Have u ever been to the Kensington section of Philadelphia? It’s WAY worse than Camden look up some videos it’s like Camden but way more gun crimes, still an open air narcotics market, and ppl nodding out and shooting up drugs in broad daylight
I work as an ER nurse here, it truly is sad how run down it is…but, I have to say I love my patients here! They are some of the most grateful and kind patients I’ve ever treated, hands down.
These cities didn't suddenly become this way. The politicians and Big Business created this. This began to get really bad after they moved most of the good job overseas for cheap labor. And they keep passing anti-business bills and increasing taxes, which caused even more businesses to close. The mayor, congressional representative, and senate representative couldn't care any less because where they live don't like the ghetto scenes in this video. They care more about refugees and illegal aliens than they do for the underprivileged people who keep voting for them.
I am a rose that blossomed out of the streets of Camden. I lived in the area you started the video in. I am now an EMT and a flight attendant . I still live in Camden . I love my city but I hate the violence. I’ve lost a brother here to gun violence. Pray for the city and stay safe guys .
im from camden also, born and raised.. but you know the whole city dont look like that.. but thats how they look at us and our city.. sorry for about your brother, stay blessed
I live in Mullica Hill, NJ, about 20 min from Camden and growing up we were always told never go to Camden for any reason and I never understood why. Later, I went to college at Rutgers Camden then did my NP rotation at Cooper hospital. When in the ER, all we saw were overdoses, kids caught in the crossfire, gang shootings, and SA victims. That was every night. It was a horrible thing to witness. I had a patient, 92 yo at the time, he has since passed, who would tell me what a wonderful place Camden was back in the day. He grew up there and said it was a quaint town where everyone knew everyone. He would tell me of all the places he remembered and who owned them. How he had all his pants hand tailored by a well known tailor in the town and delivered groceries as a teenager for the local grocer. He would tell me he was saddened and disgusted by what it happened to his beautiful town.
I had a similar experience growing up, Camden was the boogie man town you didn’t want to be caught driving through if you lived in South Jersey. I also went to Rutgers Camden and made friends who lived in Camden. I spent time in Camden communities and I’m still here today. The city is not like it use to be in the 90s and 2000s, around 2011 they overhauled policing in the city and crime has dropped like a rock. Still can be a bad place to be in certain parts, but right now it’s in need of redevelopment and it could thrive again. Camden was at one point one of the richest industrial cities in NJ and it could be again.
I’m in Mullica hill too! My grandmom would tell me about getting dressed up to go to hall dances back in the 40s in Camden. It made her sick to see both of her cites (Philly&Camden) end up like this.
My Grandmother who was born in Philadelphia in 1895 insisted they take the ferry to Camden so she could brag to all her friends that she got married there. Back then that’s where all the rich people lived full time or people from Philly had summer homes there on the river. If she wasn’t my Grandmother I would never have believed Camden was once like that.
@@jesss428 Actually south philly and parts of west (university city) and northeast philly (fishtown and northern liberties) are doing really well these days. Philly somewhat revived although north philly continues to be what it used to be. But they're seeing some turnovers around temple u, I think. Newark also revived quite a bit. Its downtown looks nothing like what it used to be as recent as 10 years ago. Ironbound and university heights are doing well too. On the other hand, Camden and Trenton don't seem to get better. Trenton tried to revive its downtown and has a nice-looking neighborhood in the pocket of hood, but houses there get raided and people stopped moving in. Camden has also tried, but it's really beyond repair. And more seriously so than Trenton. But Philly has been doing fairly well, compared to 20 or 30 years ago.
I raised my family (6 kids, wife and myself) in New Jersey. I love New Jersey and I've been to Camden many times. Those who study poverty have concluded three things . . . items that have the most success in keeping individuals free from the worst aspects of poverty: 1. Have both parents living in the home. 2. Graduate from high school. 3. Don't mess with drugs.
@@agustindejesus7398, yes, poverty and crime are not simple. The main point of what I read was that if a child were to escape the repeated cycle of crime and dependency on welfare, the most common factors behind those who made it out of that cycle are: Both parents in the home, finish high school and don't mess with drugs. Those points stood out far beyond all other things considered.
@@richardrobertson1331 Let's not forget funding for schools in suburbs is far better than these depressed areas, until the funding metrics change things will not improve.
The fact that you drove through only a small part of Camden and considered that “all” of Camden is like that is funny. Go out further, you’ll see people are trying to make this place better. One of the main reasons as well, as to why it’s looks so “ghetto” is because the government doesn’t help fix the streets, houses, etc. So many people have tried to call out so we can get these streets and houses fixed but we get nothing. My father has lived here for 20 years and where he lives there is a street that has never been fixed, even though those who live in that street tried to call to get it fixed, it never has.
Lis very well articulated Goddess,and at the end of the day Democrat or republican it doesn't matter unless the people have something to trade.Basically gather the residents of camden choose a politician to vote for,then make Your demands to that politician and give them a list of demands if they want All your vote! Get it on paper and they must abide by it.
I was born on Camden in 1951,went to Sacred Heart School ,graduated in 1965,we lived by the New York Shipyard, we moved out of Fairview St. In 1969,never looked back,now retired and living in Eastern Tennessee!
What’s sad is kids being born into these environments, no fault of their own. Then we lock them away if they fall into any of the countless pitfalls that have been around long before them.
I am from Camden More than 30 year's. The city of ruins they call it. I'm not there anymore... In the 80s and 90s you wouldn't had came into the city, If they'd paid you too. However despite of anything Camden has actually gotten better in some ways.
Yes! I think Camden getting better had a lot do with the reformatted police department. They get to know the population and not just be the bad guys. I'm actually wondering when this video was taken?
It is true things have improved in recent years just like Philadelphia. They invested a lot of money in urban improvement & it's easy to see the results.
I lived in NJ my whole life and driven through every town and city we have here. The biggest problem we have is that not enough people have a strong sense of community anymore. Imagine that everyone on your block really spent time knowing each other and then expanded to the next block. In time the community reaches further and further from the core. A community like that can change their world. Help each other, build alongside each other, rid the streets of those doing nothing but destroying it. Now you start adding police that truly care about that community, have their backs, work with them to improve the entire neighborhood, make it safer for everyone. It's hard to imagine that can't happen if everyone buys in. Life is hard as f*** trying to make it better alone.
I don’t know why, but most of these ran down cities such as Camden, Cleveland and Detroit, have some of the most beautiful architectural designed buildings, and it’s a shame because many either are abandoned in ruins, burned down, or demolished. I find it really sad that all the history gets lost and worse part is it’s human that do most of the damage to these beautiful buildings:(
The common denominator of all these cities (and you can tack on Toledo OH, Reading PA, and Chester PA) is that at one point they flourished with wealth and industry, and then the blue collar jobs got sent overseas. After the major industries shut down, poverty set in. No one could afford to maintain the beautiful turn of the century buildings anymore. It’s a shame that companies were allowed to disavow the very people that kept them in business. We’re still feeling the effects of the industrial exodus of the 1970’s and 1980’s to this day.
I remember being stuck in Camden on my birthday for four hours because the buses weren't coming and a man with a very bruised face asked me if I wanted to fight; I kindly turned him down
I would love to see trade schools and tech schools required during high school. It could possibly help many who could benefit from the chance to escape the poverty of the inner cities. We can’t just think this is going to fix itself. Many people here are hard working and want to leave these ghettoes or improve them.
I graduated high school in 1980. There were numerous vocational ‐technical high schools most of them are closed. Public high-school curriculum has narrowed down to college prep courses.
Open a camp there to help the people there to learn manufacturing skills of any kind. Make some companies to move their factories there so that people have jobs. I know friends (most of them passed away) lived there and most of them were/are good people but totally lacked of opportunities was the biggest problem.
Apprenticeships work mentor a young person or adult who desires knowledge or skill in anything. It doesn't even have to be a trade. Break the mold think outside the Box ya'll
I'm from Elizabeth New Jersey but I lived in Camden after I got released from prison. They sent me to a work release program on North 5th Street called Fletcher house. When I got off parole I ended up moving in with a girl I met down there and we had a child together. Unfortunately she was murdered in Camden New Jersey on December 2nd 2019. Her name was Hayley Steinberg and she was 31 years old. Her body was dumped in a park in East Camden. Her killers were caught and are currently fighting their case and Camden county jail. I have custody of our 10-year-old daughter and she is doing as well as can be expected coping with the Lost of her mother. Camden New Jersey has a cloud of evil drugs and violence over it. My only wishes that I moved to my family away before she was murdered and left in the street for the police to find. The two killers were arrested on the Benjamin Franklin bridge when the car they stole from her ran out of gas and they tried to walk away. Rest in peace Hayley. Praying for Camden
@@dlxinfinite7098 I appreciate that. It's been difficult dealing with the loss. My daughter was only 7 years old when her mother was killed. It's a struggle. But I'm so thankful that I have her here with me and that so many friends and family members have stepped up and been here to help comfort her. My heart goes out to anyone who's lost the family member to a violent crime. Especially children. They don't understand how evil the world could be sometimes. I was in Fletcher house for almost a year in 2010 going into 2011. What years did you work there? I remember most of the staff members that were there. One of my favorite staff members was a guy named Ivan Robinson from philadelphia. He used to be a professional boxer in the 80s and 90s. Very cool dude. Help me tremendously get acclimated to being home from jail
Inspite of the poverty in Camden( and in certain parts of Philadelphia), there is not the same level of homelessness that exists in other places. One reason is Phila.'s non- profit, Project Home.
It's doesn't look as bad as Kensington in Philly. I go through both every week. Check out some Kensington videos like the ones on "Kimgary". It's a zoo with the "tranq dope", we call them zombies. Watch the vids and you'll see why.
Camden as a whole is still poor and dangerous, but it is much, much safer than it used to be. It's not even in the top 4 dangerous cities in NJ anymore. There's sort of a small renaissance going on in the city right now. Subaru moved their North American Headquarters to Camden in a series of modern, LEED certified office towers that were completed in 2018 and added 600 jobs to the area. Campbell's Soup HQ is also in Camden, as well as a few tech companies that have signed deals in Camden recently. The state of New Jersey has invested a lot in the city recently to make it more attractive for companies in an effort to modernize and bring in new jobs. The Camden police dept was as also as corrupt as they come, and it was dissolved recently and replaced with a county-wide police force that has made a massive difference in crime and quality of life. Having said that, I'd still never live there.
