Seeds of Discontent, raw interview with African American family for episode 3 (1 of 2)

Seeds of Discontent, raw interview with African American family for episode 3 (1 of 2)

A recording of Smith’s interview with an African American family, used for episode 3 on the subculture of poverty in the United States.

Hartford Smith Jr.

1968

Speaker 0 00:00:10 And you want to hear your self on where'd he go to school right now? You go to Hancock school and that's how far away from your house do you like say my name is . What grade are you at? What are you? What do you want to do when you get out of school? Oh, that's very nice. I hope you manga. How about you, Adam? And it has been learned that the Ford motor company allowed Chrysler expressway near their Chrysler issuer. How about John lodge express, but okay. What do you want to do when you get to be an artist? Very good. What power do you want to say? A few words. Speaker 0 00:01:48 doesn't have a decent place to live. They might, you look at the property, play it back and see how you sign. Okay. Ma'am as I indicated before I am from radio station, D E T F M for the past several weeks, we've been going into various neighborhoods, talking with people about some of the problems that they themselves are having. And also some of the problems that they feel are problems for the entire community. Just to get started. I wonder if you would just, uh, give us some basic background information. We don't want you to give names of anyone. Um, first of all, how long have you lived in the city of Detroit? How long have you lived in the city of Detroit? I've been here ever since 19 53, 19 53. And, um, how have you lived in this particular community? Speaker 1 00:03:02 Uh, I moved here Shelly after the school closed. And that was last June. Speaker 0 00:03:11 Um, how many children use it in your family? How many people are in your total family for four and a, what do you do for a living ADC? Just to roughly how much would you say your landlord charges for an apartment of this size? Well, Speaker 1 00:03:33 If you could put me my staff, I pay $60. Speaker 0 00:03:37 Does that include utilities? No, of course Speaker 1 00:03:39 We know you. Speaker 0 00:03:42 Well, how much would you estimate that a utilities run per month? It's called Speaker 1 00:03:51 Gas bill in the house by this sub is to run this about 50 or $60 a month, Speaker 0 00:03:56 50, $60, Speaker 1 00:03:58 Because I have a lot of errands. Speaker 0 00:04:01 Well now, based on what I know about various aid programs, and doesn't leave you with very much money than does. Well, what kind of problems have you encountered since you, since you've lived in Detroit? What kind of problems have you, who you found most difficult for you and your family housing? How's he read? You? Tell me a little bit more about that. Speaker 1 00:04:25 First of all, when you rent a place old lady, especially, she wanted to be the way she would like it. Nice floors, nice windows and nice walks. Flows, plays a big part of the house, but the average house you move in. Now, nowadays, the floors look like a bottom floor. The walls look like a bomb wall, but they could throw some panels on there and charge you the world and all. And don't feel like miss Nam, Lamaze dreamt godless two with the child, need a pair of shoes to wear the rent must be paid, which we know that. But that idea of this, I don't mind paying that money. As long as I'm paying for something, when I'm paying a white man for something, I want this same kind of service he wants. When I give him my money, he can buy whatever he wants with it. When I move in his house, I can't do nothing with it because it costs too much to fix it up. Speaker 0 00:05:22 What about repairs? Uh, what has been your experience? You found landlords to be cooperative with you, making repairs, such as basic items like that. Speaker 1 00:05:36 They do not like to cooperate with a woman. You can ask him for one thing and he turn you aside and say another, he'll give you a promise. You won't do it. And I don't feel like that's right, because when I'm moving there places, when I promise to pay him a certain amount of, then I look for the service to be done as promised if I wanted, uh, my wall was painted. If I asked him to fix my floors, if I wonder what is broken. And if Al holes has ran in my kitchen, as he is now, man, leaking from the bathroom, got on with my . My landlord asked me what was wrong with that. So I told him, I said, would you want your wife house to be, uh, would you want it to be leaking over your sink and your wife? See it? And you tell her with nothing wrong with it. I'm a woman. Like she, I want something decent. And if I am going to pay you rent, you want to fix it. I ain't gonna pay you that. Speaker 0 00:06:33 What I can give in the landlord shows up her rent and that's about it. Speaker 1 00:06:37 Yeah. I tell him what I want fixed. And if he's saying he's not going to do ask me, why should I give him my money? So I started looking for a better place to move. Speaker 0 00:06:45 I see. What about other kinds of problems such as shopping in the community? Um, uh, what's been your experience with, with neighborhood stores and neighborhood and grocery. So do you do very much shopping in your community? Speaker 1 00:07:01 Well, since I've been at it, since I have been in this community, it's very little, I knew about it, but since all of this burning and everything, if this is a very bad community for shopping, you have to walk up almost a mile or so to put in clothes for the cleaners. I have to walk way down there on the Parker to, to, uh, to parkers, to, um, to the store. And that's the one trim on trembling. Grandmother. That's quite a distance with walk and I just came into the hospital. Well, I imagine so it's quite a distance. Speaker 0 00:07:38 Know what I freak. A lot of neighbors been telling me that they feel they've paid more money or goods at neighborhoods stores. Speaker 1 00:07:50 That's true. That's the truth. You pay more money in the neighborhood stores and you would do would, if you would go way out, Speaker 0 00:07:58 How much more would you say you paid for, for food, basic items, such as just