Palm Beach County residents were asked:
Please tell us about an important moment in your life that would help someone understand what it’s like living in your neighborhood.
The stories and micro-narratives they submitted (as part of the We Are Here SenseMaker project) are listed below. Click ZOOM IN to learn more about the community member and how they interpreted their submission. NOTE: Some stories were partially transcribed by volunteers who shortened the narratives and referred to the storytellers in the third person (e.g., “her experience was” instead of “my experience was”).
Living around here isn’t really as bad as people make it seem. Yes there’s drugs and murders and bad things going on but if you are focused on a goal u should have a good outcome. Many people make it out the hood that’s why I push my kids to be something in life.
Neighborhoods with poor quality housing, few resources, and unsafe conditions impose stress, which can lead to depression. The stress imposed by adverse neighborhoods increases depression above and beyond the effects of the individual’s own personal stressors, such as poverty and negative events within the family or work-place.
I remember driving down over by galaxy elementary one night. I don’t know what was going on but I seen at least 100 teens outside and police cars. The police had dogs out and big guns. See teens these days for some reason are prone to getting into trouble. Hopefully nobody that night got hurt. But I want better for our future generation.
When I was little times were easy. Wasn’t much crime and this was claim. But these days these kids are around here killing each other.
Growing up in my neighborhood wasn’t actually bad all the time., I mean things did happen but there was also some good things going on. I lived in a house with all my brothers and they always looked out for me.