Actually a person with intelligent response he wrote through my neighborhood like the news do to make candy look constantly bad and everything you choose posted he didn't write past none of it which was two to three blocks away from where he started the video so that goes to show he had a soul hidden agenda of why he did this video because he could have drove two blocks and showed the new schools the new houses and all the new redevelopment but he did none of that he edited from the highway to the inner city that's crazy
Those companies u mentioned put offices there. Not jobs for regular people. The 76ers made theirs building there because they got a great deal. Very few got jobs. It's called publicity. They didn't help anyone other than themselves.
I’m from the Bronx, and the worst it’s been during “the Bronx is burning” era was still not as bad as Camden NJ. It’s a pity that cities ever end up so blighted and neglected.
@@daviddavis6732 you might be right - but I was saying the Bronx in general, not just "the South Bronx" area that became infamous in movies like Fort Apache, the Bronx. If you took just the South Bronx at its low point vs. Camden at its low point, then likely Camden would come out on top. Point is, both places went through really rough periods of urban blight and both are on the mend and rise, which is good news.
@@daviddavis6732 if you don’t live in Camden don’t talk the crime is suppressed by the new police that come from the county. Look up how many murders have happened in just 2023 keep in mind it’s a city of 70’000 if it was as big as Philly it would be worse than Chicago and it already was for 20 years when the city police were there. They only fix up the downtown I got outta Camden a couple years ago after a 14 year old was killed walking home from school right next to my house the craziest part is that’s not the first time it’s happened look how many young teens are killed out there they’re being used by the gangs as enforcers it’s insane.
I have to agree with you. I’ve driven through Bronx and by Camden before. Bronx definitely changed a lot since those days for the better ways, it looks a lot nicer now than it used to. Camden looks like it’s going the opposite way.
I’m from the South Bronx about 5 blocks away St Mary Park. Now living in TX . South Bronx has changed COMPLETELY. In order Camden to turned around, the major needs to clean UP 🧹 and add more police officers n security so BIG corp can invest n create jobs. I worked on both sides on the fence private and public sector. I remember more than 20 years ago, Hoboken NJ was a DUMP!!!!!! Now, is NOT. Camden one important thing. That is the river. I feel confident Camden , NJ will transform to a beautiful citi.
The home of RCA one of the country's leading manufacturers. When the big sellout for cheap overseas labor started to compete with cheap Japanese made electronics, this was one of the first cities to suffer. You can blame corporate greed , but government environmental policies on manufacturing had plenty to do with the exodus of jobs as well.
Wow I want to write a report on this. So sad. But just to make sure, Campbell soup and RCA are some of the corporations to relocate? What are the other ones?
I was just there. Every time I visit new jersey I drive threw Camden to remind myself that my own shit really isn't that bad. Brings me back to reality.
The worst part is if you had said you were in Baltimore or Philly nobody would know the difference. This is America, propping up our global empire as we rot from within!
Income inequality to me is root of it all - all these asshole billionaires should be forced to give money back to raise up places like this. Tell u why really could have social unrest in this country!
I too grew up in Camden and agree there are many good people, tax-paying and upstanding citizens living there. Some just don't have the finances to leave and there are some that choose to stay and be the positive examples in a fallen community
I grew up in Jersey. Have only been to Camden once when I took the wrong exit late at night. I was treating red lights like stop signs because there were a ton of people standing around. Place was super sketchy that night 😅
Same thing happened to me, I was going to Philly and ended up in Camden! I got out of there lickity split. I was from Atlantic City and Brigantine, NJ. Then I did a career change in another state and never went back except to visit.
@@PraveenSrJ01 I'm not going to lie. YES, however certain parts of Atlantic City had some dangerous people, I guess you'd call them thugs too. I knew AC good and just stayed out of those areas. Also I was scared in Camden but in a moving vehicle - there's a lot of power driving a car. Also, when you're scared try to be calm and cool.... like you're used to being there. I still had Jersey plates!
Thanks for featuring my city. I don’t live here anymore but I keep in touch with my relatives that do. The city of Camden will bounce back to prosperity.
Wow. I used to live here and raised 10 children in town until our home burned down. God bless. There's really a whole bunch of good people here. The children are just awesome
It's so crazy seeing you drive right passed all the drug spots and abandoned houses I used to get high in 20 years ago when I used to use. Honestly I should be dead. Camden has it's problems but believe it or not about 10 years ago the city got a new mayor and Cooper hospital bought up most of downtown and totally refurbished the whole downtown area and waterfront. Most important thing that was done was they fired the whole police department due to corruption. It still has it's problems, if it wasn't raining the drug boys would have been everywhere, when it rains they sit on the porches or in cars parked on the sets. All said Camden is much safer, cleaner and still full of some of the best people, but you still don't want to get to comfortable because this young generation have no regard for human lives and will beat and rob you if you give them the chance. I went to Camden last week to pick up some paper work from a housing program and ended up saving a man's life by doing CPR, chest compressions and mouth to mouth until paramedics arrived . He was fine one minute then fell over and turned purple and had no pulse. I'll never forget him begin to breath and open his eyes a bit while doing CPR on him.
good job in saving that person. I think this video is sooo over the top, exaggerating the entire city. Yes, indeed. It is much better now than during the crack/corrupt cops era in the 80s/90s/2000s.
@@neadster469 If I lived there, I would definitely be seeking greener pastures if I had the means to move away. I've lived in such a place before, and found out real quick that it was not the kind of place I wanted to call home.
I used to call this place home as an addict and I vouche for the fact this is what could be called hell on earth, imclean 3 years now and watching this video saddens me knowing how little is being done to save this place. Many many wonderful humans live here and deserve to have the community cleaned up. Seen alot of thing go down here and it is far from safe if you ain't know in the "streets". Honestly the video creator is lucky he went on such a horrible rainy day. The wrong person could've seen you video taping and it could've been curtains for you. Stay safe
Is the a situation where u can buy a home for 10.00. Those houses are nice..If they were fixed up. If I lived there, I would be calling the Mayor and have those houses returned to their greatness.
@@carltonxcarlton really? It couldn't be the fact that most drugs were sold on every corner and ran by gangs ? What Camden are you talking about because mostly every single bando was a set or stash spot so I'm pretty sure that if there weren't drug dealers then some of us "problems" wouldn't be there. Have a nice day and maybe try and have a different perspective for your own sake ✌ I have w sinking feeling that if my user name was Jamal maybe you wouldn't have said that.
The amount of horror stories I heard growing up in the neighbouring county of Gloucester county, NJ was insane. It seemed everyone had something happen to them or knew of someone who had nearly gotten pulled from their car at a red light when driving through Camden. You couldn't have paid me to go to the aquarium back then
Ya it was Super duper bad a few years ago, like u said , you had to keep your head on a swivel just driving through.. Then they overhauled the police department and escalated situations instead but it's still a dumpster fire over there. A little safer tho
Evan I love your channel! Have always wanted to visit London and recently moved to South Jersey and the stars just get aligned when I found your channel!! 😊
Omg bro please!!! No one will grab you out of your vehicle at a red light!!! What kind of Hollywood bull crap have you really heard!?! Many people in the city are angry because of how the city and system failed them!!! People come riding through Camden like it’s some kind of petting zoo!!! This is what it looks like when you’ve been given up on!!! Go ride around some place else!!
Example: North east D.C. is ghetto; then drive to north west D.C. and there's million dollar homes and I believe that Barrack and Michelle live there. Many homes in these areas have fences and security.
My dad's cousin was a nun. She left a school, where she was the Mother Superior, in the 50s, to work with gangs and drug addicts in Camden. She stayed her career on those streets.
I never went to Camden but I worked in some of the worst areas of Newark and I think Newark could give Camden a good run for the money as NJ's worst city.
No New Jerseys worst city is an outta the way town called Salem. Like 30 miles south of Camden towards Delaware. No jobs tons of poverty crime nothing to do barely any transit stores etc and kinda far from the freeway. Penns Grove isnt much better. Newark and Camden at least have great locations and transpirtation systems that Salem doesnt have. Penns Grove 10 miles to the north at least is next to the freeway
I live in Camden currently born and raised and don't really like this but I can understand with you being an outsider looking in it is crazy but some of us are amazing remember it takes pressure to make diamonds. Not everybody was born in a decent or great neighborhood but we all still play the cards that are delt, this video could be seen by the wrong Camden resident and it could take a toll on their mental health, with it already feeling like you will never get out, BUT NOT ME you'll hear about ZaKere with a fortune 500 company. But on the other not great content man! Keep it up.
😳 this has got to be the most heartfelt and beautiful statement I’ve heard in a long time. You do know that you worrying about your community and their happiness and mental health probably makes you better than 99% of every elected official in this country right? You could have said anything…and you were sympathetic to your neighbors. I don’t know how old you are but when you get older, please don’t start a company. Please run for office. The country needs leaders with your heart. I’m ashamed that I looked at this video and didn’t see it like you did. You’d make huge changes.
He's mostly driving around blk neighborhoods that are drug infested, Spanish side of town isn't bad at all. Everyone actually works and the streets are getting fixed.
The effects of the frozen precipitation adds to the misery of the setting. Actually, I can see developers coming in and preserving some of those buildings, pricing everyone out even into a smaller geographical area. Brutal!
Ya you'd think that would be the case, being so close to Philadelphia and/or major urban centres like New York, for that matter. Perhaps the laws and policies are different by each state as opposed to hear in Canada? Usually here, the cities closest to thriving urban centres are also doing reasonably well and have become somewhat gentrified. Such as vast contrast it seems with so little geography in the States. I think the issue is to, as my cousin was telling me, is that the States are still largely segregated and up here in Canada anyway, the individual provinces help out cities in a lot of ways and don't let decay happen much to this extent.
@@le__graveuronyoutube Gentrification edges out long time residents who can no longer afford the outrageous taxes, hiked up because of said gentrification. Maybe you should worry a bit more about your own country and let us take care of ours.
Having been born in Camden and driving through it on occasion, I can assure you that on a dry day you get to see way more people hanging out and doing nothing with their day.
