Introduction
Community is a group of people living in the same geographical location sharing some common beliefs or even culture. It is an important unit in the social sciences. Therefore, understanding it is crucial. The best way to describe the community is by experiencing the values first hand. This strategy involves living in that community. It is with this knowledge that I will attempt to describe the community in which I live with the purpose of understanding cultural diversity.
A brief description of the community will be done with the use of statistical and geographical characteristics followed by an evaluation of the changes through time since I joined the community. The issues that the community deals with will then be discussed with appropriate recommendations being made.
Demographic characteristics
Having moved from Colombia a few years ago at the age of 18 years, I settled in the city of Downey California, which still serves as my current city of residence. Downey had a population of 111,868 people in 2011 representing a population change of 4.2% since the year 2000 (Farley, & Haaga, 2005, p. 65). The male residents in the population make up 48.5% of the population.
They are 54,220 in number with their female counterparts making up 51.5% of the population (57,648) (Farley, & Haaga, 2005, p. 65). The medium resident age stood at 33.3 years. This figure was representative of a relatively young population compared to the total population of California, which has a median age of 45.6 years (U.S. Census Bureau citizens’ report: FY 2010 summary of performance and financial results, 2010).
According to the statistics available in the year 2009 on the income of the residents, the median household income for the residents was at $59,955, which was an improvement from that recorded in the year 2000, which was $45,667 (Kang, 2012). This figure was in the same range as the median household for the whole of California, which at 58,931 in the same year.
The estimated per capita income in 2009 was $23,023 (Kang, 2012). With a land area of 12.4 square miles, the city has a population density of 9008 people per square mile, which is higher than the average for the US (Kang, 2012). 35.3% of the residents (37,925) are foreign-born with 26.6% being born in Latin America including me while some 5.8% were born in Asia (Latimer, 2010, p. 29).
According to Kang (2012), the city is largely cosmopolitan with the population consisting of people with the following racial backgrounds: Hispanic – 78,996 (70.7%), White alone – 19,786, Asian alone -7,484 (6.7%), Black alone – 3,834 (3.4%), two or more races – 1,071 (1.0%), American Indian alone – 212 (0.2%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone – 170 (0.2%), and other race alone – 219 (0.2%).
Resident characteristics
The common industries include construction, accommodation, and food services, educational services, public administration, administrative, support and waste management services, professional, scientific, and technical and Health care services (Kang, 2012). However, at the time of moving into this city at the age of 18 years, the place was largely residential with a significant transformation into a commercial city taking place since then.
This transformation is still ongoing. This change has had several implications on the original inhabitants of the city with the new inhabitants bringing along with them some cultural issues of concern. The different racial, religious, and ethnic groups existing in the city have found a unique way of coexisting with interactions being marked mainly in business.
One of the factors contributing to community diversification and integration is trade relations (Latimer, 2010, p. 29). Some of the factors that have contributed to the large population diversity in the city include its proximity to the Hispanic speaking nation of Mexico, which has been a source of most of the immigrants here. This proximity has contributed to the high population of Hispanics in the city and the available cheap labor.
Problems in the community
Due to the diversity of the population in Downey, there are several challenges related to this diversity. One of them is the high crime rates that are reported in the city (Kang, 2012). Downey has a higher than the average number of robbery cases, and theft through the cases are said to be on a decline since the year 2008 (Kang, 2012).
In the same year, however, the number of vehicles stolen within the city reached its highest number with 1,231 automobiles being stolen (Kang, 2012). Some of the other categories contributing to the high crime rate include rape, theft, burglaries, aggravated assault, and robberies (Kang, 2012).
Diversity in the population and proximity to the border with Mexico and South America has also created the problem of gang activity within the city (Kang, 2012). The southern part of the city is reported to have an above-normal level of gang activity with many of the youngsters being recruited every day.
These gangs are also involved in the illegal drug trade with many of the members being drawn into them along racial affiliations. This issue has been one of the greatest shortcomings of the diversity of the city. Gang activity has also contributed to the high crime rates that are reported in the city.
System and Ecological Perspective
The community can be described as a system in an ecological perspective. For this community, the system in which the community is a component of is largely a product of political institutions. The existing policies have contributed to determining the system. Alterations are dependent on the policies.
In the ecological perspective, the community consists of members who have congregated because of several factors. The major reason for the congregation is the desire to fulfill daily and basic needs. The ecological interactions are also a significant factor in the observations made in this community.
Assessment
As discussed above, the major problem facing the city of Downey is the high crime rate and gang activity levels. The probable etiology of this problem has also been discussed with the most probable contribution being the high population of illegal immigrants in the city and California in general. The country is also close to other nations with reported high crime rates (Crouchett, 1982, p. 21).
Unemployment is not as high as the recorded value of the state of California (9.0% against 10.4 for California in August 2012). Therefore, it may also be a significant cause of the problem (Kang, 2012). The ratio of police officers in the city is also lower than that for the state (1.01 police officers per 1000 residents against 2.40 per 1000 residents), which may also be another contributing factor (Latimer, 2010, p. 23).
The community has developed several ways to deal with the problem. The best example is GOOD (Gangs Out Of Downey) which is a community-based organization attempting to dissuade youngsters from joining the gangs (Latimer, 2010, p. 22).
The major institutions in the area are the churches and schools, which have a hand in the attempt to solve Downey’s problem. The schools form a fertile hunting ground for the gangs to recruit their members. In the past, they have polarized these institutions.
Intervention Plan
Several actions in the community could be employed in the effort to reduce the high crime rates in this community. These actions need an effective plan for them to be successful in the community. One of them is the formation of social groups that could engage the youth in creative activities to keep them occupied. The plan for achieving this goal includes the formation of groupings that the community could use to reach out to the youths.
Some of the students should get an orientation of the policy service to build their confidence in the institution to allow the build-up of confidence. Some of the other activities that would be useful in the plan include the introduction of courses in school that encourage diversity and social tolerance.
Other activities to be performed by the idlers in the society could also be introduced. Formation of community groups aimed at countering the effects of the gangs could also be a possible solution with the members providing information to aid in the prosecution of the gang members.
Conclusion and viewpoints about community
The personal view of a community has changed with the project. The consideration of each member of the community as a major constituent has emerged. In the above community, success against the challenge being experienced will only be possible if the community members are to unite against it irrespective of racial considerations. The course has enabled me to change my perceptions of the community. The major influence it has had is in the realization that each member of the community contributes especially.
Reference List
Crouchett, J. (1982). Filipinos in California: from the days of the galleons to the present. El Cerrito, Calif.: Downey Place Pub. House.
Farley, R., & Haaga, J. (2005). The American people: Census 2000. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Kang, C. (2012). Downey, California (CA) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news. Stats about all US cities – real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more. Web.
Latimer, L. (2010). Downey. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing.
U.S. Census Bureau citizens’ report: FY 2010 summary of performance and financial results. (2010). Suitland, Md.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau.