I don't know about Jackson Avenue, but does anyone know what is happening on Jackson Street?

There is that one dilapidated house on its own opposite the Kentucky Fried Chicken drive through, with a bizarre array of messed up characters on continuous fluctuating display outside.

It is the most cliched version of a crack-house that could be imagined, it is so obviously a crack-house, that it can't be, if that makes any sense. A post-modern crack-house!

And its right opposite the police station!

Does anyone know where I mean?

Robin.

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Kids are already in school all day. I think day school, activities and balance > school during the day and night

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Well said. :)

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And that's the inconvenient truth. Until such time that these kids have fathers who actually give a sh*t about them, all these nice, life-affirming things that you write about will have a minimal impact on them. But they will make YOU feel better, I'm sure.

It's a good film and a great project. Tonight's premiere played to a full house and was very well received.

The genius of the project is in leading the kids to conduct an investigation of what Jackson Avenue used to be like, and what led to its decline.

For me one of the high points was the kids' trip downtown. They got to make some comparisons about the differences between downtown and MLK, and quickly figured out that it was not accidental that downtown is a more attractive community because of the great divide between investment downtown and disinvestment in central Greenville.

They clearly got it. When I asked what they saw downtown that they would like to have on MLK, the kids were quick to answer: shops, safe and beautiful parks, clean streets. Pretty simple.

The film will be traveling around the City and I urge you to take a look. Friends of Lifers did a great job to put this together.

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Written by someone who has not seen the film.

The children participated in the documentary by interviewing area citizens and local politicians, and were thoughtful and honest as they sought to find solutions. And, creating this film directly addressed the need of giving the kids "something to do."

Unlike well-to-do neighborhoods where there is soccer practice to go to, dance and music lessons, and activities of all kinds, there is much less of this sort of thing in Greenville. Where other areas have after-school programs, places to play and things to do, in Greenville it is challenge just to get home from school without getting into trouble -- much less have any fun.

So, yes, the statement "there's nothing for kids to do" is an honest sentiment of Greenville children, whether you like it or not.

My impression is that they want a better life for themselves, but are up against some serious issues that they didn't create, like crime, poverty, and plenty of adults who should be setting a better example.

In fact, after the screening, one child took local community parents to task for not being strict enough in keeping kids off of the corners, littering, and showing respect (there was an audible gasp in the crowd as this young girl spoke truth).

The documentary traced the changes to Jackson Avenue (now MLK Blvd) over many decades. Not always a pretty picture, but ultimately hopeful and life affirming.

But, you would know better.

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+1

thanks, bookmarked for when i have some more time

Hey coryb...if you didn't see it this was a thread from a frogmoses asking if anyone had some history on the JC Black Panthers. I posted some stuff.

There are some links to some newspaper pieces about the Police Station "raid".


http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... e=&topic_id=26892&forum=6

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Really?

What about studying hard?

Hitting the books after hours? Excelling in school?

Nothing to do? Really?

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Do tell. A brief google search shows me an article about the Black Panthers from the Greenville Delta Democrat Times, which was a newspaper from Greenville, Mississippi.

They ended up dropping the Greenville from the name and are now just the Delta Democrat Times

By Jack Silbert ? Sep 21st, 2012

The old photos say ?Greenville? but can that be right? There?s a vaudeville theater, soda fountain, every kind of shop you could imagine and a trolley going right down MLK Drive ? except it says ?Jackson Avenue? instead.

It seems like a completely different world, but it was only a different time, and not all that long ago. Greenville was a vibrant, thriving community with Jackson Avenue at the center of it all. Now facing issues such as litter, boarded-up buildings, truancy, drug activity and violence, one can only wonder: What happened?

This summer, 17 local youths set out with cameras and microphones to seek answers to that question. They?ve collected their findings in the documentary What Happened to Jackson Avenue?, which premieres tonight at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. (Jackson Avenue is the former name of MLK Drive.) The film is the latest project from the Friends of the Lifers Youth Corp, the Greenville-based non-profit group that has assisted with prisoner re-entry, delinquency prevention and neighborhood improvement for the past two decades.

Urban policy analyst Brooke Hansson joined the organization in February 2011. She has spent six years researching Jersey City, focusing on issues such as city planning, economic and social development, race, class and psychology. In her role as program administrator, Hansson set out to fill a pressing need in the community. ?It?s probably the biggest complaint we have in our area: There?s nothing for kids to do,? she says. (Disclosure: Hansson has contributed photography to JCI and NEW Magazine.)