Both my parents grew up in Camden, I was born in Camden, my grandmother and my uncle lived in Camden until she had to move to a nursing home, I worked in Camden for 10 years, my one uncle was a Camden fireman, another uncle was a Camden cop and I still pass through Camden 3 times a week on my way to another gem, Philadelphia. I use to play outside in east Camden and in the Cramer Hill section in the 60's and 70's and would drink in the bars in Camden all through the 1980's. If you know what to look out for it's not that bad. Now the democrats have pushed a lot of Camden into the suburbs under the guise of "low income housing". Stabbings and murders now are not uncommon in Maple Shade, Mount Laurel, Pennsauken etc., etc. We now also have homeless with cardboard signs standing on the roads in the suburbs. i guess the democrats love the blight and crime so much they decided to share it with the entire scummy state of NJ. When you have fraudulent election practices and install convicted felons, NJ is the result. That is a fact, Burlington county commissioner Felicia Hopson is a convicted felon. Magically most of that information has disappeared from the internet in the last 4 years but let me remind people, Felicia Hopson was convicted of cashing fraudulent checks and filed bankruptcy multiple times. Democrats knew this and installed her as a Burlington county commissioner (formerly called freeholder). The democrats also tried to put a known stalker and woman beater in office but he dropped off the ticket when the information came to light. Hopson should have done the same.
I grew up in Pennsauken, lived in Maple Shade, n Audubon. I knew when my best Friend was killed in the line of duty on May 15, 1987 that it was time to check out other parts of the country to live. I finally moved in February 2nd 1993 to Alabama n couldn't be happier. I love it down here in Alabama n will never go back to the Communist State of New Jersey. The whole state can go to "HELL"!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone else influential from Burlington county or township was once responsible for trying to blow up the capital or something like that. Can’t remember who
I actually like the brick style houses with the steps and the sound of the rain and your windshield wipers was very asmr tingle inducing. It’s sad that the people live in poverty though. There’s good and bad in every area of the world.
Poverty? All I saw was really expensive vehicles everywhere...looks more like lazy gang bangers who have no pride in the home they live in but they sure do when it comes to their ride.
I was born and raised in Camden till the age of 15. Moved away for a bit, then moved back for a bit. I got family there. Good people. Camden has a lot of good hearted folks struggling. But they stay humble. Outsiders only see the poverty and crime. But these days, you could walk the streets without hassle. Not so much in the 80s and 90s. Town is trying to heal. Connect with the goodness in Camden, and you will see a whole different view.
Camden is literally the reason I quit doin drugs!!! Seriously! Going there to get it! (I’m from Delaware) I’ve been clean for almost 3 years now too. What got me the most, is the sea of tents you see right after getting off the freeway exit and then, all the people panhandling and many get high sitting right out in the open, shooting up sitting on curbs, sidewalks and street corners. Police riding by and not even stopping to bother them. It’s just NORMAL there! It’s absolutely CRAZY! But many addicts from Delaware (and probably all over!) make that daily commute to either Camden or Kensington in Philly just because the stuff up there is 10Xs better and cheaper than it is in Wilmington, DE. And I’m not even kidding about Camden (and Kensington) being one of my biggest motivations for getting clean. I HATED going into these F#
YOU’RE THE PROBLEM! Me and friends hated seeing people like you. Please tell all your friends, DO NOT COME HERE. You know what a boycott is? If you stop buying we’ll have to stop supplying. People like you would come to a neighboring state to buy drugs and influence the minds of young men that selling drugs was a legitimate source of income killing my community and destroying futures. The drug addicts that are in Camden ARE NOT FROM THERE!! YOU ARE BREAKING THE FOUNDATION THAT THE LEADERS IN CAMDEN ARE TRYING TO FORTIFY! And they are only War zones because of people like you who think that my backyard is a place for you to do whatever you want.
I grew up in South Jersey. Got lost in Camden twice at night. Once I got surrounded by drug dealers, and had to buy a 20 of weed just to act like that's why I was there to get out.
Even been to East St. Louis. Now there is a place that needs a video done, like this. It make Camden look like a Utopia. If you break down while transiting through East St. Louis you will absolutely be in fear for your life.
I was a teen in Camden. And over the years it’s been neglected by the City & State Services . The Roads and trash is unbelievable. But the problem I see is people videotape the same Streets. And same sections of Camden. The places where near cities drop off their family members that have issues. We rarely see areas around Cooper Hospital, Riverfront areas and around Cooper Streets where there are many rehab properties. I’ve see Vloggers on UA-cam literally driving in the same neighborhoods.
Makes sense but it’s sad that these neighborhoods don’t get fixed up also but I’m really glad to hear that in fact there’s a lot of great places in Camden
Yeah, I'm a fan of old historic architecture. It hurts me to see beautiful old buildings destroyed like that, I was wondering what it used to be. A Library maybe?
Camden main library building. Built in 1903 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. It closed in 1986. It's listed on the NJ and US Register of historic places, but it's falling apart.
Camden had beautiful architecture that is presently sorely neglected. I’ve driven through Camden’s streets admiring the once grand buildings and homes.
I lived on pine street from 2004 to 2008. I drove my mobility scooter all over that city. Even with my young preteen daughters. One of them took 2 buses to get to the transportation center and walked home everyday after school. I never felt scare at all. We never had any issue at all.
Good morning, Mr Johnson. I like the fact that you don't have annoying music playing in the background. It's as if I'm driving MYSELF! Good work. You've inspired me to action. Not sure which action yet, but I'm really impressed, and saddened at the same time. The reality of America! Thank you, and stay the course!!!
I enjoy as well the feeling of this video. You said the correct words, feels as if driving myself. I just recently came back thru camden 2 days ago and it this video is spot on my pov.
One of the kindest and nicest person I ever met grew up poor in Camden NJ. He was working his way through college here in NC at the time. Isn't it strange how some of the best people grew up in poverty in less than ideal conditions.
This is very depressing to watch. It makes me all the more grateful that I live where I do which is in the Tampa Bay area. Some areas of south St. Petersburg have "ghetto" neighborhoods but nothing like this. Unfortunately, more and more parts of America are starting to look more and more like this. Its like a cancer that is continuing to grow.
I had a friend do some community outreach in Camden through our church about twenty years ago. The stories he’s shared were heartbreaking and very eye opening. The neighborhoods he worked in were extremely rough and filled with drugs and violence. My friend helped out quite a bit with some local youth services and when he asked a young girl what she wanted for Christmas she replied with “laundry soap so my mom can wash our clothes.” This was a little girl, about seven years old and she asked for laundry detergent for a Christmas gift 😢 Another child asked if they could help fix up a local park that she called “Don’t fall down park.” He later was told that the park was filled with drug paraphernalia and wasn’t safe for children to play at.
Things shouldn't be this way anywhere in America, some "People" make it impossible for the working class. Low income housing is just that, low income to help the lower class.. Not to sell drugs and start up gangs.
That is why I am against cities building low-income housing for the homeless, which so many are doing now. All they will be doing is bringing together people (addicts) that have no self-respect, and if you have no self respect, no way you are going to have any respect for other people or your surroundings. Those are the ones who tear up, burn down and start gangs. Then babies have babies in those surroundings and there you go. It perpetuates. Very sad. And the good people who really deserve the help, who try and live godly lives and take care of themselves are trapped in these places.
Camden isnt that bad with crime, people there can become hostile but alot are friendly, I walked in downtown Camden and I felt safe, even the waterfront. Camden’s people are polite as hell
Polite? HA! I was in-and-out of New Jersey as a truck driver from 1998 to 2002. From my experiences, everyone I came in contact with from Camden to Jersey City was an asshole. I even had a run in with some "wise guys" after I broke down on their property (which was a repair shop) and ask them for help. They refused and told me I had to remove my truck. I swear, if planet Earth had a anus, it would be located somewhere between Trenton and Atlantic City.
Well if you go to most blue collar working class areas you see this. Rural America does the same. Often this is due to many occupants are tenants and put there money into tangible spending like cars. Most Native American Reservations have beautiful expensive SUVs and Muscle cars and very small plane homes to live in. Most migrant farm workers and Dairy Farm Employees do the same. I work with Kenyans and Mexican immigrants they all work very hard and often own two brand new big American cars but no realestate.
Unfortunately, I don't believe most of the tenants here are migrant workers. To a lot of people, cars are more of a status symbol, and are revered more than anything else
When I lost my house, I stayed in some run down hotels in Chicagoland. The rooms were gross but the people were some of the nicest, warm hearted neighbors I have ever had!
I remember back in the late 90s my grandmother had health issues and was flown by helicopter to Camden Hospital for whatever reason. And me and my fam having to drive thru camden at around 2 or 3 in the morning to get their. We were shocked by how bad it was, I see nearly 30 yyears later it hasnt improved much
My husband had his office there for a few years and he told me he had to be careful not to run over the random people who would wander aimlessly into the downtown streets. They were oblivious to traffic!😳🥺😫
Lived in beautiful North Jersey. Saw some of the hoods in this state. None of them seemed as bad as what I saw in the Florida backwoods and ghettos. Much poorer in FL. Even had a few friends with dirt floor homes and no electricity. At least they have concrete floors in Camden.
@Salvatore Luzzatto oh absolutely agreed. It definitely is more dangerous in Camden. It just seems more poor in FL. Plus I actually was shot while riding in a car in Florida. I hope Nick is super careful. Ghettos are no joke in either state.
@@blackluxurians6062 i don't think they thought it was bad but after growing up in North Jersey it sure shocked the hell out of me. I didn't know that kind of poverty existed here. Later on I saw the same thing in parts of Virginia. Still kinda shocks me people are that poor. I mean even working at McDonald's you can make $18/hr.
@@DIVISIONINCISION absolutely. I would say the majority of very low income people I've known have some things in common; almost no aspirations, addiction of some sort and some form of childhood trauma. The motivation to excel or even imagining a different life is hard for most of those people.
Plus, NJ has lots of unfunded debt that will never be paid off. Property taxes can easily go well into the $20-35K per year range. You must either be rich, or work 2 jobs to live in NJ. No joke; I'm from there. From Bergen County, not from Camden.
I heard that about northern Jersey. Southern Jersey the property taxes are a lot less but people make less money there. It's because northern NJ is next to New York.
I'm not a R/E salesman, but people should seriously think about moving to foreign countries, while retaining your US citizenship. Lack of jobs in the U.S., and FEMA on the move, and cheaper costs of living are top reasons to move out of the USA. You can still collect your Soc Security money overseas, also. This is not the solution for everyone, but it beats $4-5K rent per month, and homeless tents.
