Not So Boogie with AIDS
Introduction
The mean streets of the “boogie down” Bronx (commonly used name for most
residents): that would be the cliché way to describe where I live.
When traveling through the area, I often find myself weary because of
all the fears of what may happen. Unfortunately, I believe that many
other residents in the area experience the same thing because of the
notion that the Bronx is dangerous. However, crime in the Bronx has
significantly dropped in the last thirty years. Although I have seen my
share of crimes (ie. gun fights, stealing, etc.), I still believe that
crime is not as prominent as it once was. In addition to the decline in
crime, I lived a sheltered childhood. Most of my days were spent at home
playing with my sister. Seldom would I visit friends or other relatives.
There were many trips to beaches, parks, and other fun places, but these
only included my immediate family. I suppose this way of life was good
for me because it kept me away from the negative things, some of which
were happening in my very own apartment building. In spite of the
benefits from keeping me sheltered, I am sad to say that I was held back
from knowing the truth about many horrible things, one being a terrible
outbreak of AIDS in my community. Sometimes I think “what if I had known
about AIDS years ago?” Sure, it could be disturbing for a young person
to know the truth, but perhaps that would have been just what I needed
to conjure up the courage to do something about it.
http://www.unhp.org/crg/indy-maps-bxzip.html
Big Apple Picture in top left corner - http://www.lahomelessblog.org/archive/2006_12_31_archive.html