Posted by Madeleine Callanan '19
John, a customer at Allerdice, illuminated how important community and family are to some of the individuals in the area. John is a 52-year-old white man who has lived in the west side since January 1981. He is an engaging speaker and story teller who enjoys discussing community and global issues alike. He said that years ago most people who worked in the neighborhood could also afford to live there. He painted a picture of the west side thirty years ago when family formed the center of the community. Kids typically grew up with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all in the neighborhood. He said people now "don't have what a lot of people grew up with - the whole family live[d] in town . . . [which was a tight community." Family was "the heart of what this town was before". "Economic diversity" allowed people starting out to get a starter home and left room for other people to secure financial stability in an affordable neighborhood.