I've been to North Philly, Baltimore, Bed-Stuy (in the 1990's), Brownsville (in the 1990's), Trenton, Plainfield (in the 1990's), Atlantic City, Paterson, and Newark, most of these places ten or twenty times and I cannot describe why or how, but the only place I was scared to be, was Camden. North Philly is a distant second. The poverty in the worst parts of Camden and North Philly is like nothing most people have seen in the U.S. There are many many factors that contribute to an area getting to this point, however, places like Camden and North Philly were industrial/manufacturing epicenters from probably the late 1930's until about the late 1970's. Globilization hit. Jobs gone. Tax base gone. Poorly prepared students entering those poor quality schools. A sense of hopelessness numbed by drugs. The cycle continues. And, if you don't have a vehicle you're REALLY screwed. Campbell Soup miiiiiiiight still be headquartered in Camden, but there is no manufacturing there. Rutgers has a campus and there is a large hospital, but again, I don't think either place has a particularly large workforce within the city limits.
Having worked in that city for twenty years, what you see in Camden now is somewhat of an improvement from thirty years ago. But that improvement is confined to the downtown/ water front area.
And yet, there is a roof over your head and utilities. Roads are open. Food is easy to find. Hospitals and government are functioning. Everyone in those apartments lives better than a king a hundred years ago.
@@neadster469 This is not poverty. The world cannot keep using the word "poverty" for people with a roof, refrigerator, cable TV, public transportation, electricity, plumbing and healthcare. Calling an area a "ghetto" is obsolete. There are schools, libraries, theaters and other entertainment in every ghetto. It is more accurate to describe people of a certain area as simply not caring about their neighborhood and dropping trash thoughtlessly. Everyone can pick up a rake and a paintbrush and do some work. This is what the people in non-ghettos do. They mow the lawn. They paint the house. They decorate with flowers and ornaments. They take pride in how they live. Go down to the local charity thrift store and everything you need to improve your environment is there and it's practically free.
@@CaptainJackSparrow110 ya we fortunate to live n modern times but that doesnt mean people struggles arent real But yes u right its certain people fault for not taking advantage of the opportunities we get We just follow the footsteps of everybody else around us
@@CaptainJackSparrow110 Good observation. I wish more people in the U.S. would consider this, think and talk about it in depth. We have come so far as a race, and enjoy so much ease and good health compared to the serfs and peasants of the Old World.
I went there when I moved in NJ 20 years ago and this looks like progress compared to what I saw. There weren't any parked cars and it all looked abandoned and far more depressing, not to say that it is good but I have seen other states as well and it is ashame that they exist.
My father had surgery at Cooper Hospital in Camden and while we were waiting to him to recover I remember looking out the window and counting the abandoned/burned out houses I could see. I think I got to 27 just from that one view. The sad part is there are some wonderful people in Camden but their circumstances are such they can’t afford to live anywhere else. My heart breaks thinking of them stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty. 😢
He ain't all that brave. He picked just the right day to make this drive. Cold and wet. I highly doubt he would make a return trip on a warm sunny summer afternoon.
Interestingly enough, Campbell's Soup company is based in Camden, NJ. But yeah, Camden was always rough. From the looks of it, it's miles WORSE than Harvey, IL.
@@metalmike570 the Campbell's Soup company is still open and thriving in Camden. They also just built a car manufacturering plant there as well a few yrs back. I think it's Subaru if I'm not mistaken.
@@metalmike570 All Campbell Soup has in Camden is their research department n their Corp., offices. All the soup n other companies they own are spread out through the country n the world.
@@roberthagberg5482 Oh I know what a corporation is. So the corporate building and high-ups are their. I hate the corporate level because I had a problem at Pizza Hut, I was a delivery driver there and had a problem with a shift-manager. It went under review at the corporate level. SO someone in a suit decides whether or not you stay with the company or not. at least that's the way they make you feel. Then the regional Manager fires you. You don't know if it was the store manager, the regional manager or the Corporate Officer. I think it was the Regional but She blamed it on the Corporate guy / gal. So I don't like the corporate level they suck.
The cloudy skies and the rain really added to mood of the video. Camden has been a delapidated hellhole since the 60’s. The burned out library, that you showed has been standing that way for decades now, and shows how much regard the people squatting up there have for places like that
Camden Free Library. I've stood on that corner just marveling at the architecture on that building. One of the Carnegie libraries. It was a masterpiece in the day. Now just a shell. A real reflection of the modern Camden.
Quick observation: There are a LOT of parked cars that are more expensive than the car I drive. And I assume I am probably in a better financial situation than most of these people.
STOP. please stop saying these things! that's not how it is. i swear. i lived there my friend. my neighbors daughter (in a house five feet away from mine) was shot and killed. it is not a good place.
I once worked for a school cafeteria as a kitchen man. One of the janitors there Armand was from Portugal. One of the cooks Betty said that she had worked for. Campbell's Soup Company ( founded in 1869) in Camden where she stayed before that. I was 20 then but she showed me a picture of her daughter who was 16 then. I told Betty that her daughter was stacked. Caroline, the head cook, who had thought that I was a nice boy decided against showing me a picture of her granddaughter.😮
As a Philadelphia resident for the first 20 years of my life, I am very familiar with Camden, NJ. My Italian immigrant grandparents originally settled there, but moved across the river to Philadelphia in the 1940's. I couldn't help but notice that among all of the urban squalor, the cars parked on the street look new or close to new. Not uncommon in many ghetto communities. I notice the same thing in North Philly which is nearly identical to Camden.
It makes sense a lot of young people have to start out living in neighborhoods that are not very expensive such as Camden and young people typically have new cars as opposed to someone who is much older who may have hung onto a car for 15 or more years
I'm grateful for Camden raised my 2 children there best teachers and school system affordable housing just had to work in oaklyn fish store town over lived in a townhouse ate homegrown vegetables grown in my backyard I was respected by neighbors minded my own business when walking to the stores the kids would actually put their joints out and the drug dealers would actually watch over my home when I was at work to make sure nobody broke into it the kids in the neighborhood always knew in my house they could get a meal if needed and was happy to help anyway I could to those in need nobody ever messed with me quite opposite everyone always looked out for each other and guess what my kids got better education in Camden and where ahead when we moved to CA they where way ahead of their class Camden is a beautiful place
This is another great video, thank you. There’s no doubt many residents are sincere good people who’ve been dealt a bad hand. Shame on the people who resort to crime and indulge others and shame on the politicians who are SUPPOSED to represent these people. These standards are way below what they could be and this is no way to live in the US …..Love from Australia.
The state, county, and volunteers have all stepped up .. there’s tons of resources for them but they’d rather loiter, thug & drink all day. it’s the people who need to step up for themselves. This was my parents hometown & it makes me sad to know my Italian immigrant grandparents home that they were so proud of earning is now a boarded up relic on a street with more drug dealers then people working or going to school . There can’t be change unless people want to change
We in Camden Appreciate your love. Thank you. Not everyone is dealt the same cards but we have some great people in Camden and we have some terrible people in Camden. Also people come in from surrounding cities and towns to loiter, prostitute, and get drugs.
The problem with Camden is the same problem that inner cities faces across the country. It is the expectation that the government will take care of you. Now, local governments will do what is necessary to meet basic needs but it will not think for the community's future. Camden has so much potential (I've been there a couple of times for its aquarium) but it will be up to its people to breake themselves for this vicious cycle
if im paying taxes, i expect the government to tell the local government to fix the public utilities and used network of transportations, the street and sidewalks
Yes Nick, please explain what was so terrifying about this tour? I don't live in Camden, but saw nothing to be terrified about. Sure, the infrastructure is run down, but to me was incredibly clean in most of your video, given the circumstances.... Sorry man, thumbs down.
Exactly, this guy is a troll. I've seen videos of Kensington Philadelphia and Gary, Indiana that were more disheartening than this. Heck, the South Bronx looks worse than this!
@@cmoneyno5 The crime stems from the rampant drug issues that plague this city and other cities around our country. Just take a look downtown around the transportation center.... Addictions lead to people finding ways to feed their habits.
I have never been back, since leaving in 1987. Most of my family is buried here. I would like to visit my dad's grave before I leave this earth. Shout out to the surviving Gideon's.
Inters tour of Camden. I loved Yorkship Village neighborhood Camden for a few years. I made a garden in the front and back of the house and watered from the porch. My neighbors recommend I leave so I can thrive. I did. Still miss that hood.
These are great videos to watch when you feel depressed about how bad things are where you live. Count your blessings. Someone else always has it worse than you. 🙏
Here are all of my New Jersey videos: ua-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yosRmEHylUyc7rJLHt8zDbp.html
I live in new jersey and we are always listed as one of the richest states we just have some really poor cities
Have u ever been to the Kensington section of Philadelphia? It’s WAY worse than Camden look up some videos it’s like Camden but way more gun crimes, still an open air narcotics market, and ppl nodding out and shooting up drugs in broad daylight
Flagship Ghetto....I like that!
@@leahflower9924Because the hoods only make up like 10% there very very small but deadly. Like bullet ants
I work as an ER nurse here, it truly is sad how run down it is…but, I have to say I love my patients here! They are some of the most grateful and kind patients I’ve ever treated, hands down.
These cities didn't suddenly become this way. The politicians and Big Business created this. This began to get really bad after they moved most of the good job overseas for cheap labor. And they keep passing anti-business bills and increasing taxes, which caused even more businesses to close. The mayor, congressional representative, and senate representative couldn't care any less because where they live don't like the ghetto scenes in this video. They care more about refugees and illegal aliens than they do for the underprivileged people who keep voting for them.
Thank you for all you do. I just spent 3 weeks in the hospital and all the nurses I had where just sweethearts
KAIGN AVE ALSO KNOWN AS FROGGY BOTTOM
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing 💖
You are a really nice lady! It shows how much you belong in your career. Your patients are very lucky to have you!
I am a rose that blossomed out of the streets of Camden. I lived in the area you started the video in. I am now an EMT and a flight attendant . I still live in Camden . I love my city but I hate the violence. I’ve lost a brother here to gun violence. Pray for the city and stay safe guys .
lar, i know you are doing the best you can. I will pray for your city and you....good luck.
I grew up there in the 70s wasn't so bad
Keep doing your thing my beautiful black queen..
@@TruthSeeker434 oh kevin, whats going on?
im from camden also, born and raised.. but you know the whole city dont look like that.. but thats how they look at us and our city.. sorry for about your brother, stay blessed
I lived in Camden for 10 years and although it has bad areas, the people in Camden are some of the best that I met in my life.
At least it's not California we're people sleep on the street
It can't be that bad, I didn't see a single shoe hanging from a powerline
@@chipbuttytime3396 When I came home from prison with those prison boots, I threw my boots up on the powerline. At that time I was living in Camden.
