little to the west, the Greek Orthodox church. The main commercial area with a small auto mall which also houses my current synagogue, OLLI, and some upscale housing can be found just to the east. The vicinity of the library has well maintained row houses, no litter whatever, and during my drive there, virtually no people in the yards or on the sidewalks.
I arrived a bit early, got acclimated, then assembled with the researcher and other panelists in a small conference room. He offered us water, though the library disallowed serving food in that room. I was the only male panelist, and apparently the only suburban one whose life rarely brings him into the city limits these past dozen or so years. Personal introductions first. Moderator a grad student from a flagship state university for which this panel will contribute to his dissertation. Clockwise, a peak career lady doing computer programming for a large regional bank, a forty-something lady who with a young child emerging from hard times, an elderly retired lady, a lady from the neighborhood who has older children and works as an esthetician, me, and a heavy set AA lady with alopecia who does social service work to protect the oppressed from their metaphoric oppressors. As the discussion commenced, I could see the only people without some expression of resentment were the two retired people.
I think there is a micro and macro sociology, the cities failing at the micro with prosperous people exiting and people still there resentful at no longer having what they once had. Rich people moving back displacing others? Well, the social service lady saw more oppressors, I saw it as a marker that this may be a place people want to be. Loss of people mingling on the streets? The lady next to me had a daughter who had been shot in crossfire. We have admirable ethnic festivals. They pre-dated and survived the city's decline, which occurred despite them. They are not the attractions that restore neighborhoods.
What I saw was a table exuding various confirmation biases. If we corrected my pet peeve all will be well. It won't.
The moderator told me that he hoped to have the dissertation completed in time for next spring's PhD conferrals. I'd like to read what he concludes.
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