How racist are residents of Ft. Lauderdale? Are there a lot of rednecks? (Plantation: how much, houses)

[fauve]

Originally Posted by Neng.

What about the local chapter of the KKK in Davie?
They were big 30 years ago, and I read they were flying leaflets at gas stations summoning for a "cross burning act".

They flew the coop decades ago.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Davyn_041

I'm about to move elsewhere within the next to years for college and my fiance' is coming with me. I'm white, he's black, and I'm sick of dealing with racism. I also don't want to live around close-minded rednecks because I have all my life. I don't want to be discriminated for being in an interracial relationship and I want my children to be happy. I'm from central Illinois, a town with less than 1,000 people. There isn't violence, but only 3 black people live in my area and no other races besides white.

I do understand that "wherever you go, there will be some racism," but I'd like to be around more interracial couples, in a more diverse area, and I want to move somewhere warm. I've always loved Florida, but yet I haven't stayed there for more than a few weeks.

What are your opinions on Ft. Lauderdale? I've heard some bad things about the deep south but that Florida is different, etc. Do you know of any places in Florida where there aren't acts of violence against blacks/interracials/etc. and where there isn't a lot of segregation? Feedback? Thanks!

How racist can people be if they only have 3 people to pick on ?

Having lived both in SE Florida - and NE Florida - for a long time - I can tell you that both areas are more "salad bowls" than "melting pots". You won't find a lot of overt racism - or segregation - but you may have a hard time fitting in socially. (FWIW - there are parts of the Florida panhandle that are pretty bad - but I doubt you'll be moving from one 1000 person town to another.)

The person who said more or less "people won't look twice at you" had it about right. The gay interracial couple won't look twice at you - but they won't be inviting you out to dinner anytime soon either.

People where I've lived tend to get together on the basis of mutual interests. Especially in north Florida - religion is a biggie. If you are religious - and join a church - that will give you a built-in social life. Ditto with things like golf and tennis. There are of course - other options. FWIW - the tightest interracial "clique" where I live is the Jacksonville Jaguars (our football team). Players/wives of all races. But that's a hard club to join .

But I think you're getting WAY ahead of yourself. You're not even in college yet. If you're interested in Florida - you should be exploring colleges in Florida. As for your fiance - will he be looking into colleges as well - or is he in college now? What kind of job can he get if he moves with you (high school grads are a dime a dozen here in Florida - and unemployment is high - so I hope you are talking about both of you getting college educations). You're certainly not going to encounter any problems on any college campus in Florida - except that a lot are hard to get into - some have large numbers of students who speak Spanish/Spanglish (which would be an isolating factor for you and your fiance) - or that you and/or your fiance might decide to split up when you're 19 (you sound too young to be engaged IMO - although I guess it's possible that you're entering college years after graduating from high school). I'm not sure why there are so many messages in this thread - and no one has mentioned that you seem to be a kid in high school. Please correct me if I'm wrong about your situation. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by fauve

They flew the coop decades ago.

Like the OP!

FWIW - one day a few years ago we were driving from Ponte Vedra to Tallahassee and stopped in Lake City for lunch. There were a gazillion cops at the lunch spot we picked. And we asked what was going on. And they said - there's a KKK rally. Having never seen a KKK rally before - we stopped by the site of rally. And there they were - about 20 fat disgusting guys on motorcycles (all from Pennsylvania) who had decided to hold a rally in Lake City. Poor Lake City. Its whole overtime police budget decimated by a couple of dozen jerks from up north. Most of the people in the crowd were like us. White and black middle class people just looking at these guys as if they were creatures from outer space.

Also - best I can tell - the KKK is stronger today in parts of Michigan (where my BIL and family live) than in any part of Florida. Robyn

[FinallyReady]

Originally Posted by fauve

Here. West Broward is as diverse as it gets. No one would even give you guys a second look.

Agreed......

[FinallyReady]

Originally Posted by coconut1

no problem in sofla. Nofla, is a whole 'nother story, though.

Northern (and central) florida are the pits when it comes to the deep south racism (and that's not just white against black, it's very much black against white as well)

well said!!!!!!

[FinallyReady]

Originally Posted by heydade

NOt Davie !!!!!

Well not Central Davie, going towards U.S.441 area but going out towards I-75 may be a little different....

[vr2]

In middle/lower and lower class areas, South Florida is extremely segregated, different races just don't mix here.

In the higher end areas like out west, it's much less segregated - though out west is also much less "diverse".

[fauve]

Originally Posted by vr2

In middle/lower and lower class areas, South Florida is extremely segregated, different races just don't mix here.

In the higher end areas like out west, it's much less segregated - though out west is also much less "diverse".

Agreed, except that I measure diversity by a mixture of race and cultural background - you seem to be using it as your own code word for black and I dont agree with you that the western suburbs aren't your definition of diverse.

And, geez, within the black community, South Florida has a TON of diversity between Haitians, Jamaicans, African Americans from the northeast, African Americans from the South, European blacks, Hispanic blacks, etc, etc of all different classes.

[jonaos]

It really depends on what you mean by racism. If you have the narrow-minded view of it that only white people are racist, then there is not much racism here anymore. Though when I first moved to S.Florida 14 years ago [I lived in Davie at first], you could say there was a decent ammount of that type of racism around. Large trucks with Rebel flags flying on them were all over the place, which makes a statement in itself. But as the area became more diverse, those type of people seemed to have moved to N.Florida or out of state entirely.

On the other hand, myself as a white person, I can say that there is a under-current of racism towards white people around [though it is not common, dont get me wrong]. I have been assaulted 3 times since living here for being a whiteboy in the wrong neighborhood [so to speak, and in those words plus a racial slur thrown my way]. I have not heard of any attacks from white people on other groups in this region solely due to race, yet it happened to me due to my race/skin color. It just didnt appear in the news, but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

So yes there is some racism here. But the more upperclass a area is, the less of it you will see [the assaults were in Hollywood near 441, Weston where I am now is completely different].

Besides that, I reccomend the western areas for the same reasons others have said. I currently live there now and its great. It is diverse, not segregated, and the people for the most part, are working class individuals.

[sofla951]

Originally Posted by vr2

In middle/lower and lower class areas, South Florida is extremely segregated, different races just don't mix here.

In the higher end areas like out west, it's much less segregated - though out west is also much less "diverse".

I agree the cities on the coast throughout South Florida are still really segregated with the dividing line usually being Dixie Highway. West Broward is more Latino/White while East Broward is usually more white/black but does have a growing Latino population. Also there's a bigger gap between the poor and rich along the coast.