Enjoying the Music

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I took this photo of my neighbors last weekend.  I'm used to hearing the parents' music, but this sounded like hip-hop music of the younger generation and with karaoke.  It continued for a couple of hours, and I looked out the back window to see who was singing.  I thought it was Chris, seated with the microphone.  I sent a text to Claudia and said, "I need a photo of the karaoke session."

I was afraid they would say they didn't want to be in the photo, but look at those smiles!

I was wrong, it was Felix in the chair, and Chris in the hammock.  Claudia showed me how to use the camera on my cell phone and went back to joking around for the photo with her brother and cousin.  When I talked to their mom on the phone that night, she said something about their noise and I said they would be famous someday.  She laughed.

When I took the photo I told them I wanted to document this moment because I am afraid, in 20 years or so, the people in our neighborhood won't be able to live this way.  All of a sudden it looks as though one day soon in Raleigh only a privileged few will be able to live in a house with their own yard and patio for listening to music outside, inviting friends and family for cookouts, for celebrating birthdays with pinatas and dancing.  I'm worried that one day my Mexican friends won't be able to afford the rent that keeps going up in the houses around here.  The developers are about to construct 10 story high rises in our area.  Houses that rented for $600/month 10 years ago now go for $1200/month.  In the news they talk about a soccer stadium planned for land facing the park where the children play and we adults visit.  Someone has big plans and I suspect that they don't include us.

I am buying my house, so they can't run me off.  But it's easy to chase out renters.  For someone with deep pockets it's easy to raze 5 houses to build a 10 story high rise.  It's easy and profitable if you're not the person being run out of your community.

I know that not everyone likes the music from parties and pick-up trucks.  Sometimes it bothers me too, and one Christmas, a little after 10 at night, I went over to those same neighbors, entered the party tent and went straight to the front without hardly saying hello to my friends having dinner with their families.  Of course I was embarrassed to ignore my friends that way, but I thought "They know we are friends and that I love them. Hopefully they will forgive me for not saying hello."  And I said to Juan, the party DJ, "You have to turn the volume down."   Actually, I didn't say it, I had to shout it in his ear, and it felt like I was whispering.

Juan answered me, but I couldn't catch the words.  I turned my head to hear better, and he shouted, "Felix wants it loud."  He was referring to Felix the dad.  I've posted about big Felix in my other blog, and he is a real sweetheart.

I went out to the burn barrel where the men were drinking beer and said to the older Felix, "You have to turn it down.  It's too loud."  Felix talked to Juan and Juan turned it down.  I went back to my house, went to bed, listened to the music and went to sleep feeling very content.  They kept partying, but with the volume lower.  A few days later, when I saw Felix outside, he said thank you.  He meant that I could have called the police, but I asked them like a friend and neighbor.  How many more years can we continue to live this way?  When will we exchange neighbors' music, that we can ask, please, turn it down, for stadiums with rock and roll concerts and sports with traffic and noise day and night?  While we can, we enjoy our community, the parties, the music outside on the weekends, the young ones singing karaoke, the dancing till 3 in the morning.

What do you think of the community where you live?  Of the changes that are coming to our city?  I know there are many people here in Raleigh who want to learn to speak Spanish, and there are also many people who want to learn to speak English.  We can learn better if we take time to talk with each other.

This time of restrictions is an opportunity to communicate over the internet.  I hope people will feel free to tell their stories and share their thoughts here.  Click below where it says something about comments and tell us what you are thinking.

New Blog for New Job

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First off, I want to apologize because my Spanish is not the best.  Hopefully it will improve little by little.  Please have patience with me.

I'm going to tell about a neighborhood where I met like 4 or 5 families, 4 weeks ago.

I was canvassing - that's knocking on doors - with my work buddy Erwin.  He said it was almost all Latinos living in the area and he could not communicate with them because he doesn't speak Spanish.  Though I don't speak it well, a little bad Spanish is better than no Spanish at all. 

One mother said she cannot permit her children to play outside because of kids who throw mud and pine cones at the outside walls and doors.  She pointed out the lattice marks left by muddy pine cones.  Another family told about broken windows and thieves.  One man said, yes, there have been problems, but the manager talked to them and anyway the trouble makers moved and now things have quieted down, we'll see how things are when spring comes.  But then 2 more families had accounts of problems with violence, shooting bullets and robbing people.

Erwin said, as I wrote notes of the stories shared by the families, "Maybe we could have a meeting out here."  We were sitting at a picnic table under the shade of a pine tree.

"Yes!  Good idea!" I said.

But since then this Covid 19 problem got worse and now people can't get together.  I'm thinking a lot about the stories I heard.  I'm thinking if these neighbors can get together and talk, they can make a plan to resolve these big problems.  In my neighborhood, several years ago, the police brought dozens of bicycles and organized activities for the children.  The city had a big event in the park with various activities, including walking on the Greenway and playing in a sandbox.  Some problems are too big for one person, but with neighbors working together it is possible to find solutions.

I have a lot of hope, which is why I work with Power Up.  It is a multiracial organization.  What's most important to Power Up is supporting people in organizing together to improve their lives.  Power Up is a part of League of Conservation Voters, a national environmental organization.  Many people contribute money to defend our planet, our only home.  Power Up (Poder Arriba) wants to ensure  that every family regardless of race, with money or without money, can live comfortably on this planet.  We begin with our neighbors.