I have lived in the same zip code for most of my life. I do not remember living anywhere else and I don't want to either. I am 15104 till I die which means I will always live in one of three Boroughs; North Braddock, Braddock, and Rankin. Right now I live in North Braddock having just moved from Braddock.
Braddock was the place where Andrew Carnegie built his first steel mill that is still operating today. The Edgar Thompson plant was built in 1875 and continues to this day. This plant and others in the Pittsburgh Area helped turned the United States into the Superpower it is today.
The Steel Industry began to decline in the 70s and by the 80s the area was turning into a ghetto. The businesses began leaving in droves and now all we have is a butcher shop, a variety store, and a Family Dollar. We also have a wonderful Mayor and his beautiful wife. Who are working hard to rebuild the once great town.
The Streets were starting to get bad when I was a child. Drugs had moved in and the school district was poorly funded and not able to offer a good education. This has shown up recently because I have been thinking of going back to school to get my degree and I do not know how to do basic stuff like Research papers and essays. I am learning how to do this for myself now although I have a great support system that includes my best friend who has a Ph.d. I had to put that in there because I love to brag about my bestie..
I joined a gang at the age of 11 it was just a local street gang with no bells or whistles. In 1986 the CRIPS came to town and we became CRIPS. I began selling drugs at the age of 14 and sold drugs for years. Again with the help of my Bestie I stopped selling drugs.
I will go into that life in a later post because I want to get in the details of this zip code. The Community that the New York Times called "Hell". I'm still salty about that.
The Mayor of Braddock was not born here nor is he poor. His Wife was born in Brazil and she came here illegally as a child. She runs The Free Store where everything is free from donated items. She is another good friend of mine who is a kind caring person. Her husband ran for US Senator and came in third place although he did better than anyone expected. He is a leader and The State Democratic party will recognize what a star they have.
I have included a picture of John Fetterman that shows his tattooed arms. On one arm has the dates of everyone murdered in the town of Braddock since he became Mayor. He has done wonders lowering the homicide rate and not by locking everyone up but by helping the young people get jobs. When young people work they are less likely to be tempted into selling drugs or committing violent crime. To bad people who are the so called experts never talk to him or even to the people who used to gang bang I'm one of those people.
