Like many have already mentioned, the readings of this week were definitely based on tension between groups, whether the conflicts were between rival neighborhoods and politcal groups to racial groups. In Five Points, Anbinder describes the riots that occurred in Five Points because of rival neighborhoods and political groups. For example, the police force under the mayor and the state had conflicts because both believed they were the real police. They used to let criminals escape because they were arguing over who had the right to arrest the criminal. Many people in the neighborhood also weren’t too happy about the the new police, known as the Metropolitans, and attacked the new policemen. Then the riot-turned-violent between the “Dead Rabbits” and the “Bowery Boys” occurred when the “Dead Rabbits” tried to get the “Bowery Boys” out of their territory.
In Brownsville, Brooklyn, there was a different approach because it dealt with a different issue. The residents in Brownsville were trying to improve the conditions of their neighborhood during the 1960s, when the war on poverty was declared. They created the Brownsville Community Council (BCC) as a way to organize and really impact the community and combat poverty. However, crime and housing problems were still a problem in Brownsville. Another issue that Pritchett raised in Chapter 8 was schooling. Since Brownsville schools were falling apart both physically and internally, the city allowed the community to run the school themselves as an experiment so the needs can be addressed in a better way. However, problems still arose as teachers who did not agree with the way the BCC planned the curriculum and held strikes. When they attempted to integrate the children in school, they met opposition (sometimes violently) from the other communities surrounding Brownsville. And to address Susan’s question, I don’t know if singling out the blacks would have helped in the “war against poverty” because like she said, they seemed to want to integrate. I do think, though, that an improvement in schools would have definitely been helpful.
And finally, both Sciorra ad Rieder talked about the conflicts between races. In the beginning, Sciorra was the only Italian in the march about the killing of Yusef Hawkins, and he was receiving threats from the crowd outside for siding with the blacks. And like some people mentioned, Rieder blatantly described the racism that many Canarsians had for the newcomers in the area. Conflict has definitely been an issue, even in New York City. And like the topic of this week suggests, it’s based on turf, and these readings show that it can come through different forms, whether it be between neighborhoods or class and race. Each group feels entitled to their space and will protect it as much as possible, and like Jessica mentions, someone always wants to be on top.