@@njinblack You should of got a parole violation and been sent back 😄😄
@@chipbuttytime3396 Lol!!
I live in Mullica Hill, NJ, about 20 min from Camden and growing up we were always told never go to Camden for any reason and I never understood why. Later, I went to college at Rutgers Camden then did my NP rotation at Cooper hospital. When in the ER, all we saw were overdoses, kids caught in the crossfire, gang shootings, and SA victims. That was every night. It was a horrible thing to witness. I had a patient, 92 yo at the time, he has since passed, who would tell me what a wonderful place Camden was back in the day. He grew up there and said it was a quaint town where everyone knew everyone. He would tell me of all the places he remembered and who owned them. How he had all his pants hand tailored by a well known tailor in the town and delivered groceries as a teenager for the local grocer. He would tell me he was saddened and disgusted by what it happened to his beautiful town.
I had a similar experience growing up, Camden was the boogie man town you didn’t want to be caught driving through if you lived in South Jersey. I also went to Rutgers Camden and made friends who lived in Camden. I spent time in Camden communities and I’m still here today. The city is not like it use to be in the 90s and 2000s, around 2011 they overhauled policing in the city and crime has dropped like a rock. Still can be a bad place to be in certain parts, but right now it’s in need of redevelopment and it could thrive again. Camden was at one point one of the richest industrial cities in NJ and it could be again.
I’m in Mullica hill too! My grandmom would tell me about getting dressed up to go to hall dances back in the 40s in Camden. It made her sick to see both of her cites (Philly&Camden) end up like this.
My Grandmother who was born in Philadelphia in 1895 insisted they take the ferry to Camden so she could brag to all her friends that she got married there. Back then that’s where all the rich people lived full time or people from Philly had summer homes there on the river. If she wasn’t my Grandmother I would never have believed Camden was once like that.
@@jesss428 Actually south philly and parts of west (university city) and northeast philly (fishtown and northern liberties) are doing really well these days. Philly somewhat revived although north philly continues to be what it used to be. But they're seeing some turnovers around temple u, I think. Newark also revived quite a bit. Its downtown looks nothing like what it used to be as recent as 10 years ago. Ironbound and university heights are doing well too. On the other hand, Camden and Trenton don't seem to get better. Trenton tried to revive its downtown and has a nice-looking neighborhood in the pocket of hood, but houses there get raided and people stopped moving in. Camden has also tried, but it's really beyond repair. And more seriously so than Trenton. But Philly has been doing fairly well, compared to 20 or 30 years ago.
100% true!
I raised my family (6 kids, wife and myself) in New Jersey. I love New Jersey and I've been to Camden many times. Those who study poverty have concluded three things . . . items that have the most success in keeping individuals free from the worst aspects of poverty: 1. Have both parents living in the home. 2. Graduate from high school. 3. Don't mess with drugs.
Thank you, that is the truth.
Rich, you...but that do not apply to many. Broken families are everywhere. Drugs children too.
@@agustindejesus7398, yes, poverty and crime are not simple. The main point of what I read was that if a child were to escape the repeated cycle of crime and dependency on welfare, the most common factors behind those who made it out of that cycle are: Both parents in the home, finish high school and don't mess with drugs. Those points stood out far beyond all other things considered.
@@richardrobertson1331Rich, really? Good!
@@richardrobertson1331 Let's not forget funding for schools in suburbs is far better than these depressed areas, until the funding metrics change things will not improve.
The fact that you drove through only a small part of Camden and considered that “all” of Camden is like that is funny. Go out further, you’ll see people are trying to make this place better. One of the main reasons as well, as to why it’s looks so “ghetto” is because the government doesn’t help fix the streets, houses, etc. So many people have tried to call out so we can get these streets and houses fixed but we get nothing. My father has lived here for 20 years and where he lives there is a street that has never been fixed, even though those who live in that street tried to call to get it fixed, it never has.
Vote Democrat...
@@rfn74 Ain't that the truth though...hey Lis maybe suggest they vote different next time, see if that works. Bet it would.
Lis very well articulated Goddess,and at the end of the day Democrat or republican it doesn't matter unless the people have something to trade.Basically gather the residents of camden choose a politician to vote for,then make Your demands to that politician and give them a list of demands if they want All your vote! Get it on paper and they must abide by it.
tell your father to stop voting democrat
@@norrinradical5486 republicans can solve poverty? how?
Camden has gotten better, back in the days you wouldn’t made it that far
Bro 😆😆😆😆 he's only made it this far because off the Rain..to be fair it's also gotta be early .. everyone is stashed in a bando 🤣
Oh Yeah,I had friends in Riverton who wouldn't go a mile closer to Camden.
True story. Late 90s he wouldn’t have gotten very far 😂
Facts... speak ur truth..
In the 90s he be doing he's reporting from Rutgers
I was born on Camden in 1951,went to Sacred Heart School ,graduated in 1965,we lived by the New York Shipyard, we moved out of Fairview St. In 1969,never looked back,now retired and living in Eastern Tennessee!
Glory be to the Sacred Heart. Otherwise you would still be there
What’s sad is kids being born into these environments, no fault of their own. Then we lock them away if they fall into any of the countless pitfalls that have been around long before them.
🎯
💯
U right but its also the parents fault Im black and somewhat poor I wouldnt dare make a baby knowing i can barely take care of myself
@@deadsilence7319 me too 👍🏿
It is hard to escape.
I am from Camden More than 30 year's. The city of ruins they call it. I'm not there anymore... In the 80s and 90s you wouldn't had came into the city, If they'd paid you too. However despite of anything Camden has actually gotten better in some ways.
@Salvatore Luzzatto doesn't have to make the list. It's gotten better.
Yes! I think Camden getting better had a lot do with the reformatted police department. They get to know the population and not just be the bad guys. I'm actually wondering when this video was taken?
It is true things have improved in recent years just like Philadelphia. They invested a lot of money in urban improvement & it's easy to see the results.
March 2021, like he said.
@@BillKing3456 thanks, I missed that!
Camden is better than other cities. There is no homeless camps there.
👍
Yea but the homes are worse than homeless camps!😂
Those abandoned houses are occupied.
There's literally a spot called "tent city" not far from Cooper hospital.
Tent city
I lived in NJ my whole life and driven through every town and city we have here. The biggest problem we have is that not enough people have a strong sense of community anymore. Imagine that everyone on your block really spent time knowing each other and then expanded to the next block. In time the community reaches further and further from the core. A community like that can change their world. Help each other, build alongside each other, rid the streets of those doing nothing but destroying it. Now you start adding police that truly care about that community, have their backs, work with them to improve the entire neighborhood, make it safer for everyone. It's hard to imagine that can't happen if everyone buys in. Life is hard as f*** trying to make it better alone.
i know my man. but they have one of the best schools i have every seen
I don’t know why, but most of these ran down cities such as Camden, Cleveland and Detroit, have some of the most beautiful architectural designed buildings, and it’s a shame because many either are abandoned in ruins, burned down, or demolished. I find it really sad that all the history gets lost and worse part is it’s human that do most of the damage to these beautiful buildings:(
Oh ja das finde ich auch soo schöne Häuser zum Teil ,das könnte man alles renovieren ,
Ich liebe solch alten Häuser ❤
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are renewed places today. In USA, just trash a place and move on. Efficient that way, really.
Our throwaway capitalism culture. Sucks.
Europe can maintain all their Old buildings and Castles and 300 year old Homes…but we cannot?
The common denominator of all these cities (and you can tack on Toledo OH, Reading PA, and Chester PA) is that at one point they flourished with wealth and industry, and then the blue collar jobs got sent overseas. After the major industries shut down, poverty set in. No one could afford to maintain the beautiful turn of the century buildings anymore. It’s a shame that companies were allowed to disavow the very people that kept them in business. We’re still feeling the effects of the industrial exodus of the 1970’s and 1980’s to this day.
I remember being stuck in Camden on my birthday for four hours because the buses weren't coming and a man with a very bruised face asked me if I wanted to fight; I kindly turned him down
😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
It was me Stanky
Smart Man.
Walter rand bus stop I take it
I would love to see trade schools and tech schools required during high school. It could possibly help many who could benefit from the chance to escape the poverty of the inner cities. We can’t just think this is going to fix itself. Many people here are hard working and want to leave these ghettoes or improve them.
I graduated high school in 1980. There were numerous vocational ‐technical high schools most of them are closed. Public high-school curriculum has narrowed down to college prep courses.
Tech schools DO require High school or GED .
Open a camp there to help the people there to learn manufacturing skills of any kind. Make some companies to move their factories there so that people have jobs. I know friends (most of them passed away) lived there and most of them were/are good people but totally lacked of opportunities was the biggest problem.
"Inner cities"? Have not heard that one for decades. Get with the times, please.
Apprenticeships work mentor a young person or adult who desires knowledge or skill in anything. It doesn't even have to be a trade. Break the mold think outside the Box ya'll
I'm from Elizabeth New Jersey but I lived in Camden after I got released from prison. They sent me to a work release program on North 5th Street called Fletcher house. When I got off parole I ended up moving in with a girl I met down there and we had a child together. Unfortunately she was murdered in Camden New Jersey on December 2nd 2019. Her name was Hayley Steinberg and she was 31 years old. Her body was dumped in a park in East Camden. Her killers were caught and are currently fighting their case and Camden county jail. I have custody of our 10-year-old daughter and she is doing as well as can be expected coping with the Lost of her mother. Camden New Jersey has a cloud of evil drugs and violence over it. My only wishes that I moved to my family away before she was murdered and left in the street for the police to find. The two killers were arrested on the Benjamin Franklin bridge when the car they stole from her ran out of gas and they tried to walk away. Rest in peace Hayley. Praying for Camden
@@dlxinfinite7098 I appreciate that. It's been difficult dealing with the loss. My daughter was only 7 years old when her mother was killed. It's a struggle. But I'm so thankful that I have her here with me and that so many friends and family members have stepped up and been here to help comfort her. My heart goes out to anyone who's lost the family member to a violent crime. Especially children. They don't understand how evil the world could be sometimes. I was in Fletcher house for almost a year in 2010 going into 2011. What years did you work there? I remember most of the staff members that were there. One of my favorite staff members was a guy named Ivan Robinson from philadelphia. He used to be a professional boxer in the 80s and 90s. Very cool dude. Help me tremendously get acclimated to being home from jail
My girlfriend from North Carolina is the same age as your long lost love. May she rest in peace.
