OCR Text |
Show A quarterly publication serving communities in the western portion of Salt Lake City Issue No. 9 SUMMER 2003 West Side N eighborhoods: Sale or Dangerous? A Matter of Perspective by Pate Trimmer This article is the third in a’ series of four, examining myths and facts about the West Side. Three families were inter- viewed about their perceptions of crime in their immediate The neighborhoods. live between 1700 families South and 600 North, adjacent to 900 West. While there are many measures of how people create good neighborhoods for their families, crime which comes direct, talks to me about her experience in the area and confirms the sense of danger her parents feel. She and her dad The Griersons are one of five or six families who have lived in the neighborhood for more than five years. The turnover in were the neighborhood has greatly increased and they no longer know or associate with many of their neighbors. — According to the Griersons, most of :the homes nearby are rental properties, owned by between up frequently in seems Myth III: West Side neighborhoods are safe places to raise a family. At Post and 300 South: Colleen and Charles Grierson have lived in their elegant, Victorian-era home on Post Post and 300 South. A girl friend of hers from the neigh- _ The Griersons call the police just like the often about suspected gang and drug activities but are frustrat‘ed with the response from the police. “They tell us to get license numbers, but that’s not so easy to do,” says Colleen. last—-kids [involved] in gangs and drugs, parents who don’t care or can’t Charles asked about Mobile control their kids.” Colleen and Charles witness activity, Watch a lot of gang with every ‘family and he has lived in the. Poplar. gang and drug scene. Grove years. The to Charles’ neighborhood most of his life. Their home is" one of many beautiful turn-ofthe-century homes (most of which are in need of repair and renovation) in the area. : The Griersons have a son, 20, and a daughter, 15. Colleen is grateful that neither is involved in gang Their and dagen drug activities. cheerful and but from joining variation between Skinhead and BDG and say there are several drug houses in the area. Young people between 13 and 23 seem to: be the most involved in the- belonged crossfire block from the house. A year ago, a six-year-old child was kidnapped from the corner of even rid homes of cockroach infestations. “People move in and out all the time,” says Colleen, “and every family is an issue Street for eleven in two gangs less than a landlords who do not screen borhood was found murdered at tenants, invest in repairs or Strawberry Reservoir. discussions of what West Side neighborhoods are like. — house caught was disqualified because of his involvement in a traffic accident without auto insurance. For them, the sense of community has long disappeared and they feel isolated and trapped: John and Shawiney: Robinson the Fairpark neighborhood. within their home. At Riverside Drive a talked with Ton Temened 1700 South: : his eighteen-year-old On Mother’s Day, in the Glendale neighborhood at 1700 -interrupting their. work South and Riverside Drive, I _ Tom’s truck. The small, feel safe in their unique home in aS Photo: Chad Jepperson and son, brick bungalows in their neighborhood overlook the Jordan on red see Myths page 3 High School Students Study Teen Organizes 9-11 Memorial with Utah the Art of Documentary began a unique collaboration that by Matt Bradley Almost a year ago, the College culminated with the screening of three short student-produced doc- of Humanities at the University umentaries. The three documen- of Utah and Spy Hop Productions taries, s produced as part of the larger “Crossing the Tracks” documentary project spearheaded by the Center for Documentary Arts, explore different themes relating to Salt Lake City and how we as residents of the city relate to the “east/west” lines that often get. = drawn. One film looks at the his- | Federation For Youth sponiSoied by the Utah Federation by Edie Trimmer In rain and cold, on April 26, a small group of people from all over Salt Lake City met at the International Peace Gardens to torical settlement of the west side. ~. create a memorial to lives lost in the September 11, 2001, attacks of Salt Lake. The other two on the World Trade Center and the explore more contemporary top‘ics, including hip hop recording| Pentagon. The event was organartists and stereotypes, and media ~ ized by Talon Ozmore, a west side portrayals of the east and west : teenager. Ozmore was awarded a grant sides of Salt Lake. for the event and for the purchase Through creating these docuof “peace trees” that were planted mentaries, the students began to ‘next to the Jordan River in learn the art of documentary filmGlendale Park. Giving him supmaking while exploring pertinent port and assistance were Troy topics relating to their communiBennett of the Utah Federation for ty. In the development and Youth and many committed indiresearch stages of the films,_the viduals who volunteer. for that students met with several historiorganization. Wonderful Outdoor Spy Hep Suidente: fulian Lopez, Tony Lopez, “Bae Ben Carthell ans and professional documenWorld, a program introducing the get hands-on experience in the art of documentary natural world to west side kids, is see Spy Hop page 2 film- seine: for Youth. | The following are excerpts from speeches by Ozmore, and two Glendale Middle School students, Imelda Jimenez and Krystal Landrove (more students spoke; my apologies for not: getting their speeches to report). - Talon Ozmore spoke: “On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two planes were used as missiles to destroy two towers in the World Trade Center. One plane crashed into the Pentagon. One crashed into a field — in Pennsylvania. This ~ horrible tragedy resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, treasured structures, and a valued national sense of safety. see 9-11 page 2 |