1. First, here is my problem definition: Having a clean lobby, clean elevators and the park outside of the lobby are something that I, neither have some of the tenants, have ever witnessed and is mostly at the fault of other tenants that live in my building and the one across the park.
  2. Why is the problem so incredibly important?: 
  3. -Well, the fact that this still exists is an issue because tenants that have been living here for 50 years say that nothing has changed and they expected things to be clean or over the years but it never has if anything they say that things have gotten worse and it makes them feel sometimes unsafe for the hair loud music at night and parties and fights break out and now cops always have to stay stationed now downstairs. The matter simply of safety and cleanliness for all tenants and children that live here, which I am sure everyone wants, right?
  1. Alternative ideas & Feedback
    1. Briefly describe here the 5 or more ideas:

1.) This idea was to have the community tenants who live in both buildings facing the park come together for weekly meetings and clean ups/ brainstorming new ideas on how to really keep the community clean.

2.) Have police and forced mandatory curfew for Park closing time (example after 7 PM) and use gates to enforce this/patrolling officers

3.) Our community/third-party security officers to monitor the lobby 14 smokers who is the staircase/ contribute to garbage pile up

4.) Install security cameras around the area and pinpoint/find tenants/guests who litter on property/trespass

5.) Those fines or consequences for those caught littering/playing loud music/any other unacceptable activities

 

What was the feedback for each of those ideas? What did you learn? (ca. 5-6 sentences)

-When I spoke to my neighbor that lives in front of my apartment she stated that these could definitely work but it’s all a matter of who actually decides to listen. Then, when speaking to the elderly neighbors that I also have on my floor they also stated the same thing that my other neighbor said about who would decide to listen but they also thought that it would be a good idea and a change because I might be the only person who as ever wanted to implement change and really make things better. They were right; when I came back home to process my thoughts, realize that it would be very difficult to make people want to change when there haven’t been changes here in over 50 years and actually see that this has been a problem other than it just being “a way of life” or during the excuse “it’s the projects, its just how they are” which is sad to even hear from my neighbors and see that they haven’t even given up themselves ever seeing change. Furthermore I truly believe that overtime when security and fines and gates are implemented the children that are raised here will start to see this and treat their community better and this will cause a chain reaction. But, as of now, really seems to be a matter of training in old dog new tricks and could take some time getting used to. Personally I think the biggest fear that people have when their community starts to get better is that they believe that rent will start being raised in this low income community because they see that it starts to get better. Which, I believe, does not always have to truly be the case it really just comes from the community coming together and giving their all to the place that they live to make it safer and better themselves. Play in my opinion this was really sad to hear knowing that people actually fear rent being raised because of how they feel that their neighborhood would look better and be better, person to the beautiful tall glass buildings right across the street, the Whole Foods, the TJ Maxx, the chipotle, it’s really an entire shopping outlet that’s literally right across the street there’s even a Starbucks and you can walk by their lobbies and clearly see there’s no trash there’s no garbage on that entire block but as soon as you cross the street to ours it’s an entirely different vibe. Simple fact is that they know that their rent is probably 1020 times higher than ours because of their living situation is been different and they probably fear that if ours were matching theirs then they would have no choice but to raise our rent because were living that way as well…

  1. Taken together: what did you learn overall?

-No one really gave me ideas on how to improve things because of how they fear that rent would be increased and the fact that they are just somehow comfortable with it all because if they start implementing new changes and they fear people fighting back or just things getting worse in retaliation. I personally believe that my ideas for good enough and if I could implement them then they would be very happy with that. I truly felt sad in my heart that I learned such horrible things from my elderly neighbors especially ones that have been here for so so long and have witnessed new people move in and out and now that they see the more permanent tenants here and they’ve been seeing your children grow they can see who has turned out to be like why and truly see the parents of those children and disappointment or some children who are never out at that park/ who were raised differently, etc due to the living conditions that we have they have witnessed people adjusting to). I felt like it was really up to me at this point to really start changing the community between these two buildings as well as the entire community of all of the projects that begin on this block and continue on upwards about 25 more blocks.

  1. Describe here the new solution (ca. 4-5 sentences and feel free to draw it!):

–I truly wish I had a new solution but I guess the solution that I have it put together myself is putting all five of my solutions together and implementing them into a set of new rules for our community instead of just picking one or two because my neighbors loved all of my rules and they feel like they could really make a difference together as a whole.