@@luciusirving5926 thanks
Seems alright to me. What's shocking here?
Looks better than LA's homeless ghettos to me.
Inspite of the poverty in Camden( and in certain parts of Philadelphia), there is not the same level of homelessness that exists in other places. One reason is Phila.'s non- profit, Project Home.
Yeah, this guy is clueless.
It's doesn't look as bad as Kensington in Philly. I go through both every week. Check out some Kensington videos like the ones on "Kimgary". It's a zoo with the "tranq dope", we call them zombies. Watch the vids and you'll see why.
That's what I was thinking. Many other videos that's have been posted on this channel with far worse-looking hoods !?
Agree.Did not see old cars , garbage and drug users like Philadelphia.
I'm surprised your GPS didn't say "let's get the hell out of here."
Lmao
😅🤣😂
Turn Around, Turn Around, Turn Around, Turn the 🤬 Around.
I think i heard the wife rack the bolt on her AK.
Ha ha ha
Camden as a whole is still poor and dangerous, but it is much, much safer than it used to be. It's not even in the top 4 dangerous cities in NJ anymore. There's sort of a small renaissance going on in the city right now. Subaru moved their North American Headquarters to Camden in a series of modern, LEED certified office towers that were completed in 2018 and added 600 jobs to the area. Campbell's Soup HQ is also in Camden, as well as a few tech companies that have signed deals in Camden recently. The state of New Jersey has invested a lot in the city recently to make it more attractive for companies in an effort to modernize and bring in new jobs. The Camden police dept was as also as corrupt as they come, and it was dissolved recently and replaced with a county-wide police force that has made a massive difference in crime and quality of life. Having said that, I'd still never live there.
Don’t forget all the new construction that has been happening down town with the hospital and business like nj American water
Yeah, it is slowly up and coming!
Actually a person with intelligent response he wrote through my neighborhood like the news do to make candy look constantly bad and everything you choose posted he didn't write past none of it which was two to three blocks away from where he started the video so that goes to show he had a soul hidden agenda of why he did this video because he could have drove two blocks and showed the new schools the new houses and all the new redevelopment but he did none of that he edited from the highway to the inner city that's crazy
@@haileyt857 yea. He didn’t even go downtown which isn’t even bad. He stayed on one neighborhood. Smh
Those companies u mentioned put offices there. Not jobs for regular people. The 76ers made theirs building there because they got a great deal. Very few got jobs. It's called publicity. They didn't help anyone other than themselves.
I’m from the Bronx, and the worst it’s been during “the Bronx is burning” era was still not as bad as Camden NJ. It’s a pity that cities ever end up so blighted and neglected.
@@daviddavis6732 you might be right - but I was saying the Bronx in general, not just "the South Bronx" area that became infamous in movies like Fort Apache, the Bronx. If you took just the South Bronx at its low point vs. Camden at its low point, then likely Camden would come out on top. Point is, both places went through really rough periods of urban blight and both are on the mend and rise, which is good news.
@@daviddavis6732 if you don’t live in Camden don’t talk the crime is suppressed by the new police that come from the county. Look up how many murders have happened in just 2023 keep in mind it’s a city of 70’000 if it was as big as Philly it would be worse than Chicago and it already was for 20 years when the city police were there. They only fix up the downtown I got outta Camden a couple years ago after a 14 year old was killed walking home from school right next to my house the craziest part is that’s not the first time it’s happened look how many young teens are killed out there they’re being used by the gangs as enforcers it’s insane.
I have to agree with you. I’ve driven through Bronx and by Camden before. Bronx definitely changed a lot since those days for the better ways, it looks a lot nicer now than it used to. Camden looks like it’s going the opposite way.
The difference is the bronx got rid of the problem in the 90s but Camden is gonna suffer from this for a good while
I’m from the South Bronx about 5 blocks away St Mary Park. Now living in TX . South Bronx has changed COMPLETELY. In order Camden to turned around, the major needs to clean UP 🧹 and add more police officers n security so BIG corp can invest n create jobs. I worked on both sides on the fence private and public sector. I remember more than 20 years ago, Hoboken NJ was a DUMP!!!!!! Now, is NOT. Camden one important thing. That is the river. I feel confident Camden , NJ will transform to a beautiful citi.
The home of RCA one of the country's leading manufacturers. When the big sellout for cheap overseas labor started to compete with cheap Japanese made electronics, this was one of the first cities to suffer. You can blame corporate greed , but government environmental policies on manufacturing had plenty to do with the exodus of jobs as well.
And Campbell soups
Wow I want to write a report on this. So sad. But just to make sure, Campbell soup and RCA are some of the corporations to relocate? What are the other ones?
@@theeconomicsofthings9752 also shipbuilding left . A lot of warships that served in world war 2 were built there .
The thing is with good local policies you can recover from those things . Camden is about as corrupt a city as is possible to become.
@Salvatore Luzzatto Very interesting point
I was just there. Every time I visit new jersey I drive threw Camden to remind myself that my own shit really isn't that bad. Brings me back to reality.
It's through not threw.
@@stevendaniel8126 you're right. I just don't care what someone that bored on the internet thinks. 😂
That makes you a poverty tourist, I suppose???
@@stevendaniel8126 ACTUALLY; it’s “through”, not “threw”, if we’re checking grammar and all!
Why not be punctually correct as well?!!??!!
@@stevendaniel8126 nice
The worst part is if you had said you were in Baltimore or Philly nobody would know the difference. This is America, propping up our global empire as we rot from within!
It all looks the same
they are one in the same...separated less than a mile
Go to Germany and look for a place that run down…hard to find…different Mentality.
Income inequality to me is root of it all - all these asshole billionaires should be forced to give money back to raise up places like this. Tell u why really could have social unrest in this country!
@@rayn3038 Coming soon through mass migration.
I too grew up in Camden and agree there are many good people, tax-paying and upstanding citizens living there. Some just don't have the finances to leave and there are some that choose to stay and be the positive examples in a fallen community
I grew up in Jersey. Have only been to Camden once when I took the wrong exit late at night. I was treating red lights like stop signs because there were a ton of people standing around. Place was super sketchy that night 😅
bruh 💀
What part of New Jersey did you grow up 🆙 in?
Same thing happened to me, I was going to Philly and ended up in Camden! I got out of there lickity split. I was from Atlantic City and Brigantine, NJ. Then I did a career change in another state and never went back except to visit.
@@metalmike570 were you afraid 😱 for your life?
@@PraveenSrJ01 I'm not going to lie. YES, however certain parts of Atlantic City had some dangerous people, I guess you'd call them thugs too. I knew AC good and just stayed out of those areas. Also I was scared in Camden but in a moving vehicle - there's a lot of power driving a car. Also, when you're scared try to be calm and cool.... like you're used to being there. I still had Jersey plates!
Thanks for featuring my city. I don’t live here anymore but I keep in touch with my relatives that do. The city of Camden will bounce back to prosperity.
I like the quiet drive thru the city you always do but just a slight amount of commentary would be nice :)
When you see people on the road standing in the rain when there’s perfectly good sidewalks then red flags go up
That's everywhere
@@mirandanathan7931 it's not.
it's really not.
It’s really enhances the video when you play the Escape from New York theme in the background.
Wow. I used to live here and raised 10 children in town until our home burned down. God bless. There's really a whole bunch of good people here. The children are just awesome
It's so crazy seeing you drive right passed all the drug spots and abandoned houses I used to get high in 20 years ago when I used to use. Honestly I should be dead. Camden has it's problems but believe it or not about 10 years ago the city got a new mayor and Cooper hospital bought up most of downtown and totally refurbished the whole downtown area and waterfront. Most important thing that was done was they fired the whole police department due to corruption. It still has it's problems, if it wasn't raining the drug boys would have been everywhere, when it rains they sit on the porches or in cars parked on the sets. All said Camden is much safer, cleaner and still full of some of the best people, but you still don't want to get to comfortable because this young generation have no regard for human lives and will beat and rob you if you give them the chance. I went to Camden last week to pick up some paper work from a housing program and ended up saving a man's life by doing CPR, chest compressions and mouth to mouth until paramedics arrived . He was fine one minute then fell over and turned purple and had no pulse. I'll never forget him begin to breath and open his eyes a bit while doing CPR on him.
Why'd he collapse??
@@NickJohnson Probably Fentanyl was at play there.
good job in saving that person. I think this video is sooo over the top, exaggerating the entire city. Yes, indeed. It is much better now than during the crack/corrupt cops era in the 80s/90s/2000s.
That's was a noble thing you did for a stranger.
You will be rewarded by the Lord.
Goddwork
What's sad to me that is among that blight a few people still are trying to maintain their homes and businesses.....
and, what would or should be their alternative ?
@@neadster469 bruh u took it the wrong way He saying even n a bad place its honest working people there
@@deadsilence7319 thank you...
@@deadsilence7319 ok, agreed... it's just not "sad".
@@neadster469 If I lived there, I would definitely be seeking greener pastures if I had the means to move away. I've lived in such a place before, and found out real quick that it was not the kind of place I wanted to call home.
I used to call this place home as an addict and I vouche for the fact this is what could be called hell on earth, imclean 3 years now and watching this video saddens me knowing how little is being done to save this place. Many many wonderful humans live here and deserve to have the community cleaned up. Seen alot of thing go down here and it is far from safe if you ain't know in the "streets". Honestly the video creator is lucky he went on such a horrible rainy day. The wrong person could've seen you video taping and it could've been curtains for you. Stay safe
Is the a situation where u can buy a home for 10.00. Those houses
are nice..If they were fixed up.
If I lived there, I would be calling the Mayor and have those houses
returned to their greatness.
Congrats to you on getting clean. May you continue to be strong. Much respect.
That's my hood born and raised that is a big fact you just told him 💯
YOU’RE THE PROBLEM! We hate seeing the addicts in Camden because we knew they came from another place to do drugs and made my city look trash.
@@carltonxcarlton really? It couldn't be the fact that most drugs were sold on every corner and ran by gangs ? What Camden are you talking about because mostly every single bando was a set or stash spot so I'm pretty sure that if there weren't drug dealers then some of us "problems" wouldn't be there. Have a nice day and maybe try and have a different perspective for your own sake ✌ I have w sinking feeling that if my user name was Jamal maybe you wouldn't have said that.