Friends of the Lifers soon planned events such as art and talent shows. And one of Hansson?s first major steps was to apply to the state for a Juvenile Justice Grant to fund an oral-history project. Originally affiliated with the non-profit [murmur] initiative, the audio project ended up an independent endeavor called Hear This. Hansson initially wondered if she?d be asking too much of the kids, who would work on the project five hours a day, four days a week for 13 weeks in the summer of 2011. However, the 15 kids responded very enthusiastically.

?We were out on the streets, everywhere,? Hansson says. ?We were going to Dickinson High School, Harsimus Cove Cemetery, touring the Beacon, going down to City Hall, walking up and down the streets, talking to business owners, collecting stories and interviewing people.? Their interviewees had to have a personal connection to the site-specific recollections.

In all, the kids recorded 32 different stories, ranging from the first black woman to sell a newspaper in Jersey City, to the 1967 Black Panther raid on the Greenville Police Precinct, to memories of a Malcolm X speech, to the tale of a Civil War vet and longtime Jersey City resident who was slated to be tried for treason only to be pardoned by President Lincoln. Hansson says the entire project will be posted online soon.



Buoyed by the positive experience of the audio project, a video documentary seemed like the next natural step. Hansson won another Juvenile Justice Grant, which allowed her to hire three filmmakers to assist with the technical side of documentary production. But nearly all the work was done by the 17 kids and teens involved (several of whom had participated in last year?s project), ranging in age from 9 to 17. Over the course of nine weeks this summer, they worked together to generate the interview questions, operate cameras, record audio, take turns conducting interviews and many other tasks. ?Everyone found their roles,? Hansson says.

For Symone, age 15, her role came quite naturally. ?I mostly did interviewing, because I?m a good spokesperson,? she tells JCI. ?I interviewed elected officials like the mayor and councilwomen and councilmen.?

Indeed, the young crew spoke to politicians including Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Ward E Councilman and mayoral candidate Steven Fulop, State Senator Sandra Cunningham, Councilwoman At-Large Viola Richardson and Ward F Councilwoman Michele Massey. A short trailer of the film that included clips of Fulop and Diane Coleman, founder of the nonprofit organization Building an Empire, who is running for council in Ward F, drew a flurry of irate comments from some city residents, questioning if the children were somehow pawns in a political agenda; the YouTube link has since been made private. Hansson assures the full documentary will paint a very different picture. (Friends of the Lifers declined JCI?s request to see the film before tonight?s screening.)

In any case, political discussions just scratched the surface of these budding filmmakers? research. They visited the New Jersey Room at the Public Library for a dose of history. They spoke to professors at the New School university on topics such as race and urban anthropology. The team wanted to know causes of city decline ? the rise of the suburbs and malls, the car revolution, etc. ? but they also looked at possible solutions. They met with members of the Board of Education and representatives of the NAACP. They interviewed community activists, shopkeepers and participants in the new Growing Hands Urban Farm (another Friends of the Lifers project). And they spoke to as many local residents as possible ? the film includes excerpts from interviews with more than 30 politicians, community leaders, academics and residents in all.

Hearing such diverse perspectives was Symone?s favorite part of working on the documentary. ?You?re always going to have your opinion,? she says. ?But to have other people?s opinions?to hear other people out, just to know what the issues are and what their problems are?I?m doing something beneficial. I?ll be able to help them. I?ll be able to go tell the mayor or an upcoming elected official how our community feels because I got their point of view.?

Down the road, one of those officials may be Tyler (soon to turn 17), another of the young filmmakers. Being involved in the movie may have influenced his future goals. ?If anything, it would inspire me to be a politician,? Tyler explains. ?I could have authority and I could change what goes on in the community.?

Making positive changes to help Greenville restore its former glory is a serious goal of these young people, and they hope What Happened to Jackson Avenue? is a step in a right direction. Tyler says, ?If you put out documentaries like this, you?re putting pressure on the government.?

Symone hopes the entire community pays attention, and then takes action. ?We?re a group of kids who are trying to do something beneficial for Jersey City,? she says. ?You won?t see that often; grown-ups won?t get together and do something for their community. When people watch the movie, I want them to think, ?They?re kids, look at what they did, this is amazing! If they can do it, I can do it.??

What Happened to Jackson Avenue? premieres tonight (Friday, Sept. 21) at 7 p.m. at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, 140 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Running time, approx. 40 minutes. Additional screenings will be announced soon; visit the Independent for locations and dates.
What happened to Jackson Ave?