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.”
The run
A important impact for understanding why I live in this neighborhood is slavery I been living hea for almost 50 years
The Run
Was brought down from New Jersey with my mother
Community as a whole
Just growing up here the hardships
Sports (Story #504)
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.
Sad but happy days
I remember there was an incident of a boy getting shot by my house. The whole city was not so much shocked because we know how it is nowadays. But the thing is everybody in the community was there for the parents and family like we all were family.
20 years teaching in the glades
Growing up for an interview at P.H.S to be a teacher I had to compete with another teacher and a number of the people in the interview become very good friends and I Romberg the teachers at the cool try to adapt to the school to become a teacher. And I am bless that I been able to teach multiple teachers in the classes. By the time I was retire I was teaching the children and grandchildren of the student I taught
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
Giving back to the community- Kene
In my community right now in boynton, I’m a deacon at church of God in boynton, we try to help the community in any way we can, bring people closer to Christ. We have street services around the community to try to strengthen their connection with God. I try to be as helpful as I can cause not everyone is as fortunate.
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.
The Wrong Guy
I’m sure there are many stories like this one because of the ridiculous amount of police brutality incidents. I had let my grandson use my car to run a few errands. He soon return the car to me but while returning the car to me he got into a incident with a police officer right in my driveway. The police officer roughly grabbed my grandson out my car although i did tell the officer the car wasn’t stolen it was for me and I let him use it. He threw him on the ground and left him with a…
Rose out of concrete
Living around violence-but finding the good out of every situation. Great support system.
Belle Glade should be a better city
I wish the community was better. They need to get more resources. More places for people to go. Not much is in Belle Glade to do and enjoy. You can make a living in Belle Glade. I moved from Georgia in 2001. I liked Georgia better because it was cheaper. But I still like it here. A young boy got killed back in 2016. He was running and the police shot him 3-4 times. We need more enforcement here in Belle Glade, because that’s not supposed to happen. The officer is still in the force. The force used to be…
Changebis needed
Being stopped by the police all the time because of what I look like. Police love stopping and asking questions. Not matter what the age. But it does matter what the color. That needs to change.
Agriculture
Fields
Living in Quiet Waters
Real nice. People are pretty nice, staff are nice. High school champions (Glades Central). Pretty comfortable. Moved here 10 years ago, still about the same. One of the best places in belle glade to live. Nice people come to visit.
Success and growth
Ver good community with community with a lot of potential
Good manners
I fought a lot as a kid. That’s just how it is when you grow up in the hood. I would have fought a lot more if it wasn’t for one simple phrase: “My bad”. For those of you that don’t speak hood, “My bad” is the equivalent of saying “I’m sorry.”
Social culturalism – Kene
Positive; downtown cultural vibe identity. Lived down here for three years, the demographics are changing, wealthy individuals disturbing the southern flavor. Outlook isn’t as good due to impatient materialistic snow birds. They don’t follow directions. They have no shame or conscious, and it’s undoing the natural flavor of Delray, and changing it.
My story
All the best conversation is happening in GroupMe, Slack, WhatsApp, private email lists, or over drinks after work. People feel comfortable analyzing, debating, and joking in these places, where they can express themselves without fear of judgment, unwanted notifications, or death threats.
Another chance.
First came 5/9/2014 out of prison. (14 months) Difficult to find place to live because of past offenses. Matthew 25 ministries provided access to housing in sugar cane field. Started coming to United Methodist Church. Was surprised because people welcomed me. Difficult to find employment, but people let me into their lives and hired me for yard work. People in this community are different than any other community because they understand that people make mistakes. The Glades Initiative is helping turn my life around. People here accept us as who we are and extend friendship out. People understand that change…
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.
Business minding-Nelcael Jospeh
Once i was walking with my grandma. She lived by my school so she would walk to pick me up everyday and while we were walking we heard arguing and my grandma gripped my hand and started walker fast she said come on boy walk fast i said grandma we should help them she said shut you mouth and mind your business i wouldn’t dare say another word because my grandma didn’t play the radio. When we had walked into the house she fixed me a snack as she usually would and we heard gun shots I looked at ,y…
Break in-Rickia
I remember one night returning home and my mom looked puzzled when I looked out the window I seen this someone was breaking into my dad’s truck my dad immediately got out of the car and begin to taste the person about the person got away and the police took
Make the right friends
An important day in my life was when I first got out of prison Life wasn’t always great for me and it wasn’t always good but when I went down that bad road and had the wrong friends I was in and out of jail I was selling drugs Things was just bad for me don’t need you guys making the same mistake I made
Always stick with your family because family is going to be there for you
The most important moment in my life (I was born and raised in Belle Glade). I lost my mom in 96 by of Belle Glade, an my son and nephew lost to gun violence a few years ago. After all of that, I am still standing, I might stumble, God has carried me. He is always there. Hypertension and diabetes and heart problems went through my family, and God has been there for us. My mom lived 7 years with kidney failure with NO medication. She didn’t suffer when she died. We took care of her and my husband when…
My move to Pahokee, FL
When my husband decided that our family would move to his hometown of Pahokee, FL. I knew it would be a significant change moving from a metropolitan city, 1,000,000+ to a small city of about 6,000 people. My husbands return home was two fold. He wanted to be close to his family-mother, father, brothers and sister but also wanted to help his community by becoming the Mayor, which meant for him using all that he had learned and experienced, bringing it back home to Pahokee. He was adamant about returning home from the day we met…
