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”).
I moved here from Haiti with my grandmother. I was kicked out at 16. Luckily I had friend to help me with money and a job.
My hood was very poor with too much pride. I was determined to make it a better place. I ended up with a scholarship to college and different outlook on life. I returned to my hood a made it a better place
Going fishing
Important moments in my life was sports. Growing up around here I had to be into something so I didn’t get caught in the street life. My parents didn’t want me to In up in jail.
School wasn’t for me so I dropped out I don’t know why I made that choice but it must’ve been because I was. Hanging out with the wrong crowd And I was to busy in the streets instead of the books
One time I was driving home from work and a police officer pulled me over because he claimed my window tents were too dark. he asked me to step out the car and when I stepped out the car he roughly pulled me and put me in handcuffs. He later explained that he also thought my car was stolen.This happens very often were in from many cops racially profile people and miss treat them especially in my neighborhood I was probably the 30th incident.