All Urban Areas Have Problems. They're Systemic.

[MineralMan]

Most of those problems are related to economic and social issues that can be linked to federal failures to recognize and deal with those issues. Trump has systematically made such issues worse, not better. So, he is responsible, due to his lack of leadership and support for changes that can improve those systemic problems.

Who is working to make those changes? Democrats, not Trump.

GOTV!

[Humanist_Activist]

1. Actually, it was largely by design and of course, systemic racism played a huge role...

it wasn't a failure that the GI bill didn't give blacks the same subsidized mortgages as whites. It wasn't a failure that businesses started refusing to open up or serve in many communities of color through redlining. It wasn't a failure when banks actively discriminated against poc lenders, up to and including pushing subprime mortgages on that population that lead to nearly half of all the wealth accumulated by the African American community up to that point be wiped out.

Its inaccurate to call these failures, they worked just as designed, creating blighted urban centers, add in the cultural factors leading to things like white flight, and it further compounds the issue. Oh, and treating what should be public health issues such as drug abuse, as Law and Order issues when they disproportionately effect African Americans, but treat them differently when white Americans abuse similar drugs helps criminalize millions for no good reason outside of creating another means of discrimination to get around the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For example, sentencing disparities between Crack and Cocaine abuse, distribution and dealing.

I could go on, hell, I mostly just mentioned the crap from after WWII, there's a lot more from before then that we can delve into, and feed into the more recent stuff. None of this is ancient history, and a lot of it is still ongoing.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. All that has played a role, too.

Trump's active racism and his support from active racists is adding to the problem. MAWA! should be his slogan.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Rural areas are every bit as bad.

[MineralMan]

4. Depending on the part of the country, you're right.

Rural Mississippi and Alabama are very different from rural Minnesota and Vermont. I'm focusing on urban areas, though, since Trump stuck a pushpin in Baltimore.

[Lithos]

8. it is not a "Southern" thing

Many midwest states have issues - Meth/Opioids, chronic unemployment, etc.

[Raven]

5. I lived in Foggy Bottom, 2 blocks from the WH. Rats as big as dogs.n/t

[MineralMan]

6. I don't doubt it. DC has it's own issues, like every other

major city.

[Raven]

7. Exactly!