Today’s walk took me east of Castlewood and into what is officially called the “Downtown” neighborhood, into an area bounded by Loudon, Seventh and Limestone.  This is an area that would be easy to label as distressed.  Indeed, there are quite a few boarded-up houses and at least one which had been condemned outright.  But there are interesting things going on as well; one house I passed had chickens in the yard, in another, a whole row of shotgun houses were having work done.

There is a very local feel; local grocers, neighbors out on porches and chatting with passers-by.  This was a much more interactive experience than my usual walks…simply being here makes you part of the story.

It’s easy to romanticize things like a healthy mid-day population out on the stoop, but there are other indications of trouble, like the numerous signs on doors advising people that the house is private property, as if the purpose of the door in unusually unclear.  Many residents noted they had cameras as well; spray painted on one structure was this warning for trespassers caught on camera: “You will be shot”.

Police presence was high, here too.  At one point, just after I started down the long length of True Alley, a police car pulled into the alley and stopped at the entrance, blocking it.   It stayed there as I walked to the end of the alley and headed back.  I really expected that I was going to be asked at the least to explain my presence if not actually detained.  But not so; as I neared the entrance again, the car pulled forward, the officers smiled and waved and passed by, then a LFUCG truck entered the alley behind them.

The good: This area appears to have a strong sense of community

The bad: That’s not enough to make everyone feel safe.