BROKEN WINDOW THEORY
BY STUDENT
Long island always has been a place known for many of its attractions weather it may be its beautiful beaches along its shores or its luxurious livings of its well-known areas like the Hamptons. It has also been a place of attraction for many people to migrate to however, in its early beginnings it hasn’t always been a place available to others. Turning Long Island into the perceived white affluent suburb of New York City (thepolitic.org). However, over time more minority groups began to make their way out from the city into the counties of Long island in areas such as Hempstead creating strong Latino/a/x populations in search of job opportunity. Since 1980 the Hispanic population has tripled from about 330,000 to 500,000 causing observers to reevaluate Long island’s characterization, With the increasing of the Latino/a/x population in areas like Hempstead a long came the stereotype of crime and poverty towards Latino/a/x populations. This all connects to the Broken Windows Theory, “a criminological theorythat visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes”(Wikipedia). I believe the question one must ask is it really the people at fault or the socioeconomic factors that are involved have a key role for this reoccurring outcome for areas with high rates of Latino/a/x populations?
Manor Ave. Hempstead apartments Avalon Garden City, NY Apartments
Even though Long Island may become more and more diverse each year you still notice the differences, In this blog post I will demonstrate the factors that contribute to the crime and poverty of Latino/a/x populations to argue the fact that it isn’t the people who are at fault but they are just a product of they’re environment. Just blocks away from Hempstead is its neighboring town Garden City. As you see in the photos above, the style of living is significantly different from one another. Hempstead consisting majority of Hispanic and black populations while Garden City has populations of about 95% white citizens (long island report.org). When it comes to educations, Garden City school districts rank among the highest of the country while Hempstead high school holds graduation rates of 48%. Hempstead’s school districts enroll one of the highest numbers of undocumented students each year with numbers increasing, causing overcrowding within its schools. Students have been reported with not enough spaces in classrooms that they have to stand or sit on the floor just to stay in class. what seems to be the cause of such differences? According to census dating back to 2015 only 17 % of Hempstead residence only have degrees of higher education with a median household income 56,239 compared to Garden City’s 157,366. Hempstead is also home to the Nassau County district court causing more policing in the area which is found to make areas worse haunting Hempstead with the curse of the famous Broken Windows Theory.
With all these factors against younger generations of minorities especially the undocumented Latino/a/x population its hard to break free of the reoccurring cycle of poverty and criminalization within the area. Thousands of undocumented immigrants come to escape violent lives and for job opportunity but still find themselves still in hardship positions when they arrive.
Sources: Hempstead, Garden City, still worlds apart. (2017, April 25). Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://longislandreport.org/news/hempstead-garden-city-still-worlds-apart/24420
Influx of immigrant children reported in Hempstead School District. Retrieved April1, 2019, from http://longisland.news12.com/story/34770614/influx-of-immigrant-children-reported-in-hempstead-school-district
Whose Long Island? Immigrants Battle for Rights in Suburban New York. (Sanoja Bhaumik 2017, April 27) Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://thepolitic.org/whose-long-island-immigrants-battle-for-rights-in-suburban-new-york/
Broken Windows Theory. Retrieved April2,2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory
I was unaware of the overcrowding of Hempstead school. Im wondering what is the difference in crime rates between Hempstead and other parts of long island such as Garden city?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you tied in concepts we discussed in class, such as the broken window theory, and applied it to a place such as Long Island suburbia where you usually wouldn't find it being used. I also think that including the percentages comparing the local racial makeup to the educational statistics was useful, as access to a quality public education is an important factor to analyze when trying to understand a communities access to (or lack thereof) government funding.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting that you noted that although long island is becoming diversed, we still see difference between the demogrpahics. What do you believe is needed to increase the Latinx population is long island?
ReplyDeleteI was genuinely unaware of the Latino/a/x population in Long Island. Even though I knew some lived out there I wasn't aware of them having in a sense their own town. I was always under the impression that white people were almost everywhere and the Latino/a/x population which was apart of the population was just spread out amongst the entire Long Island population. I was also not aware of the disparity in educational differences. This was a very informative post!
ReplyDeleteI like how you presented how many people see Long Island as being an affluent area, which it is true to a degree but people fail to realize there are also neighborhoods like Hempstead which is what people would imagine it be. I wonder why minorities started to move into this neighborhood; was it the jobs available, its location, realtors specifically shows this neighborhood to minorities or a mix of several factors? It was also interesting to see the comparison between the Garden City and Hempstead high schools. I'm interested to know how to surrounding schools like Uniondale High school, Holy Trinity, or Mineola compare.
ReplyDelete