“We Are Here” Stories (List View)

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”).


Sep 14, 2018

Be smarter

Something that was important in my life while I was growing up ? Let see well when I was in grade school I was always bad in school never really listened to the teachers I only did the things I did cause my friends was laughing and made them laugh I don’t know if I was a class clown or something that just made people laugh but when I always got out of school I used to see these group of man. And they had guns and drugs on them and I asked what they do but they never answered I ask can I be in the gang they were in but that was a mistake seen people die over things that wasn’t worth it
Sep 19, 2018

Safety first (Story #481)

I remember one night I was at home. Next thing you know I hear gunshots. I thought nothing of it until I went to watch the news the next day and seen somebody was shot and killed by my house. It worried me about my safety.
Sep 19, 2018

Got to change

Important moment in my life was when I went to jail. In my neighborhood things hard. I was on drugs very bad but I been clean for 3 years.
Sep 19, 2018

Doing better

Wildcat games are always the best games. One game they had was just so much fun. Sitting there peacefully watching the boys play brings so much joy. It shows that they are not wasting there time and are actually long something with their lives.
Mar 4, 2019

One good makes the world around.

I always user to help my neighbor. I use to pick stuff up for her, and go to the store. She was disabled.
Sep 24, 2018

The Life

Me and my family moved from down here from New Jersey and the people here in this neighborhood helped me build this house for me and my 4 kids