In The Ghetto: Canadian Style

SignalHillHiker · #1 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 11:56 AM**

What do the ghettos of your city look like?

I apologize if this has been done before. I did a quick forum search but couldn't find a thread - just a random post or two in other discussions.

In St. John's, they tend to be simply the most plain and dilapidated of our numerous rowhouse developments and they're also almost always public housing.

I don't think it would really be an exaggeration to say that most of our ghettos are reasonably clean, safe places to live with friendly but struggling families.

However, there are some that are quite problematic. Here is an example of just such a ghetto from downtown. Note the garbage strewn about - some of it is a result of Hurricane Leslie but not much. It's usually quite messy here. Also note the car parked on the lawn. Another sign of ghettotude.

These houses are only a single floor high on the other side, built into a steep part of the hill. From the other side of the street, which is a through-street and not a dead end, they look nice enough.

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

The sides of the houses are surrounded by broken beer bottles and childish notes scrawled in pencil, such as, "So-and-so is a ***** and is gonna get her face beat in!".

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

And here is an example of the type of people associated with ghettos in St. John's. They're called skeets. This video parodies their ways of talking, the types of activities they engage in, the clothes they wear, etc. They're infamous in St. John's as an entire subculture that the more sophisticated mainstream can't relate to at all... the opening scene is filmed steps from where I was standing to take the first picture above.

• Video Link

We also have some rather interesting ghettos with that typical British design: rowhouses built around a common, semi-private courtyard.

Here is an example, which, unexpectedly perhaps, is only steps from the one photographed above:

From the street, they look like typical, unattractive rowhouses:

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

There is a small lane leading up between two of the houses to a common courtyard:

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Places to play, sunbathe, dry laundry, etc.

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

(The houses in the background are in the first ghetto I posted pictures of).

In the Ghetto by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

EDIT:

An aerial view of both from Bing:

kwoldtimer · #2 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 12:18 PM**

Based on those photos, I'd say you have a pretty loose definition of what constitutes a "ghetto".

logan5 · #3 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 12:34 PM**

Here's Canada's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=...78.84,,1,-2.17

Here's America's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...17.88,,0,-6.11

Socialist Canada does not have ghetto's.

Except for some Indian reserves, which nobody talks about.

The_Architect · #4 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 2:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Here's Canada's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=...78.84,,1,-2.17

Here's America's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...17.88,,0,-6.11

Socialist Canada does not have ghetto's.

Except for some Indian reserves, which nobody talks about.

Man, there are some places in Hamilton that look just a bit better than the Camden picture..

Anyways for Toronto I'll let others post the pictures but the obvious ones would be Regent Park (before the revitalisation?), Jane & Finch, north Rexdale, parts of Scarborough, etc..

entheosfog · #5 Posted **Sep 16, 2012, 5:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Here's Canada's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=...78.84,,1,-2.17

Here's America's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...17.88,,0,-6.11

Socialist Canada does not have ghetto's.

Except for some Indian reserves, which nobody talks about.

I'd still rather go for a walk in the Canadian version than that American one. I've said it before, but I don't get a sense of fear at all in the Downtown Eastside, even at night. Especially at night, actually, as there's always lost of people on the street. The area can be depressing but it's not dangerous if you mind your own business.
Some pics I've taken over the years:

People on the Street by entheos_fog, on Flickr

Metal Collector by entheos_fog, on Flickr

Man in Window by entheos_fog, on Flickr

90/366 - Downtown Eastside, in the Wee Hours of the Morning by entheos_fog, on Flickr

119/366 - Downtown Eastside, 2:45am by entheos_fog, on Flickr

Downtown Eastside by entheos_fog, on Flickr

Women's Memorial March by entheos_fog, on Flickr

136/365 - Buyer Beware by entheos_fog, on Flickr

124 East Hastings Street - 1935/2009 by entheos_fog, on Flickr

152 West Hastings - 1927-2007 by entheos_fog, on Flickr

Rico Rommheim · #6 Posted **Sep 16, 2012, 5:19 PM**

Walking down east hastings was always kind of exciting for me, but i agree I never felt threatened because I minded my own business. I've seen some fucked up shit alright, but my safety was never jeaportized.

I think the real dangerous stuff happens in those rooming houses like the Balmoral hotel. Now, that I wouldn't go into unless I had a 12 guage and 100 rounds of ammo.

Jelly Roll · #7 Posted **Sep 17, 2012, 2:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Here's Canada's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=...78.84,,1,-2.17

Here's America's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...17.88,,0,-6.11

Socialist Canada does not have ghetto's.

Except for some Indian reserves, which nobody talks about.

That is also the "safer" and "nicer" part of Camden.

Razor · #8 Posted **Aug 7, 2018, 6:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Here's America's ghetto.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...17.88,,0,-6.11

Socialist Canada does not have ghetto's.

