Even though the white population is only 85% of the city, I don’t quite see many Mexicans running around -but I do see a lot of whites. I see alot of young white people who are making the best of poor conditions. This city seems to generate a lot of money with the timber industry, but not a lot of people are sharing in the profits.
I have seen some very nice homes on the tops of the valley and some of the most dispicable buildings in the valley. Everybody must know what is going to happen when the next flood hits here. The merchants, who couldn’t afford to acquire the high ground are all at risk. Just check out the depression the people in the lower valley live in:
These beautiful land features have shaped people’s attitudes and the culture. There is a lot of green and fog at this time of year. The city is separate from the other major cities like Olympia and Tacoma, so it is under its own influence.
As I hear another police siren whizz by, in the morning, I can guess that this city has legal troubles. Once again, there are a lot of young poor people here. They dress dark and poorly. They congregate in large groups. They don’t seem to do much with their time. I walked past a couple young guys in the valley and they asked me if I smoke weed -perfectly legal question, but gives a glimpse into how careless the young are here.
There is a moderate amount of Grafitti here. It’s not as bad as I have seen in Woodburn, Oregon. Mexicans really love their grafitti. But, the run down and seemingly isolated buildings have their grafitti, not saying anything in particular, just young males marking their territories. I don’t suspect gang rivalry. I’m sure the jobless have more united against the police than anything else.
There is a lot of natural life in the form of vegetation. But the only animal activity involved is about only humans. It’s kind of boring here. Once you see everything, then you might start getting to know people after a while and may come under the influence of peer pressure for drugs. It’s probably best to keep moving along through here.
Carefully Choosing Words 