Strip Clubs, Churches, and the NBA

I grew up on the west side of Indianapolis in an old farm house--minus the farm. The mall was a few blocks away. Low income housing projects were just around the corner. The street in front of our house was very busy. We lost one person and a many pets to accidents in front of our house (poor Hico the Dog ... I hope he never saw it coming). Despite all of that I experienced the area as safe. My siblings and I were free to ride our bikes all over the place, busy roads and all. My parents were amazingly trusting of us and of the area; even after a car hit me while I was riding my brother's bike to a 4-H bicycle safety class (strange but true).

Twenty-five years ago our area of town wasn't at all posh, but it was safe. Then the strip clubs moved-in. Man. If you think places like that don't send urban areas into decline, I invite you to survey the damage yourself sometime. I know the decline of the area can't be totally linked to a single factor, but it can't be separated from it either. The more reliable folks began drifting away from the area when it came time to shop and to buy a house. The mall fell into ruin. The housing grew increasingly rough.

Why do I bring it up? Because my old neighborhood made national news this past week when NBA Pacer, Jamal Tinsley, attended an after hours party not far from my childhood home. The bombastic and irresponsible Pacer attracted the wrong kind of attention and an old-fashioned, Rockford Files-style car chase and gun fight ensued as Tinsley's Rolls-Royce and the rest of his "posse" sped away from rival thugs. Link.

I sometimes hear that strip clubs are harmless places where consenting adults come together for harmless fun. What I never hear is: "Hey, I think I'll build a house near a strip club and raise my children around that harmless fun."

I sometimes hear that church people fight too much with each other. That much is true. I've even seen it turn ugly enough for the police to be called. What I've never seen, though, is the decline of an entire section of town after the addition of new church buildings.

I can be accused of oversimplifying things. The accusation would be fair enough. But my suspicion is that nobody who makes that accusation will proceed to the nearest strip club in order to buy a house and begin raising their family.