Dudley Street

The film "Holding Ground" was a very intriguing piece. It chronicled the impact of a community initiative, from the days proceeding its inception, to present day. Further research on DSNI's website allows you to check out all of their current programs, as well as plans for the future.

The film itself taught me a few things about community organizing. First, and most profound, was the sheer amount of people willing and interested in the causes DSNI was fighting for. While this seems like an asinine statement, being that "neighborhood initiative" is part of the agencies title, however it was still refreshing to see. While one would assume that a community so beat down and isolated, powerless, would have the resiliency to fight for what they thought was the betterment of the community. It was also refreshing to hear peoples values on the importance of a healthy community. I think the common stereotype of impoverished communities is that they are full of people who do not care about the community. For too long, there has been a message sent to the public that claimed "these people are trashing their own community"  This documentary however showed that that message is wrong. In this case, most certainly, (and I would generalize to most) the community had been beaten down by the system. A combination of factors gelled together lead to a community in peril. With most of the middle to upper-class society members moving out, the city was left abandoned. Without these individuals stimulating growth, the community plummeted.

Hearing the politicians admit their mistakes in this documentary was eye-lifting. They admitted to not having the best interest of the community in mind, or at least that they were terribly misguided in thinking that there plans would work for the community. The documentary showed that the most important part of any initiative, is that it is either created, or at least consulted on, by the community. Too often the people in control make decisions that they feel will be, "in the people's best interest". When in reality, they cannot understand what would be the best for them, because they are not a part of the community. Something that I read recently, and have heard numerous times, "The path to hell is paved with good intentions" and this rings true yet again in this situation. It is extremely fortunate that there was a small group of people who decided something needed to be done.