Community Spirit.
Many of the neighborhoods in New York have many different nationalities. It wouldn't seem like a likely place to have a real strong community base. When I lived there in the early "80's, developing a community was still a strong aspect of our neighborhood. There were still parks in the community for children to play and had a lot of activities on our specific street. The one event I would always remember was the "block parties". They would close the street off and families that lived on that section of the street would drag out items for the day. There would be the Puerto Rican family at one end of the street. There would be an African American family, four doors down, playing rhythm and blues. They would also be extremely jovial and loud. As the minutes passed the two families would be dancing with each other and enjoying the day. The Block Association was responsible for calling the police and making them aware of the date and events. They contacted the families in the neighborhood and gave them the information for the events. To the Block Association this was a time the people worked together to accomplish a goal. Communities can do a lot when they work as a team. Sometimes it takes the bulk of a community to make that change. If the situation is gathering hundreds of people together for a day of summer fun in the city or standing up for what is right in a section of your neighborhood, community can be a very powerful thing. In the 60's, there was a school of Chicano students that felt like they had to make a stand. This is documented in the video Chicano Taking back the School. Not as individuals with incoherent loud talk and silly actions, but as a strong community, took a stand for their rights. The Chicano students of the school showed great community spirit by standing together in the face of racial ridicule, making the community aware of its underlying issues, and displayed an unwavering display of not just community but racial spirit.