Literally just looks like Philly with wider streets
I'm from CMD and philly people would be offended by you saying that even tho its true 🤣🤣
I thought the same thing tbh... North and West Philly with a little West Oak Lane sprinkled in...
Way more Philly than jersey
North jersey guy
None of us ever go
@@donalddove472 every part of Philly has places that look like this. west north south even northeast
Maybe North and northeast Philly, but, still-not like this.
The amount of horror stories I heard growing up in the neighbouring county of Gloucester county, NJ was insane. It seemed everyone had something happen to them or knew of someone who had nearly gotten pulled from their car at a red light when driving through Camden. You couldn't have paid me to go to the aquarium back then
Went there once for a concert, when leaving I can't believe how many cars had broken windows. Luckily my 40yo rusty truck was not targeted.
Ya it was Super duper bad a few years ago, like u said , you had to keep your head on a swivel just driving through..
Then they overhauled the police department and escalated situations instead but it's still a dumpster fire over there. A little safer tho
Evan I love your channel! Have always wanted to visit London and recently moved to South Jersey and the stars just get aligned when I found your channel!! 😊
Nobody in Camden bothered people going to the Aquarium. Lol Total nonsense!
Omg bro please!!! No one will grab you out of your vehicle at a red light!!! What kind of Hollywood bull crap have you really heard!?! Many people in the city are angry because of how the city and system failed them!!! People come riding through Camden like it’s some kind of petting zoo!!! This is what it looks like when you’ve been given up on!!! Go ride around some place else!!
there is more safety in that cold and rain, to drive around.
Correct. He mite got jacked otherwise
i was thinking the same thing
Yeah and plus your car is like a weapon, just step on the gas!
Thank the cabal of oligarchs in the corporate elite for this and literally HUBDREDS of other places like this in the richest country on earth.
Example: North east D.C. is ghetto; then drive to north west D.C. and there's million dollar homes and I believe that Barrack and Michelle live there. Many homes in these areas have fences and security.
You should read up on the political history of Camden. This city has done itself no favors.
So true .. globalism, the embolism in the brains of the greed heads and corrupt to the bone politicians and corporate execs
Thank the voters who keep voting for this. The politicians don't want it better so they keep power in exchange for handouts.
Camden was almost this bad when I was a kid, and that was about 50 years ago!
That's what you call holding your own 😉
Wow 50yrs Do u miss being a kid?
@@deadsilence7319 - No, but it was cool back then - cheaper as well!
My dad's cousin was a nun. She left a school, where she was the Mother Superior, in the 50s, to work with gangs and drug addicts in Camden. She stayed her career on those streets.
I never went to Camden but I worked in some of the worst areas of Newark and I think Newark could give Camden a good run for the money as NJ's worst city.
I have driven through Camden once on my way to Philly.I have also worked in Newark.
No New Jerseys worst city is an outta the way town called Salem. Like 30 miles south of Camden towards Delaware. No jobs tons of poverty crime nothing to do barely any transit stores etc and kinda far from the freeway. Penns Grove isnt much better. Newark and Camden at least have great locations and transpirtation systems that Salem doesnt have. Penns Grove 10 miles to the north at least is next to the freeway
Yes,actually Bridgeton made me think of those other towns too I have gone through Bridgeton
yeah I'm pretty sure Newark is quite a bit worse having spent time in both places.
Camden is worse than Newark Camden is know as Murder City
I live in Camden currently born and raised and don't really like this but I can understand with you being an outsider looking in it is crazy but some of us are amazing remember it takes pressure to make diamonds. Not everybody was born in a decent or great neighborhood but we all still play the cards that are delt, this video could be seen by the wrong Camden resident and it could take a toll on their mental health, with it already feeling like you will never get out, BUT NOT ME you'll hear about ZaKere with a fortune 500 company. But on the other not great content man! Keep it up.
I believe in you! Be proud of yourself for not buckling under the pressure!
😳 this has got to be the most heartfelt and beautiful statement I’ve heard in a long time. You do know that you worrying about your community and their happiness and mental health probably makes you better than 99% of every elected official in this country right? You could have said anything…and you were sympathetic to your neighbors.
I don’t know how old you are but when you get older, please don’t start a company. Please run for office. The country needs leaders with your heart. I’m ashamed that I looked at this video and didn’t see it like you did. You’d make huge changes.
That's a wonderful goal to strive for. Keep that positive mentality 👍
He's mostly driving around blk neighborhoods that are drug infested, Spanish side of town isn't bad at all. Everyone actually works and the streets are getting fixed.
If you can get out, you should get out. No reasons to stay there.
The effects of the frozen precipitation adds to the misery of the setting. Actually, I can see developers coming in and preserving some of those buildings, pricing everyone out even into a smaller geographical area. Brutal!
Ya you'd think that would be the case, being so close to Philadelphia and/or major urban centres like New York, for that matter. Perhaps the laws and policies are different by each state as opposed to hear in Canada? Usually here, the cities closest to thriving urban centres are also doing reasonably well and have become somewhat gentrified. Such as vast contrast it seems with so little geography in the States. I think the issue is to, as my cousin was telling me, is that the States are still largely segregated and up here in Canada anyway, the individual provinces help out cities in a lot of ways and don't let decay happen much to this extent.
@@le__graveuronyoutube Gentrification edges out long time residents who can no longer afford the outrageous taxes, hiked up because of said gentrification. Maybe you should worry a bit more about your own country and let us take care of ours.
Having been born in Camden and driving through it on occasion, I can assure you that on a dry day you get to see way more people hanging out and doing nothing with their day.
Both my parents grew up in Camden, I was born in Camden, my grandmother and my uncle lived in Camden until she had to move to a nursing home, I worked in Camden for 10 years, my one uncle was a Camden fireman, another uncle was a Camden cop and I still pass through Camden 3 times a week on my way to another gem, Philadelphia. I use to play outside in east Camden and in the Cramer Hill section in the 60's and 70's and would drink in the bars in Camden all through the 1980's. If you know what to look out for it's not that bad. Now the democrats have pushed a lot of Camden into the suburbs under the guise of "low income housing". Stabbings and murders now are not uncommon in Maple Shade, Mount Laurel, Pennsauken etc., etc. We now also have homeless with cardboard signs standing on the roads in the suburbs. i guess the democrats love the blight and crime so much they decided to share it with the entire scummy state of NJ.
When you have fraudulent election practices and install convicted felons, NJ is the result. That is a fact, Burlington county commissioner Felicia Hopson is a convicted felon. Magically most of that information has disappeared from the internet in the last 4 years but let me remind people, Felicia Hopson was convicted of cashing fraudulent checks and filed bankruptcy multiple times. Democrats knew this and installed her as a Burlington county commissioner (formerly called freeholder). The democrats also tried to put a known stalker and woman beater in office but he dropped off the ticket when the information came to light. Hopson should have done the same.
I grew up in Pennsauken, lived in Maple Shade, n Audubon. I knew when my best Friend was killed in the line of duty on May 15, 1987 that it was time to check out other parts of the country to live. I finally moved in February 2nd 1993 to Alabama n couldn't be happier. I love it down here in Alabama n will never go back to the Communist State of New Jersey. The whole state can go to "HELL"!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone else influential from Burlington county or township was once responsible for trying to blow up the capital or something like that. Can’t remember who
I actually like the brick style houses with the steps and the sound of the rain and your windshield wipers was very asmr tingle inducing. It’s sad that the people live in poverty though. There’s good and bad in every area of the world.
Poverty? All I saw was really expensive vehicles everywhere...looks more like lazy gang bangers who have no pride in the home they live in but they sure do when it comes to their ride.
no my friend. no. you do not know that town...it's bad.
next time you're gonna make a blanket statement about the people in a neighborhood, maybe you wanna talk to a few of them, you may surprise yourself
are those people gonna hang the drug dealers from the lamp posts?
until they do, they are just as guilty.
I was born and raised in Camden till the age of 15. Moved away for a bit, then moved back for a bit. I got family there. Good people. Camden has a lot of good hearted folks struggling. But they stay humble. Outsiders only see the poverty and crime. But these days, you could walk the streets without hassle. Not so much in the 80s and 90s. Town is trying to heal. Connect with the goodness in Camden, and you will see a whole different view.
Camden is literally the reason I quit doin drugs!!! Seriously! Going there to get it! (I’m from Delaware) I’ve been clean for almost 3 years now too. What got me the most, is the sea of tents you see right after getting off the freeway exit and then, all the people panhandling and many get high sitting right out in the open, shooting up sitting on curbs, sidewalks and street corners. Police riding by and not even stopping to bother them. It’s just NORMAL there! It’s absolutely CRAZY! But many addicts from Delaware (and probably all over!) make that daily commute to either Camden or Kensington in Philly just because the stuff up there is 10Xs better and cheaper than it is in Wilmington, DE. And I’m not even kidding about Camden (and Kensington) being one of my biggest motivations for getting clean. I HATED going into these F#
I think you are telling the truth. So glad you were able to quit!
Congratulations on getting your life back! That is truly awesome.
Congratulations ❤️🤗
YOU’RE THE PROBLEM!
Me and friends hated seeing people like you. Please tell all your friends, DO NOT COME HERE. You know what a boycott is? If you stop buying we’ll have to stop supplying.
People like you would come to a neighboring state to buy drugs and influence the minds of young men that selling drugs was a legitimate source of income killing my community and destroying futures.
The drug addicts that are in Camden ARE NOT FROM THERE!! YOU ARE BREAKING THE FOUNDATION THAT THE LEADERS IN CAMDEN ARE TRYING TO FORTIFY!
And they are only War zones because of people like you who think that my backyard is a place for you to do whatever you want.
@@carltonxcarlton Amen, Carlton.
I grew up in South Jersey. Got lost in Camden twice at night. Once I got surrounded by drug dealers, and had to buy a 20 of weed just to act like that's why I was there to get out.
😂😂😂😂😂
Did you smoke it? That's the question.
@@snakeplissken2428 Of course lol
Even been to East St. Louis. Now there is a place that needs a video done, like this. It make Camden look like a Utopia. If you break down while transiting through East St. Louis you will absolutely be in fear for your life.
One of the first dashboard drives Nick did was East Saint Louis, I bet if you look up Nick Johnson East Saint Louis it will probably pull up
North st.louis too
Black people for you
@@GARY-yu8pc Seems to be a running theme in whatever city in america.
@@GARY-yu8pc really?
