SDM, udun & Advo
Most of the Somalis down here live in Dekalb county which has the 2nd largest black population after Clayton. I always wondered what draws us to these dilapatated and essentially dead areas, and its not always looking for cheaper housing. The refugee resettlement agencies that operate here almost exclusively settle Somalis and other African immigrants in these neighborhoods under the false pretenses that these areas have cheaper appartments and access to public transportation. I have done some social work with some of these agencies and was appalled at the level of disregard these agencies showed these refugees. I witnessed Bantus being settled in to gang territory and Somalis being coerced in to signing 12 month leases with apartment complexes that should be demolished because of their horrid conditions.
Its a systemic process that highlights the level of professional incompetence of some of these agencies and possible corruption. Even Bosnian refugees are settled in better areas than the Africans, it can't be a coincidence. Once there's a sizable community, it then becomes impossible to relocate to another area, so they get stuck there - get stuck with the mediocre schools, lack of after-school programs, lack of progress, etc. Its something with no end result in sight. And some Somalis just don't see the problem and settle in for good, at the cost of losing their children to violence.