Justice in a Country of Freedom

America is a country of freedom, democracy, and liberty; a place where immigrants come to build a life for themselves and their family. It is as a utopia of prosperity and opportunity, but can all citizens say that? Camden is a city located in New Jersey, just across the river from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Once a thriving hometown for the typical American family, Camden is now our country’s poorest and most dangerous city; however, it is located in the wealthiest state. These proven statistics contradict each other; nevertheless, the government is lacking in it’s efforts to change that fact. The idea that the lackadaisical and undetermined attitudes of the citizens have caused them to enter into a life of poverty must be reevaluated and compared to the circumstances in which they are living.

All humans are made in God’s image and have dignity; this means we are all equal. Equal can be defined as “the same as” or “of the same value.” If all people are equal, there are many injustices depicted by simply walking down the streets of this struggling city. Are the people of Camden truly being valued if they are not given the resources and opportunities to succeed just as many Americans do? Fifty years ago, Camden had places for families to shop, community parks for children to play in, and thriving businesses that provided jobs for adults. Today, one in seven homes are abandoned and streets are flooded with trash (“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty”). This dilapidated area is never undertaken by the wealthy neighbors surrounding the city because these people would never be found meddling in the inferior troubles that the Camden residents are consumed by everyday.

There is an epidemic of hopelessness when it comes to advocating for injustices. Whether or not there is an impetus to help people in poverty, middle to upper class citizens find it difficult and overwhelming to formulate strategies of fixing these broken communities. In a video documentary named “The Corridor of Pain: Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia & Newark!”, Charlie LeDuff, the host, focuses on the four cities listed in the title. They are all train stops in-between the Washington DC and New York City: the two “towers of American power” (LeDuff). Enclosed by the two richest urban areas in the country, these fours cities transitioned from beautiful, safe, and thriving areas into violent and impoverished traps. On his sojourn, LeDuff says, “It breaks my heart to look at it, so I’m not gonna.” This statement verbalizes the mindset of the many people who are capable of advocating for the poor but are hopeless in their efforts.

Education is one of the highest valued principles in American society. Without it, a person in the upcoming generation is not seen as an asset in many career fields. Woodrow Wilson High School, the secondary education facility attended to by Camden teenagers, has a drop out rate of seventy percent (“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty”). These teens are hopeless in their efforts to achieve a degree.  It is not a lack of determination or hard work that is holding these teenagers back; more over, it is a lack of resources available. I had the opportunity of volunteering on a three-day emersion trip to the city of Camden to personally experience the marginalization of the citizens and live in solidarity with them. While volunteering at Hope Works, an organization that serves as a home and resource of helping Camden teenagers to return to school, I met a teenage boy named Tyree. He was forced to drop out of high school to support his mother and six other siblings. His dream is to play football at Rutgers and pursue a double major in psychology and business. I had compassion for him as I stood there listening to his story of flourishing determination. What is seen when looking at high school dropouts is accounts of negligence and disregard; however, in many cases like Tyree, these students are lacking the resources and opportunities to be achieve their goals.  

If a citizen of Camden is privileged enough to have the ability of obtaining a high school degree, he or she will struggle with the process of finding a job. What once was a city full of business and prosperity is now a place with limited job opportunities. There are only two supermarkets in the entire city. This extremely limits the accessibility of food shopping. Many parents struggle with transportation fees and the price of food. The lack of food stores allows these two business to raise prices to increase profit in lieu of high demand. The average family has a yearly income of $11,000 and eats off of $12 a day (“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty”). The Campbell’s Soup Company used to be a proud symbol of Camden and is now just a memory for many families. During my personal experience of service, I met a woman at an adult daycare in Camden. She began to tell me how she used to be an employee of Campbell’s; I could see the sadness and despair in her eyes knowing that her joy-filled memories of her hometown have become overshadowed by the poverty that consumes the area.

The lack of job opportunities and expense of transportation results in people turning to illegal action to collect an income. Selling drugs can be found on almost every street in Camden. The profit averages about $10,000 a week (“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty”). Drug dealing and stealing are the two easiest and quickest ways for anyone to obtain money in the city. There is a homeless man called Detroit. His entire family was killed in a car crash while he was still in his mothers womb. Thankfully, Detroit was saved as a baby and raised in foster care. He can be found at the New Visions homeless shelter collecting warm meals before he heads back to the streets. In a very honest and upfront manner, he explained his reasoning for stealing. Detroit said that he does not wish to break into cars, take someones valuable items, and sell them for money; however, he has utterly nothing to his name and there is no other choice. This explanation does not justify his actions, but gives insight into the struggles of poverty.

The city of Camden needs help. These people lack the resources to escape the cycle of poverty. Instead of delegating a large portions of New Jersey’s money to “Restore the Shore” in efforts to rehabilitate the area back to the multi-million dollar money maker it is, some of that money could be used to restore the city of Camden to a place where people can actually live and feel safe enough to raise a family. These authoritative decisions could be made by leaders such as Senator Chris Christie. Money should not be taken from necessities and given strictly for entertainment. For example, police cuts should not have taken place in the city of Camden, the most dangerous city in the country. With more than 60 homicides a year, Camden’s murder rate is raising rapidly (“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty”). Also, this decreases job opportunities in the city.

Despite all of the corruption, there is hope for Camden. The reality of the city’s rehabilitation will begin once the citizens, government, and neighbors of Camden work together to rebuild the communities within the area. Attractions like the Camden Aquarium and Susquehanna Bank Center benefit the city and pave way to prove the area’s potential. Increasing  attractions like this, Camden can return to the thriving city it once was one day at a time. Tawanda Jones, a proud citizen of Camden, is the director of an organization called Camden Sophisticated Sisters that takes in applicants “to motivate, educate and empower youth through the structure and discipline of a drill team and the performing arts” (Camden Sophisticated Sisters). Foundations like this rejuvenates the spirits and motivations of Camden’s youth in the direction of positivity and hope. Documentaries such as “Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty,” which interviews Jones about her organization, and “Waiting on the World to Change” by Diane Sawyer give insight to outsiders of the injustice and marginalization imposed upon Camden citizens.  It is the duty of more American to take on the responsibilities to help their neighbors from being swallowed by poverty.

Living in The United States means living in freedom. Being trapped in the cycle of poverty is strangling and suffocating citizens of living as all Americans should. They are determined to receive an education, have a career, raise a family in a safe environment, and restore their hometown to a city to be proud of. There are many efforts by citizens to being this process, but they cannot do it alone. The government and neighboring citizens must aid in providing resources for their fellow Americans. This must be an impetus for people to pride themselves in our country of freedom. 

References 

“Camden, America's Poorest City, Fights Crime, Poverty.” Perf. Brian Williams. NBC.com. Rock   Center NBC, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 23     Sept. 2015.

Camden Sophisticated Sisters. "Camden Sophisticated Sisters." Camdensophisticatedsisters.com. Camden Sophisticated Sisters, 2014.  Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

LeDuff, Charlie, dir. “The Corridor of Pain: Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia & Newark!” Dir. Charlie LeDuff. Perf. Charlie LeDuff. Americans with Charlie LeDuff. N.p. 26 May 2015. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

"Waiting on the World to Change." Perf. Diane Sawyer. ABC. 20/20 Special, 26 Jan. 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.