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.” Explore 50 responses below, selected at random. Which stories capture your attention? (Some responses were transcribed by youth volunteers.) To learn more about the storyteller and how they interpreted their response, click “Zoom In.”
Snitches get stitches
In my neighborhood there has been many killings, fights all of that. My son was recently killed at a house party. The saddest thing about it was no one seen anything which I don’t believe this community needs to let go of the whole idea “snitches get stitches”
Kitalicious
I came to this town in 7th grade from Riviera. I meshed better with the kids here than in Rivera. There was a big difference from school to school. If iI had stayed in Rivera I do not think that I would be the same person I am today. I know myself better because I moved here.
Growing up in boynton-Devonte white
I dont really have a important moment in life but i can tell you how it is growing up in my neighborhood. Things was pretty calm back in the days everyone was civilized.Now you got all these young people around here killing each other
When play turns tragic
A boy was once tragically hit by a train. I stayed clear of the tracks after that incident . The train tracks were right in front of my home.
Don’t do nothing
Growing up in boynton wasn’t always the best we didn’t have the school we wanted we was in and out of Trouble my brother and I Was Trouble makers
Made it happen
My home situation was slightly better than average when compared to the typical ghetto home life.My mom didn’t always work, but she took temporary work when she could and I never went hungry.
My community (Story #423)
My neighborhood is filled with children,I see them having fun playing ball but I also see them fighting. They either arguing with their parents or just fighting with the other kids . long been clear that children from troubled neighborhoods have worse outcomes as adults. But it has been much harder to disentangle whether these neighborhoods cause the later disadvantage, or whether the hardships that lead families to bad neighborhoods are the problem.
Good community (Story #458)
I agree with the previous person. You can’t base how the neighborhood is off of one moment. Not all moments are good and not all of them are bad. From the Boynton I know we have our ups and downs but we will always be a good community.
Appreciation
Learning from the people around you.I was raised in up state New York in a strict Catholic surroundings. It was not until I moved to Boynton Beach that I got to experience and appreciate life and what it had to offer.
Truth, streets, and what comes with it
I saw death the morning of my high school graduation. It let me know about
We gotta do better
This did not happen in my life but it affected me. A young boy was shot and killed in Boynton Beach. Now I didn’t know him but I miss him. What if that was my son or nephew. We gotta do better.
Growing up in Boynton Beach (Story #326)
Growing up in Boynton Beach in 1963 it was very tough for a young black person and racism was very strong in Boynton Beach
Effortless
Having no support
Beatrice Elma
How the violence’s has increased, and the Judges live in a different world to us, plus wars are still ongoing just to please a few, very worried for our young people and grandchildren what lay’s ahead for them.Plus the lack of justices to those who have sex with children, that’s a no go zone for me.
All is well
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.
My child
Important moment in my life was having my first child . He changed my life in a way. With out him I would of been in the streets of boynton running wild
Choose the right ones
Listen the way people can be brought up is by choice the way they can live life is by the way they want to most people may do more bad things after one mistake and some may be forgiven
Angels Surrounding me
They were arguing about a girl. He left and I was standing there talking to one of the guys. Someone came from behind and hit my with a baseball bat. I had seizures and was foaming from the mouth. I was in a coma for 9months and 2 weeks. Then I woke up and stayed in the hospital for another month in Jackson Memorial. I couldn’t play high school football after that.
Moslead
Well growing up in my neighborhood i had a sister and brother and my mother didn’t take care of me. Her mother did but there was a lot of that going on back then where mothers didn’t raise there children and i feel like that’s a major issues that’s why we have so many mislead children in the current generation
Good of bad
Growing up in Boynton Beach my family and i were close he had a nice relationship because my grandma would never allow anything else we stuck together and it was all love. We lived on “the hill” and there was a lot going on fighting. Violence. But there was also good times.
Respect
Growing up i had moved down from Haiti and the part i lived in there was a lot of white people so not only was i kind of racial profiled i was also picked on and make fun of because of my accent so that pretty much sums up what it was like. I was in trouble a lot because i was the type to always want to defend my self. I had a couple friends that’s guided me through but i still wanted my respect.
The right thing
When I was 16 I saw someone get killed. After that I knew the neighborhood wasn’t safe. I told myself that when I get older I’m going to do the right thing.
Love (Story #490)
When I first found love I know many people may not trust a lot of people in this world but if you just take one time out your life to get to know some one you will have an awesome day that day getting to know some one is building you a bond slowly and slowly many my be depressed but you can take the sad ness away
Surviving
Living around here is pretty tough. At times you realize how people act as a community and how everything is seen. On an individual level it depends on how you look at it. All the things kind of go not so well. Growing up here i realized that this is a survival city. If you can survive here, you can survive anywhere. Living here will toughen you up or fold you. There is no in between. I wish as a community as a whole people could see the daily struggles. A few individuals ruin it for the whole. For examples…
Growing up in Boynton Beach (Story #417)
Growing up in Boynton Beach it was tough because segregation was hectic!
