Because of urban decay, partially caused by the planned shrinkage of the Bronx’s fire departments, the populations either living with AIDS and/or using intravenous drugs had no choice but to disperse throughout the borough, leaving them, many times, at a loss for accessible health care and community programs that would allow them medical and emotional support. In the reading, among the three solutions given for restoring stability in the Bronx is, “intensive community organizing.” While this would likely help the situation, it seems like it would be quite difficult for communities struck severely by poverty, disease and lack of resources to find the time and means to organize effectively; by no means am I saying that they would be unable to do so, but if a household is spending the majority of their time struggling to take care of themselves, I doubt “intensive community organizing” would be high up on their priority list. The majority of the responsibility should fall on both the city’s government and it’s more stable populations to provide adequate services and housing for these neglected populations. Even now, as limited low income housing forces people onto years-long waiting lists, out of the city, and even into the streets, not nearly enough is being done to rectify the situation. We need more low income housing and fewer high rise condominiums to be built; more resources and public spaces that are accessible to the entire community–to build and sustain community relations–and fewer corporate coffee shops popping up on every corner.
As stated in the reading, plagues typically begin within the lower class and “work their way up.” As such, it’s a incredulous misstep that more attention is not paid to the welfare of the lower class in New York City and elsewhere. The middle and upper classes often focus on their own well being without taking into account that not only is the lower class composed of people that deserve good health just as much as they do, but the health of the lower class has a strong impact on the health of everyone. Recalling a comment Professor Braine made in a previous class, socioeconomic disparity negatively affects all classes, not just those lower on the class hierarchy. Given this information, not only is the implementation of “planned shrinkage” borderline evil from a moral standpoint, it is also completely counterproductive even if a city seeks to only better the health of its middle and upper class populations.
