New Kid in Town

Look, I realize I'm new to these parts. And I'm naive. I don't know the whole history of this area except what Richard Prior and others who grew up in the area have said...it's rough. It's always been a rough town. Typical of a "River Town". Even when I lived in Sycamore, Peoria was a "rough" river town.

My exposure to what happens around here consists of what I see in the "bad kid" school I teach in, what I read in the paper, what I read on other blogs (plus comments) and what I've learned from all my new friends.

Fortunately, my personal experiences (school and friends) have given me some hope. But really, WTF. I've never read so many overtly racist and condescending comments and critiques about a place, about a people, in my life. And what's worse, the people who make them are so OBVIOUSLY oblivious that what they say is inflammatory.

Is this the way Peoria wants to be portrayed? For the first couple years we lived here I thought I'd fallen into some redneck purgatory. Thank goodness I've met some normal people through a great internet forum and through my work. But holy moly, I can't believe there haven't been riots around here!

And let me just add, I work on the East side of the river and these white kids are smoking just as much meth, crack and weed as any kid in Peoria. They're having sex, makin' babies, stealing cars, starting fights and breaking into houses just as often as the kids on the other side of the river. Good kids from good families are making mistakes and screwing up.

So, here's a news flash...racism is alive and well in the Greater Peoria, Illinois area.

But I know YOU'RE not racist, right? After all, you've got a friend who's black.

(BTW...this isn't intended for anyone I know personally...it's just an observation of what I've seen from comments in the paper, the blogosphere and in passing.)