Helpful neighbors- Kene
About a month after moving into my house, it flooded. So at one point we lost our kitchen so our neighbors were nice and fortunate enough to bring us meals.
The Tragic Story of the Young Girl
This month there was a young child about 10 that was shot and killed. She was outside playing and there was a drive by which is a regular event we’re I live.It broke my heart there was no eye witnesses. This honestly has to change what happen to that young girl was tragic.
The city
Growing up in boynton there’s a lot of important moments. Things are not as good as they used to be around here.when I was younger I was shot 5 times on different occasions.
Not the same
Things changed out here , the streets used to be full of kids. Now days kids are getting killed and on all type of drugs. Things have got tougher around here also. The community can’t come together for nothing .
Don’t judge a book by its cover
A very secluded family lived across the street from me my entire childhood and we barely spoke or interacted. I left for college and after returned to live with my parents. I notice one day a very nerdy looking young lady coming back and forth and decided to approach her. Well, she ended up being the love of my life and we are still together. I’m glad I fell in love with her and not her appearance.
Beautiful Belle Glade
It’s a beautiful community and good environment. It was alright growing up here. We would go to the movies, library and park with my kids. We have a Martin Luther King parade every year we go and watch. The kids really like it they throw candy and have fire trucks.
The Neighborhood Full of Crime
There has been many fights for many years, Loud rowdy fights. The police is constantly coming to our neighborhood to break a fight up or arrest someone for a crime. It’s been like this for years and it should honestly stop. My grandson was recently arrested because he was linked to a shooting. It needs to change and I hope and pray one day it does.
Don’t judge
Well when I was going to lake worth high school it wasn’t a school for black kids it was on a segregated school Due to the people around us our community was dying no one liked the colored folks
poor decisions.
one important memory in my life was when i my neighborhood was having robbery all over the place and no one was spared. it took months to fi d the culprit and shortly after me and my family moved and now we live here in.
Don’t do what they do
Growing up in lake worth beach Florida was ok at first till group of kids thought they were man enough to handle things. Going out stealing cars , robing people, hitting people and other things
Scared
I never thought me growing up was so ruff for me. My mom and dad died in a car accident. I was raised by my grandparents raised me until they past away I been living from house to house in finish house still didn’t go off to college .
Growing Up Without Parents
Losing a mother and being raised by an aunt. This ensured that I had to over come obstacles and pave a way for myself and siblings to get through life.
My community (Story #365)
An important moment in my life is when someone who you loved the most turns out to be dead or injured.You don’t know how to feel you feel like nobody and this world can’t fix this.My community people would just come to me and say “sorry for your lost” but they know how people can change when someone was injured in their life too
Community get together (Story #612)
Afro Arts
Mlk March-Rickia
I can remember the neighborhood coming together to watch the Mlk March and all my friends came over with they grandma because back then everyone couldn’t afford a tv
Elizabeth Alice Green story
Back than many people didn’t know what to think because their was so many different things going around in our community and we didn’t know what to do so many people just hope that it would make our community great and some bad .slavery back than would be the caused for all what bad things in our community that is still today .our community didn’t changed .
Make something out of it
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.
Long time ago- laroderick
When I joined my high school cheerleading team and I realized that the coach for my high school cheerleading team was the same coach I had when I was in delray Rocks cheerleading team of someone was to think about that noticing how small and connected Delray Beach is that we could I could be on different cheerleading teams at two different money’s in my life and have the same exact coach till this day I am 23 and still connected to that coach I am the god mother of her daughter
Love your moms
Moving out my mom house was important to me.Things can get hard around Boynton so I had to make a way. Even though I moved out my mom still had to help me.
City of Boca- Kene
Before I retired, while working for the city of Boca Raton I accidentally got into a car accident with a very expensive Mercedes. I was worried about what happened, but when the cops showed up, they told me it was okay since I’m a city official, no charges will be given, or no expenses will be charged. I thank God for giving me this opportunity, or right now my living situation wouldn’t be the same today.
a bad night in boynton.
an important moment my interviwees life was. a time back about 10 years ago when she was driving down the street and then out of nowhere her car broke down now this was late at and she says that she was going to walk to a gas station to get gas and when she was walking a group of boys was walking and she was walking for a good while and noticed that they were following her so she decided to cross the street and walk on the other side and thet crossed also, then the group stsrted running after…
Katrina
Hurricane
The life of cano
Violence different things happening people getting shot and drug deals basically the typical hood
Important moment interview
Live in Jefferson manor and grand parents owned store in Delray. 4th generation and moved into grandparents old home. Loss job recently but thank God was able to keep the house, worked and traveled a lot professionally.
The run
A important impact for understanding why I live in this neighborhood is slavery I been living hea for almost 50 years
Refresh the page to see another random set of stories or view the stories and micro-narratives in a list.