The neighborhood just north of campus is the ghetto.
Well, at least according to the newly released app “Ghetto Tracker.” Don’t be offended though, because the name was recently changed to “Good Part of Town.”
That’s right. There is an app that will point out safe, average, below-average and unsafe neighborhoods so you, the wealthy person with an iPhone, don’t have to travel in those areas.
Rejoice! Venturing out of your gated community’s walls won’t be such a stressful and dangerous journey anymore!
David Foster, the creator of the app, stated during a Skype interview that this is the intended purpose of the app. His wife is a pharmaceutical rep and he reported that he doesn’t want her to end up in a bad neighborhood or what could be called the “ghetto.”
This man is a jerk.
Only after receiving tons of negative criticism did he think to change the derogatory name of the app.
The guy didn’t even feel remorseful for the pejorative title. Even worse, he was unaware that the service is classist.
“Good Part of Town” strengthens existing social boundaries.
Many low-income communities are linked to crimes, and the app marks locations as “unsafe” or “safe” based on the crime rates and user votes.
So in turn, most low-income communities are deemed unsafe by people who have never lived there and are trying to avoid the areas altogether.
People are generalizing neighborhoods and are dismissing them as the shadow land that they must never venture into.
Despite the premeditated assumptions concocted by users of “Good Part of Town,” a neighborhood is not defined by its crime rate.
Who knows? Maybe that neighborhood is actually peaceful and the people are genuinely friendly and there unfortunately happens to be gang disputes.
Avoiding an area because of an app on your smartphone is ridiculous.
It could prevent you from learning about a new place. Perhaps there is a delicious restaurant in one of the neighborhoods deemed unsafe, and you’ll never know because some arrogant wealthy person chose to mark the area as unsafe.
In fact, this happened to me.
Not listening to the warnings given to me by fellow students and “Good Part of Town,” I went down Highland Road past Wienerschnitzel. I crossed into the shadow land and guess what?
There was light!
I found a restaurant called BB&PF that serves delicious vegan-friendly food.
I would have never been able to satisfy my craving for bean burgers, plantain fries and fufu had I listened to “Good Part of Town.”
When visiting, I never once felt endangered or unsafe even though the restaurant is in an area that “Good Part of Town” marks as unsafe.
There are so many gems dispersed throughout the city that are located in unsafe areas on “Good Part of Town.”
It would be a shame if these places remained hidden because of some pretentious, affluent man’s idea of what areas are safe and unsafe.
Delete the app if you have it.
Go find out what each neighborhood has to offer for yourself.