Effects Drugs Have on Urban Communities

{draw:rect} Did most urban communities start out as nice as most suburban communities are today? Yes, they did. The government built subsidized housing complexes for low income households; today they are called â€Å"the projects† or the ghetto. These communities have been run down over the years by vandalism, and crime, most of these criminal activities that take place in these urban communities are drug related. Even though drugs can be bought out of any community, the urban communities are the most effected by drug activities. Drugs are destroying the urban communities. Children can buy drugs off almost every street corner and most of the youth in the urban communities are or have been in jail for drug sales. {draw:frame} Crime rates have gone up in urban communities because of drug activities. Every day an article can be read in the newspaper about crimes in urban communities. Most of these crimes are drug related. The drug dealers that are on the streets get busted for selling drugs almost every day and charged with sale charges and possession charges. Police departments set up sting operations to catch these dealers in the act. Addicts are arrested daily as well. They get caught with drugs they have purchased and receive possession charges. Drug dealers often rob each other for their supply,which results in breaking and entering charges, burglary charges, and sometimes even murder charges. Addicts tend to steal and rob to support their habit and usually get caught and arrested for these crimes. Drug addicts will rob stores, strangers in the street, even family members to get money for their drugs. That is not the only crimes addict commit. While under the influence of drugs some people commit acts they normally would not do, such as killing, stealing, or driving which could result in people getting hurt. They get high and do things without thinking. With all these problems in the urban communities, it becomes difficult to sell property at its book value. It becomes an undesirable place to live. People who are looking for reasonable priced housing get discouraged because of the environment that surrounds these houses. Nobody wants to live in these areas with all the drug related crimes and drug activities that go on. These issues cause the property values to go down in urban communities. Below is a bar graph to show the difference in property values between urban communities and suburban communities. Average Property Values {draw:frame} Even though drugs can be bought out of any community, the urban communities are the most effected by drug activities. Drugs are destroying the urban communities. Children can buy drugs off almost every street corner and most of the youth in the urban communities are or have been in jail for drug sales. I think if the public paid more attention or cared a little more about the drug related problems that are over powering our urban communities, these communities can be taken back from the criminals that have run them down so bad that they are so obsolete in the government’s eyes. Then maybe instead of spending thousands of dollars into communities that don’t really need it, that money could get put to good use in an urban community that really needs improvement. Hernandez, R. (2010). VCStar. com. Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. Retrieved from http://www. cstar. com/news/2010/feb/09/suspect-went-on-drug-related-crime-spree-tells/ Jonathan Butler. (2004). BROWNSTONER. Retrieved from http://www,brownstoner. com National Drug Intelligence Center. (January 1, 2006. ). National Drug Intelligence Center. Retrieved from http://www. justice. gov/ndic/pubs5/5140/index. htm Secretary of the Publications Board. (2010). United nations. Retrieved from http://www. un. org/esa/so cdev/poverty/subpages/iyephab. htm The world bank group. (2010). Urban poverty. Retrieved from http://: http://go. worldbank. org/QH7WZFCPK0