Full of Liberty, but no Hope!

"Perception is reality," my mother said as we spoke about an article published in the Miami Herald entitled "Liberty City street's story is one of struggle violence. Click here for article.

I first read Robert Samuels' perception of Liberty City in an email sent to me by my journalism professor and I immediately felt disturbed that not even a black man could go into a predominately African-American community and find 

something good to say. I understand a journalist's job is to report the news or story and not to make either one, but despair and negativity are abundantly obvious in any poor community and to write about it benefits none and fails to inform or surprise anyone. I found the overall tone of the article very negative and devoid of any hope for the subjects of the story and lacking any humanity on the part of the author. 

"a business thoroughfare where few businesses exist. Here there are no trees and the street's asphalt melts into the concrete of the sidewalk, worn-down like the residents who walk upon them. The road offers a glimpse of the Liberty City that revitalization has not fully touched. It stretches for nine blocks, from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Northwest 71st Street. Young girls meander there on weekday afternoons with babies hanging on their waists; young men hang out in their cars. A mural of Malcolm and Martin faces a mural of brooding, busty women in bikinis, and there's a spray-painted message saying the avenue is best for sexual activity. To find out the local gossip, you stop at Miracles conch fritter place or at Brewton's grocery store, where a single egg goes for 35 cents."

And under the subsection entitled "The positives" Samuels wrote about the good side of liberty city which I found rather unusual because there was no mention of people, but instead it lists construction projects and business openings.

There has been good news. Elaine Black, who heads the local revitalization trust, noted that 100 apartment units and 40 single-family homes have been built or revamped in the area. At any given time, as many as 25 Miami officers patrol the area -- including a heavier police presence at the corner of Northwest 71st Street and 15th Avenue. They clocked nine  homicides last year, a decrease from 14 in 2007.In the past year, a tax preparation service and two restaurants have taken a chance on Northwest 15th Avenue. Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones said plans are under way to improve street lighting and add landscaping to make that roadway nicer...

I am by no means an expert on life, but during my brief stint on this planet I have yet to 

encounter any person or object devoid of some redeeming quality. Convicted killers have a moral code that 

makes rapists and child molesters ethically corrupt and worthy of death. Manure, waste excreted from our bodies and the bodies of animals is used to grow bigger and better crops faster. But in a city full of people, the only positives are construction projects done by people who do not even live in Liberty City. 

The city has birthed more rappers and professional athletes than any other in its area, there are hardworking tax-paying citizens trying to effect change, violence and despair do live between 54th and 79th street but so do hope and success and to show only one side of a community is to perpetuate the stereotype of the city and its people. 

Life is tough on the streets of liberty city, but you don't need to live there to know that, despite the many obstacles, many people have endured the hardships and emerged triumphant. Write about the tough times but show that success is possible. We as reporters must not forsake our subjects but write for the sake of them and our readers. We after all are still human, although blessed with a calling for journalism, but little else separates us from those whom we write about, this week's reporter could easily be next week's report.