Fort Wayne Racist??? (Auburn, Garrett: fit in, crime, neighborhoods)

[Unbreakable1]

Originally Posted by cdcdguy

Is it the best place I have ever lived? Don't know yet, but probably not. BUT this town has a lot to offer.It all depends what one likes.

What I don't understand are people who complain, but never leave. Sure, FW has some things wrong about it. EVERY city does. But if you look, you can find good in anyplace.

Yeah. I agree with you too.

- It does depend on what one likes. I guess that's why I stated the exact same thing in a previous thread about Fort Wayne.

- Why stay and complain? Since I've never been that type, I guess that's exactly why I'm not staying.

- You can find good in any place. I guess that's why I pointed out several about this place in that same Fort Wayne post I mentioned above.

Yup. I agree with you too, cdcdguy.

[Ronzou]

I complain a lot. Mostly about the cold. Why don't I leave? Give me about one hundred million dollars! And I will! Why so much? So I can live off the interest!

[Activ8a]

While it is true that all cities have some problems with racism, I've found that Fort Wayne actually seems to be more open-minded than many other cities. It is a large enough city to be multicultural/multiethnic, but small enough that different races/ethnicities tend to live/work near each other, without all the segregation of larger cities. The South Bend area, on the other hand, is quite racist (and much more openly so) and very segregated (at least from the virtually all-White large suburbs. Fort Wayne, however, is a pretty tolerant community where people of all cultures interact on a more regular basis.

[Phillyhoosier]

Racism comes in many flavors. In Ft. Wayne, people tend to get the type of racism that comes from a lack of understanding. You may see a bit of nervousness, but hatred is very rare. Living in Philadelphia, the nervousness present in the Midwest is nothing. Here there is great animosity between the races, and politicians publicly tell people, "If you don't vote for me, at least don't vote for a white guy."

Fort Wayne isn't a great center of cultural diversity, but it isn't as segregated as South Bend, and doesn't have the race riots of Toledo or Dayton. I doubt you will too many medium sized cities in the midwest that have perfect racial understanding, but Ft. Wayne isn't too bad.

[boby2]

I have been to Fort Wayne for a few nights and everyone seemed very friendly no issues to report from me

[horsepower52]

When you guys are talking about South Bend, are you referring to the actual city itself or the surrounding places like Mishawaka, Roseland, etc? I'm just curious because I'm new here....I grew up on the west side (proud LaSalle grad) and I never noticed the segregation thing. I spend alot of time in Lake Station with my girlfriend though, so have I just that incredibly oblivious to what's happening in SB?

[cdcdguy]

So unbreakable1, where are you moving? I hope you will be happier there. I have lived in 8 states, including the south. Sadly, race problems are everywhere. But I do hope you will be happier than you have been in Fort Wayne. Best of luck.

[ShadowCaver]

FWIW, I've lived in the FtW area now for ~5.5 years, having lived in MO and 'bama, along w/ also traveling w/ an open eye towards my surroundings, as I enjoy people watching. In any case, IMHO, FtW is actually quite a bit more open and less racist than one might expect of a northern city. I have seen numerous mixed-race couples, w/o hearing any snide remarks or stares. Actually, seems that there is quite a bit of mixed-race couples per capita, compared to other cities of similar size in various regions. To me, race is a moot issue - the actions of a person far outweigh the "colour" of their skin.

[six00ohm]

in the year and a half i've lived here in fort wayne i haven't seen any racist or bigoted behavior publicly. i've seen quite a bit of stupid behavior but nothing racist!

i grew up in nj - lived in atlanta, phoenix and philadelphia and in my opinion the people here seem to be pretty nice as a whole.

one thing that does irk me: my wife and i both grew up in major metro areas and we both have a sense of personal style that is not at all the norm in this area. when we go out to places like the mall, wal mart or office depot we CONSTANTLY have people staring at us: hardcore, uncomfortable, parents-didn't-teach-you-any-manners type staring. it's amazingly annoying and rude - we hate it and it's one of the several reasons we're leaving.

we own a small business and do quite a bit of traveling and NEVER get stared at the way we do in fort wayne. if it were kids looking at us - that's fine - but entire families staring at us while we try to eat dinner at a nice restaurant is downright rude and uncalled for. it's gotten to the point where i've had to ask people to please stop staring at us because it's ruining our meal.

so - where am i going with all of this? people here in fort wayne seem to be resistant to change and things that they don't see on a daily basis. they also seem a little short on the manners department.

[cdcdguy]

Six- This is a very conservative town.In a conserative state.Anything outside the norm will get stares, or raised eyebrows.Yes, it is rude. But,like you said, the people here are pretty nice.