That giant sucking sound is the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars that support the inner city "hoods" like this trainwreck. 

all these Globe articles are a waste.  there is no mention of lack of personal responsiblity for their own life rather just robbed  the successful for handouts and freebies.   let's help those that deserve it through no fault of their own and not spend scarce funds on those whose demise is due to their own negligence.  these incompetents can still be helped through charity.

My father's aunt and uncle lived on Olney St. for decades.  I used to visit them as well.  They had a great garden out back and grapes on an overhead arbor.  But the neighborhood changed.  They tried to hang on, but there were muggings and robberies and my aunt and uncle weren't getting any younger.  Finally, after their house was broken into several times, they relented and moved out in 1975.

Some folks called it White Flight, but as I recall it, my relatives were *chased* out.

The series is helpful to give an account of daily life that many of us may not see.  I feel for the moms trying to keep their kids out of trouble, and especially want to help Jhanna in her garden and Kaori the 10-year old in both the garden and her track endeavors.  Big Nate has turned-around and is trying hard, along with the Priest and street workers.

But it's also frustrating in so many ways.   One is that despite what I assume is a lack of funds, these folks all seem to have cash for beer, drive-through restaurants, cigarettes, video-games, and sending their kids money for kool-aid at the prison commisary. Isn't food less expensive at the grocery?  Doesn't the prison provide beverages?   The State-House should continue to crack down, hard, on EBT abuse.  Plain and simple- if they are taking welfare or related benefits and wasting them like this, then they are leaching off of the rest of us.

As for ideas-  we should offer and encourage use of birth control by the young women.  So many of them seem to have so much potential, only to end up pregnant at 17 or 18 and never have an opportunity to live up to their potential.  And the young men with potential?  I honestly think they should go away to boarding school, and that would be a better use of tax-payer dollars than many of the current social programs.   It alsways seems to be the same story- falling in with the 'wrong crowd'. So I say, help the good kids get away from the 'bad crowd' and into a disciplined situation, and maybe more of them can succeed, then return when they're older, educated, and more mature to raise families and improve the neighborhood. 

Best of luck to Tal, Nate, Theresa, Susan, Doc, and the police officers and city workers who try so hard to make a difference.  And shame on those who drag their neighbors down or tolerate dirty streets, gunfire and other nastiness.