Rural Identities/Creating Progressive Rural Identities

Questions to be discussed

• What issues of identity and culture did you find for the places you have chosen to study? How do they compare
• The City of Valparaiso has experienced a number of racially motivated incidents regarding graffiti. Here's the mayor's comments about these experiences.
• Additionally the City of Crown point has turned down a developer's plan to build apartments because of their undesireability on the part of current residents. Residents tend to express opposition in terms of fears about crime or the type of people that live in apartments. While it is not often explicitly said, some commentators have suggested that the opposition is based on the ideas that the apartments will attract poor, or working class people and minorities. The developer created a web site to garner support. The Times has run several articles exploring the "truth" about apartments. The comments below these articles are also worth reading. How would you analyze these situations? (see also Crime, property values, Crime not a factor )
• Locally at VU the Community Research and Service Center has done research on Bias Motivated Incidents in Northwest Indiana complete with a map of their data. As mentioned above, most recently someone spray painted "White Power" on a barn in Jackson Township, racist graffiti was carved on a store wall.
• What action should the City of Valparaiso take with regard to racism?
• Are there actions that citizens and organizations should be taking?