Except for some Indian reserves, which nobody talks about.

Yikes! Camden NJ brings back some scary memories of 4 Canadian tourists (us) visiting their water front aquarium via a ferry from the Philly side, and afterwards walking through a bombed out apocalyptic industrial neighbourhood to catch the bus back to Philly..All the visuals were there.Bombed out cars, gang bangers cruising around or loitering on park benches, spent bullet casings on the ground. It was the longest ten minutes of our lives..I don't know what we were thinking! Just a little naive..Should of just called a cab to get back over..Worst neighbourhood we've ever been through bar none.

SignalHillHiker · #9 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 1:14 PM**

Yes, definitely a very loose definition.

To me, it's just a part of town where you're likely to end up if you're on the margins of society, an area where upper middle class people would never go and certainly would never live, etc. Areas where it's very likely that if that's where you're born and raised, you'll never get out of there.

Chadillaccc · #10 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 2:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Yes, definitely a very loose definition.

To me, it's just a part of town where you're likely to end up if you're on the margins of society, an area where upper middle class people would never go and certainly would never live, etc. Areas where it's very likely that if that's where you're born and raised, you'll never get out of there.

What a terrible outlook.

It looks like a really nice place anyways. East Hastings is probably Canada's only true permanent ghetto. The google street view does not to a justice though. that place is a fucking dump.

logan5 · #11 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 2:26 PM**

Yeah yeah, I guess i was candy coating things by showing Main and Hastings. Here's the Oppenheimer Park area right in the heart of the downtown east side.https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...3.84,,0,-18.07

chrisallard5454 · #12 Posted **Sep 17, 2012, 4:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

What a terrible outlook.

It looks like a really nice place anyways. East Hastings is probably Canada's only true permanent ghetto. The google street view does not to a justice though. that place is a fucking dump.

I will get some pictures of Winnipeg's North End, then lets see what you say about East Hasting's being Canada's only ghetto. You can't really exclude the Violent Crime Capital neighbourhood of Canada when referring to ghetto's.

patm · #13 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 5:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Yes, definitely a very loose definition.

To me, it's just a part of town where you're likely to end up if you're on the margins of society, an area where upper middle class people would never go and certainly would never live, etc. Areas where it's very likely that if that's where you're born and raised, you'll never get out of there.

In Calgary that refers to almost a whole quarter of the cities residential areas. Basically everything north of Glenmore trail and east of Deerfoot trail. The peak being Forest Lawn:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Forest...271.99,,0,9.59

MonkeyRonin · #14 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 1:50 PM**

north 42 · #15 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

St. James Town?

MonkeyRonin · #16 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 2:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by north 42

St. James Town?

Yes, though it could just as well be any one of hundreds of poor tower complexes.

The_Architect · #17 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 2:59 PM**

I don't know Kitchener as well, but in Waterloo the only "ghettoes" are the Laurier and Waterloo student ghettoes around the universities. (More so Laurier than Waterloo)

Bad example:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=univer...70.45,,0,12.88
It doesn't look bad, but Erb street especially is inhabited by students, and can tend to look not-so-great on Saturday/Sunday mornings.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=univer...3,,0,4.48&z=16
This section of Hazel had a bit of a rape/mugging problem not too long ago, though they claim it's gone now.

logan5 · #18 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 3:19 PM**

Now this is ghetto, Surrey City Centre (Whalley). I would feel far safer in the DTES.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...,183.29,,0,2.6

Marty_Mcfly · #19 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 3:54 PM**

Signal: you missed Livingstone Street. I had a friend who used to live there, she told me all the horrors of living in the area.

The only real area in town that gives a "ghetto" vibe is around Elizabeth Avenue West in the Anderson Avenue area. Made the mistake of getting gas at the Esso there once after dark, almost found trouble right away. Guy almost pulled a blade on me, but seemed to have a change of heart at the last second. Nice fellah.

EDIT: Also New Penneywell Road. That whole street is a dive. That whole neighborhood as a whole is pretty awful.

SignalHillHiker · #20 Posted **Sep 15, 2012, 4:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

Signal: you missed Livingstone Street. I had a friend who used to live there, she told me all the horrors of living in the area.

EDIT: Also New Penneywell Road. That whole street is a dive. That whole neighborhood as a whole is pretty awful.

I didn't miss it. That first ghetto is the backside of the Livingstone Street houses.

Also, agreed. I had to drive my mother downtown the other day and happened to take Pennywell Road after coming down Kenmount and she grabbed the door handle and tensed like I was about to crash, ha! She knows how left-wing I am, so when I asked what was wrong, she said, "Oh, I'm a creature of habit. I haven't been to this part of town since I was a young girl. I used to have a very good friend who lived here, but my mother put a stop to that."