bread, milk, and, uh, a basic I, and that your family just can't get by without Speaker 1 00:08:13 I need that. I have it leave out, pay at least about I am. I haven't ever, I mean, I haven't shopped too much for out because I didn't have a car. So I always shop in the nearest areas around me, which has always keeps me broke. So a couple of days, other than that, one day we decided to go out and see what it was like. So after I found out what it was like by going out to all the land, different places, shopping that I have a prices is much higher and where they are. So I, I wanted to go out to, to do my Christmas shopping, but it's, it's such a distance out that I had to stop at . So I couldn't say too much about that because I can't get out there. I do shop after. Speaker 0 00:09:03 Okay. I wonder if you'd tell me just a little more about any, any other special kinds of problems that you're having in your community? Um, one thing. What about, uh, oh, recreation programs for your children? Uh, what about uh, oh, oh, law enforcement or police protection? Uh, these kinds of things. Speaker 1 00:09:26 Well, as tonight, my children's and I was sitting, watching television upstairs to start her lesson. I was sudden something came through my kitchen, new melanin. I don't know what in the world it was, but right away, I called the officers and that was at eight o'clock here. It's 20 minutes to 10 and no police showed up yet. And just the four of us, two, three girls with my two girls, sorry, two girls, one son and myself and no police protection. So I, my windows has been broken. I don't know who did it. Why Speaker 0 00:10:18 Are there, are there many programs for kids around here? I'm from what I can gather and have a lot of kids who seem to be getting into difficulty. Yes. Speaker 1 00:10:30 As I said before, I don't know too much about the neighborhood since I been there. I really, and truly, I am a shame. I am really am shamed because, uh, the playground like at Hancock school, but my oldest daughter go is nothing but a little bit of weeds, a little bit of grass, a little bit of nothing. So, and I haven't asked about swimming because I was tend to stay here very long because I was forced to move where I am now. And someone said, well, you were forced to move. And the bill was talking about sending you out of a dome. So my name is Jordan. I'm being, going to be sit down with those. Not because it wasn't me because we both FAJ was bearing the profit. So I had to get out of the way he was going to stick me out. Speaker 0 00:11:14 I see. So the place that you were looking at, you rather happy with, I take it. You, you were forced to move because FHA was buying the crop. Now what about urban renewal and this area that you're living in now, you've only been here. Oh, I go for about four months. This was one of the areas that was slated for urban renewal. It posted, fanned out some of the housing tore down some of the worst and kept some of the best. I'm just telling you based on your experience or since you've been here, um, Speaker 1 00:11:47 Um, which is the best, which is the best. If a person will say, person was excellent. Look, this area is know best, all can be not one, not two, but oh, or either why some can be repaired and some can do the renewal. Speaker 0 00:12:08 What about other things such as, um, the whole medical care, some of your kids get sick. What are you doing? Uh, or do you have to travel a long distance? What are some of the problems that you have? Speaker 1 00:12:25 Well, the medic, the Medicare, it's not bad. It's all depends on a down cause that we choose now, the doctor that I choose he's out of there on a Puritan and a flat down period, at least quite a distance, but I chosen them, but I found a way to have some west grand Boulevard and, um, um, West grand Boulevard, 14th. So, but I didn't realize how far his office, where it's just, you know, Speaker 0 00:12:59 I see. Okay. One final question. Let's just look back over everything. Um, the problems you've had with housing, certainly, and the amount of rent that you'd have to pay, the kind of landlords that you may have to deal with. Um, the long trip shopping, uh, the lack of police protection, just looking at all of this. And I wonder if you can just tell me in a few words, how do you feel when you sit down sometime and just think about it all? How do you really, Speaker 1 00:13:39 Most of all, I feel very bad about it because I feel like this, we all are human and we all want to have something nice, decent for our children. And we do have shame and we do have pride and I have my pride and they couldn't continue to squish it. But I hope one day that my children will have the pride that I have, but he'd be more successful with it. And I have been because I have been sick quite a lot and I have to move sometimes until it's FAJ the houses put it in position at ADC woman cannot buy anything, but take course I have other white men pushing me and I don't like it. And I don't like them all to talk, uh, uh, prior to doing, while you just cried it out, the children do not have no getting on air one, breathe, the other's air. And Speaker 0 00:14:30 I said, Speaker 1 00:14:33 I don't like them either, but only I feel like this. When I spend, I do spend my money, I would like to spend it and enjoy it. Like the average a nigger woman should want a nice place today, especially quite as normal as demand for something to kill the roaches you want. He won't do it as where I am now. So I can sit here and see a red cross don't cross my wilderness feeling all red Crow right there in the chair. Tell him about it. Oh, he wanted to fly before I give you your rent. I carried it. I go in cold with you. Speaker 0 00:15:08 What would you like to see done? One last thing. Just what would you like to see done that you feel might help other people who might have problems similar to yours? Speaker 1 00:15:21 One thing and definitely better housing for other children for myself. Cause they're going up better housing because of this out of home. What in the world of personnel? Speaker 0 00:15:37 Well, thank you very much for talking with me tonight. It's been most interesting. Thank you again.