Question for amateur sociologists here

[kerry]

Had a neighborhood meeting this morning. Conversation turned to a high rise public housing building being renovated in our neighborhood. It's about 4 blocks west of us. All the people on our block had noticed that when the building was occupied, residents walking down our street invariably walked down the middle of the street and virtually never on the sidewalks. (our street dead ends a few blocks away so there isn't much traffic). None of the neighbors at the meeting had ever walked down the middle of the street themselves instead of the sidewalk. I don't believe the public housing project is screening for residents who only walk down the middle of streets. We also noticed that conversation between the people walking down the middle of the street was always at a considerably higher decibel level than other people who walk down the sidewalks.
What's going on?

[Ara T.]

I dont know, I've noticed that in my neighborhood too. Asphalt is softer to walk on than cement (sidewalk) but i dont know why they dont just walk on the side. I'd say it's just monkey see monkey do.

When I jog I run on the side of the street on the asphalt, otherwise my knees or hips can get sore.

[Kuan]

Their way of sockin' it to the man.

[Jim B.]

Popular perception: Brand new Public Housing Project = Incipient SLUM!!!


GTFO while you still can!!!

[MTI]

American girth is increasing, while sidewalk dimensions have remained somewhat constant. Perhaps its a reaction to living in a confined environment.

[Medmech]

Originally Posted by Kuan

Their way of sockin' it to the man.

Exactamondo, the part that Kerry apparently has not seen is that they walk in the middle of the street when cars are present as well. For kicks smile and wave and see what you get in return...just kidding don't do it if you like your car and cranium.

[Ara T.]

It's not just black people. I live in a upper class all white neighborhood and I've seen it. I even saw a woman pushing a baby carriage in the middle of the street. Dumb dumb dumb!

[Skippy]

In my neighborhood, there are sidewalks on some blocks and not on others, so I usually walk on the left side of the street. When there's a pretty long stretch of continuous sidewalk, I'll usually use it. This seems to be the prevailing practice among pedestrians in my lower income racially mixed neighborhood.

[Carleton Hughes]

It is needless for me to answer as it has been so succinctly done above.

Anything I could add would smack of snobbery,racism and entitlement.

[Peter Kraft]

Originally Posted by Carleton Hughes

It is needless for me to answer as it has been so succinctly done above.

Anything I could add would smack of snobbery,racism and entitlement.

From some of the comments made by the uptight WASP's on this forum, it doesn't suprise me that some people would have those sentiments.

I feel another infraction coming my way........

[KylePavao]

I work across the street from a large housing project in very large grocery store. Color isn't the reason; the "sticking to the man" mentality is. For example, if someone lets me cross the street, I usually gesture a hand as a thank you and cross somewhat briskly. On the other hand, many of the people living in this project do absolutely nothing and seem to walk across the street at a pace meant to infuriate me. Now I don't even let them cross; I try to be nice and I see this as extremely disrespectful.

All my friends, family coworkers, etc always hustle it up a little and give a gesture of thanks, since crosswalks around herere are few and far between. The walking in the middle of the street and the sort of behavior i described infuriates me.

[Skippy]

That must be a really big grocery store if you can fit a housing project inside it.

[KylePavao]

Excuse me,

A very large grocery store located NEXT to a housing project. Smart ass

[kerry]

Could it be interpreted as acting as if you own a car when you don't?

[cg487]

Public housing is a blight on any neighborhood it settles into. Pick up people with no common sense and very little desire to get educated, convince them that they are victims and it's not their fault, (in other words, make them liberals) and that they are only where they are because no one ever gave them enough and that they will never have to actually work!

Then what you see is what you get.