Alphabet City 9: Alphabet City, #9

By Jamell Crouthers

Ms. Evelyn Bates is the matriarch of Alphabet City. She moved to Alphabet City as a young girl and has seen it all. She pens her life from the beginnings of this community to what it is currently. As a woman in her 80s, everyone in the neighborhood knows and respects her no matter where she goes. Evelyn pens her story from marriage, to raising children during the crack epidemic in the 80s and seeing the neighborhood that has made her the woman she is, going down in the shambles. Her life has been nothing short of amazing as she has hope that the community can get back to what it once was, thriving and at peace. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamell Crouthers
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215541890

Jamell Crouthers

Jamell Crouthers started writing at the age of 13, it wasn't until his 30s where he realized he could impact others with his writing. Jamell was able to incorporate a prose format and social issues and be able to write books on what's going on in the world today. Writing about social issues is something that Jamell is very concerned about and his writing journey has allowed him to write books on various subjects. His goal is to change the world one book at a time.

Book preview

What Once Was

Ms. Evelyn Bates is the name but you can call me Evie,

I’ve been living in Alphabet City for 70 years of my life.

I’ll go into my life, living here and what it was,

What I’m currently living in is a sad tale of loss of control.

The neighborhood was beautiful when the Housing Authority built it,

This place was well-kept, it was safe and the crime was really low.

Police officers on patrol were friendly to the residents of the neighborhood,

It was because they lived in the neighborhood themselves and knew everyone who lived there.

Parents would look after not only their kids, but other parent’s kids,

Protecting them and paying attention to strange people walking in the parks.

Kids riding their bikes through the neighborhood and playing games,

Winters were filled with snowball fights, summers were filled with water balloon fights and water gun fights.

Kids used to play in the parks for hours a day without a worry,

When it got dark and the lights came on, everyone had to be home for dinner.

If you wanted to be outside longer, you had to ask your parents,

You had to stay in the vicinity of where you lived when you were outside at night.

There was a beauty to Alphabet City oh so long ago,

Where it wasn’t a polluted place of negativity everyday.

It was a place so many people came to visit every summer,

It was like Harlem, New York with live bands on certain streets.

Block parties during the summer where you can smell BBQ from buildings away,

With grills out, it was free food for everyone to eat and enjoy.

The fire hydrant was keeping kids cool as they played into the night,

Then the ice cream truck would drive by a certain time.

Kids would pay attention to the cars coming down the block and move out of the way,

They would use a crate to play basketball and play touch football in the street.

Kids were outside all day during the summer no matter what,

Whether they were on their bikes, playing sports or at the arcade we used to have.

Rainy days were a gathering at certain buildings in the basement,

Where kids can meet up and play board games and have sandwiches with drinks from the grocery store.

The 80s brought Atari which was a fascination of video games,

It was what my kids wanted and we were able to buy it for them for Christmas the year it was released.

Love was in the air with couples walking through the neighborhood,

Holding hands and saying hello to whoever they knew around the way.

Churches were filled with ceremonies of marriage and rice being thrown,

As couples jumped the broom during the summer months bringing the community together.

You’d find out things in the neighborhood from the community newspaper,

We all paid a small monthly fee at the office to get it delivered to our mailboxes everyday.

We all looked forward to find out good news whether it was a new business opening,

Or someone got engaged or even married and there were pictures shown with the article.

Schools were full of teachers who cared about their students,

There were more black and latino teachers decades ago.

The school curriculum was totally different,

Compared to now and what I see my grandchildren learning in school.

It’s literally a foreign language looking at what they’re being taught,

Everything is so complicated which makes no sense to me.

Kids fought with their fists and lived to see another day,

The crime was low because everyone knew each other.

There was a beauty and calmness to walking through Alphabet City,

You never had to worry about much, especially keeping your