Come and See For Yourself
I was born in Everglade Experimentation station, 3 mi east of bell glade. Born in 1944. Mom was babysitter. Being in bell glades is what you make out of it. Went to school here. Need to be cautious and need to remember god is in control, especially at this time of year. With the weather. Went to school for childhood development. We have situations here, but they are like a family. We have situations , but what family doesn’t. I am 74, but this is the greatest places to live. Only left for 15 years, when she went to Pompano…
My life (Story #571)
Gunshots in the middle of the day preventing you from leaving your home
Be forgiven
Growing up in Delray Beach Fl I was always a problem child I brought disappointment to my mom and family than that made me realize that what I did shouldn’t be happening anymore , my mom told me. “Baby don’t do that no more “ that’s the day I smiled remember it like it was yesterday
Halloween in delray
Last Halloween we went to our neighbors house and we had a thousand homes in our community and a lot of young families halloween is a good event in our community my neighborhood is friendly oriented and family oriented and have lots of fun
The incident at the corner store
There was recently a shooting at a corner store in the police officer went around asking questions to everyone I stood outside and listen to everyone’s response and every single person said the same thing they didn’t hear anything they didn’t see anything and didn’t know what was going on I did not personally know the person who had got shot but I felt bad because there’s no way this person would get justice with the way everybody was taking the situation and the responses the police officers we’re getting
The right track-laroderick rickstdson
I grew up in the trenches I was selling dope and getting bad grades in school and the someone wanted to put me on the path to success and I was not selling dope and I was getting good grades
Overturn of Florida- Kene
For my community, and the community it self in Delray, it still has a boundary. Basically, Delray is for Delray. For the community wise I don’t feel Delray does anything for the community. We have a community here in Delray, but not that much aid in it. I feel the city more or less focuses on the east rich side of the community, but not the poor west side. Just doesn’t make sense. Business corporates are pushing us for their construction projects. Back then when I was being raised Delray used to be as far as Boca, but history never…
Our future
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.
School Daze
Once when I was walking to school an early morning I immediately noticed that there was police cars swarming the school I later found out that the police were there because someone had gotten shot it was especially a traumatic experience for me because i simply was never introduced to violence such as so
End of an Era
I remember after the annual roots festival which took place every year a group of us would go on Atlantic ave and post up while the nice cars passed by after the festival let out. This was tradition up until 1999 when the than Delray Beach police Chief order his officer to suite up in riot gear and come disperse of the crowd. I remember feeling helpless and going home and asking my mom, Why would they treat us like that. This was well before police and community relationships mattered to our city leaders.
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 Rough Neighborhood
I lived in a very rough neighborhood. There were often shootings and police officers knocking on doors to ask questions. Many times everyone seen the scene but would never speak on it. There was at least 3-7 shootings in a month. Till this day the neighborhood is the same.
Working for my future.
Watching my parents work so hard to provide us with the most they could. Unfortunately we did not have a lot like others. My parents didn’t make enough income to provide us with our wants, but we were just thankful that my parents were able to provide us with a home, food and clothing. For school I remember being bullied because I wore a lot of hand me downs and not being vocal or tough. Also, we did not have transportation for school so I would walk and get to school sweaty. Yes, we struggled but our parents taught us…
All together as one
An important time in my life was when my whole neighborhood came together as one it felt great to see us all come together. Through all the pain , suffrage killings and all we still was able to come together as a black community as we should. It was important for me because in my time it wasn’t like this it was different i wasn’t able to swing on that purple swing right there i wasn’t able to drink from that water fountain but now my grandkids can my nephews my kids kids everyone all together are able to be…
Effortless
Having no support
My community (Story #313)
An Important moment in life is when young man and young women getting killed and not having the same rights as white people .living in the ghetto can change a person from having manners to “get rich or die trying “. Therefore many people wouldn’t just go to living in the ghetto you have to change it yourself to prove people wrong.
Living in the Glades
Graduating from high school and keeping contact with everyone.
Learn to love
“People may say hurtful things “ growing up a different color doesn’t mean you don’t have different blood
Ms.T my Second Mother
When my mother kicked me out of the house I spent nights sleeping in a park while trying to finish high school. I had no bed, no shower,and no food.I went back to my old neighborhood and knocked on the door of Ms.T she was a well known lady kind of like the mother of my neighborhood.All I wanted was something to eat. But Ms.T didn’t just give me a meal. She took me into her home, where he had warm food and a roof over his head she treated me like her very own son. She also brought…
LOVE (Story #632)
GROWING UP WAS EVERYTHING I HAD THE NICEST HELPFUL PARENTS THEY GAVE AND HELP ME
The good life
Just the daily life in my neighborhood shows how it’s like. My life is peaceful. As long as I’ve lived in Boynton Beach I’ve encountered no problems. Life seems to be great.
New beginning- Kene
Well I’m originally from Columbia, came over when I was 8 years old, I didn’t know anybody, didn’t know English. It’s important to know English, and finding mindful resources. Also I’ve delivered toys to unfortunate families to give them toys. Gave homeless people clothes around winter to stay warm.
Family
I used to work in the local corner store. People were also nice to me. We were like family. I would see the same people everyday and we would bond in the course of 5 minutes of them being there.
Love- Rickia
I am so lonely since my Walter died. We loved our neighborhood and we loved each other. I think everyone should have a love and a relationship that help you get through the worst times and also help create the best moments. Walter was that and more. He was a great Father, grandfather and he served the country until the day he died.
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