Ah, calumet city. A shithole right? A place of violence, empty lots, and broken dreams?
Not so fast. Many of us have irrational attachment here but, I think we're too quick to judge. Yes, it's not what it was when we grew up but I think we can change that.
I still find extreme beauty here. On a run one morning with my friend Dan I realized just how gorgeous some of the scenery is here. The wonderful bike path, for instance. Not many towns can boast about similar things.
Maybe I'm comparing us to poorer South American towns, and being grateful for what I have but maybe not. Yes we have our issues here but I grew up here. And I'm still here. There's violence everywhere. The schools are shit everywhere. It's not a struggle to get out.
We could use far better guidance, correct, but who couldn't? Corruption has always been in the blood of this city going back to prohibition. I wish it was safer, but we needn't be scared. We shouldn't empower others in that way.
I think together we can all rebuild this community. But it needs work. I hope everyone can find the beauty here that we all once did. I think it's still a place to raise your children. We need to eradicate the issues, first and foremost, but other than that.. I love calumet city.
Yes it's a town that once was, but it's a town that can be again as well. We need to try. We need to walk our streets and not be scared. We need to not leave but stand our ground. We need a change in leadership.
And it all starts here.