I was a teen in Camden. And over the years it’s been neglected by the City & State Services . The Roads and trash is unbelievable. But the problem I see is people videotape the same Streets. And same sections of Camden. The places where near cities drop off their family members that have issues. We rarely see areas around Cooper Hospital, Riverfront areas and around Cooper Streets where there are many rehab properties. I’ve see Vloggers on UA-cam literally driving in the same neighborhoods.
Makes sense but it’s sad that these neighborhoods don’t get fixed up also but I’m really glad to hear that in fact there’s a lot of great places in Camden
3:11 That is a magnificent stone building. Gutted most likely, windows missing but it is still beautiful.
Yeah, I'm a fan of old historic architecture. It hurts me to see beautiful old buildings destroyed like that, I was wondering what it used to be. A Library maybe?
Camden main library building. Built in 1903 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. It closed in 1986. It's listed on the NJ and US Register of historic places, but it's falling apart.
Camden had beautiful architecture that is presently sorely neglected. I’ve driven through Camden’s streets admiring the once grand buildings and homes.
I lived on pine street from 2004 to 2008. I drove my mobility scooter all over that city. Even with my young preteen daughters. One of them took 2 buses to get to the transportation center and walked home everyday after school. I never felt scare at all. We never had any issue at all.
Good morning, Mr Johnson.
I like the fact that you don't have annoying music playing in the background.
It's as if I'm driving MYSELF!
Good work. You've inspired me to action. Not sure which action yet, but I'm really impressed, and saddened at the same time.
The reality of America!
Thank you, and stay the course!!!
I enjoy as well the feeling of this video. You said the correct words, feels as if driving myself. I just recently came back thru camden 2 days ago and it this video is spot on my pov.
One of the kindest and nicest person I ever met grew up poor in Camden NJ. He was working his way through college here in NC at the time. Isn't it strange how some of the best people grew up in poverty in less than ideal conditions.
This is very depressing to watch. It makes me all the more grateful that I live where I do which is in the Tampa Bay area. Some areas of south St. Petersburg have "ghetto" neighborhoods but nothing like this. Unfortunately, more and more parts of America are starting to look more and more like this. Its like a cancer that is continuing to grow.
there are a number of ghettos where you are.....unless youre in Daves island
I’ll be honest. I’ve been to worse parts of Columbus, Ohio. Sketchy looking, yes, but not as sketchy as some I’ve seen
Cleveland is way worse.
@@Tommy88- and what type people are all these terrible place comprised of? It's crazy how it is always these same ones no matter where it is.
And run down parts of my hometown toledo too. Sad
@@Tommy88- Hell yes. And East Cleveland is even worse than Cleveland.
@@michaelgarwood7076 same with all of Ohio.
Thank you for all of this videos and information Nick blessings to You and your family
So what do you think would happen if you just parked, got out and started walking around?
Same thing that would happen in Philli.. Do you have a smoke? lol
They probably start whispering random nonsense words. If Nick responds back , they would offer to sell items to Nick.
Either nothing, get solicited to buy drugs, or get robbed.
Meet some nice girls?
Nothing really. Half the time you'll be ignored.
I had a friend do some community outreach in Camden through our church about twenty years ago. The stories he’s shared were heartbreaking and very eye opening. The neighborhoods he worked in were extremely rough and filled with drugs and violence. My friend helped out quite a bit with some local youth services and when he asked a young girl what she wanted for Christmas she replied with “laundry soap so my mom can wash our clothes.” This was a little girl, about seven years old and she asked for laundry detergent for a Christmas gift 😢 Another child asked if they could help fix up a local park that she called “Don’t fall down park.” He later was told that the park was filled with drug paraphernalia and wasn’t safe for children to play at.
Things shouldn't be this way anywhere in America, some "People" make it impossible for the working class. Low income housing is just that, low income to help the lower class.. Not to sell drugs and start up gangs.
The solution is simple: Don't sell or use drugs.
That is why I am against cities building low-income housing for the homeless, which so many are doing now. All they will be doing is bringing together people (addicts) that have no self-respect, and if you have no self respect, no way you are going to have any respect for other people or your surroundings. Those are the ones who tear up, burn down and start gangs. Then babies have babies in those surroundings and there you go. It perpetuates. Very sad. And the good people who really deserve the help, who try and live godly lives and take care of themselves are trapped in these places.
Camden isnt that bad with crime, people there can become hostile but alot are friendly, I walked in downtown Camden and I felt safe, even the waterfront. Camden’s people are polite as hell
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
lol nigga thats downtown😂😂😂
Bullshit not bad with crime, I am from Kensington & certain parts of Camden were sketchy AF, no diversity, white people are a target.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 yea ok I’m from downtown get close enough and hang with them it will be a set up 😂🤦🏾♂️
Polite? HA! I was in-and-out of New Jersey as a truck driver from 1998 to 2002. From my experiences, everyone I came in contact with from Camden to Jersey City was an asshole. I even had a run in with some "wise guys" after I broke down on their property (which was a repair shop) and ask them for help. They refused and told me I had to remove my truck. I swear, if planet Earth had a anus, it would be located somewhere between Trenton and Atlantic City.
It's puzzling to me...such deplorable living conditions, yet almost all vehicles look really nice.
Priorities....
Well if you go to most blue collar working class areas you see this. Rural America does the same. Often this is due to many occupants are tenants and put there money into tangible spending like cars. Most Native American Reservations have beautiful expensive SUVs and Muscle cars and very small plane homes to live in. Most migrant farm workers and Dairy Farm Employees do the same. I work with Kenyans and Mexican immigrants they all work very hard and often own two brand new big American cars but no realestate.
Unfortunately, I don't believe most of the tenants here are migrant workers. To a lot of people, cars are more of a status symbol, and are revered more than anything else
@@kenz5469 absolutely 💯
Housing is really cheap
When I lost my house, I stayed in some run down hotels in Chicagoland. The rooms were gross but the people were some of the nicest, warm hearted neighbors I have ever had!
I remember back in the late 90s my grandmother had health issues and was flown by helicopter to Camden Hospital for whatever reason. And me and my fam having to drive thru camden at around 2 or 3 in the morning to get their. We were shocked by how bad it was, I see nearly 30 yyears later it hasnt improved much
My husband had his office there for a few years and he told me he had to be careful not to run over the random people who would wander aimlessly into the downtown streets. They were oblivious to traffic!😳🥺😫
Lived in beautiful North Jersey. Saw some of the hoods in this state. None of them seemed as bad as what I saw in the Florida backwoods and ghettos. Much poorer in FL. Even had a few friends with dirt floor homes and no electricity. At least they have concrete floors in Camden.
Dirt floors in the house!?! Wow that bad...
@Salvatore Luzzatto oh absolutely agreed. It definitely is more dangerous in Camden. It just seems more poor in FL. Plus I actually was shot while riding in a car in Florida.
I hope Nick is super careful. Ghettos are no joke in either state.
@@blackluxurians6062 i don't think they thought it was bad but after growing up in North Jersey it sure shocked the hell out of me. I didn't know that kind of poverty existed here. Later on I saw the same thing in parts of Virginia. Still kinda shocks me people are that poor. I mean even working at McDonald's you can make $18/hr.
@@jennyfox1398 "wanting to work" is part of the issue, Jennifer.
@@DIVISIONINCISION absolutely. I would say the majority of very low income people I've known have some things in common; almost no aspirations, addiction of some sort and some form of childhood trauma. The motivation to excel or even imagining a different life is hard for most of those people.
Nick have you been to kensington yet?
Plus, NJ has lots of unfunded debt that will never be paid off. Property taxes can easily go well into the $20-35K per year range. You must either be rich, or work 2 jobs to live in NJ. No joke; I'm from there. From Bergen County, not from Camden.
Guns Cats radios ,yeah bc only Yt pay tax in NJ
I can testify to this. It's ridiculous here. Exactly why I'm not staying here.
I heard that about northern Jersey. Southern Jersey the property taxes are a lot less but people make less money there. It's because northern NJ is next to New York.
@@Raja-bz4yw - I moved to Ecuador, and bought a 5-acre farm. My property taxes are $80 per year. Eighty dollars.
I'm not a R/E salesman, but people should seriously think about moving to foreign countries, while retaining your US citizenship. Lack of jobs in the U.S., and FEMA on the move, and cheaper costs of living are top reasons to move out of the USA. You can still collect your Soc Security money overseas, also. This is not the solution for everyone, but it beats $4-5K rent per month, and homeless tents.
I've been to North Philly, Baltimore, Bed-Stuy (in the 1990's), Brownsville (in the 1990's), Trenton, Plainfield (in the 1990's), Atlantic City, Paterson, and Newark, most of these places ten or twenty times and I cannot describe why or how, but the only place I was scared to be, was Camden. North Philly is a distant second. The poverty in the worst parts of Camden and North Philly is like nothing most people have seen in the U.S.
There are many many factors that contribute to an area getting to this point, however, places like Camden and North Philly were industrial/manufacturing epicenters from probably the late 1930's until about the late 1970's. Globilization hit. Jobs gone. Tax base gone. Poorly prepared students entering those poor quality schools. A sense of hopelessness numbed by drugs. The cycle continues. And, if you don't have a vehicle you're REALLY screwed. Campbell Soup miiiiiiiight still be headquartered in Camden, but there is no manufacturing there. Rutgers has a campus and there is a large hospital, but again, I don't think either place has a particularly large workforce within the city limits.
I am a life long 45 year old resident of New Jersey and have explored Camden many times. There are many worse parts then what was in this video.
Having worked in that city for twenty years, what you see in Camden now is somewhat of an improvement from thirty years ago. But that improvement is confined to the downtown/ water front area.
Cool
And yet, there is a roof over your head and utilities. Roads are open. Food is easy to find. Hospitals and government are functioning. Everyone in those apartments lives better than a king a hundred years ago.
your point please ?
@@neadster469 This is not poverty. The world cannot keep using the word "poverty" for people with a roof, refrigerator, cable TV, public transportation, electricity, plumbing and healthcare.
Calling an area a "ghetto" is obsolete. There are schools, libraries, theaters and other entertainment in every ghetto. It is more accurate to describe people of a certain area as simply not caring about their neighborhood and dropping trash thoughtlessly. Everyone can pick up a rake and a paintbrush and do some work. This is what the people in non-ghettos do. They mow the lawn. They paint the house. They decorate with flowers and ornaments. They take pride in how they live.
Go down to the local charity thrift store and everything you need to improve your environment is there and it's practically free.
@@CaptainJackSparrow110 ya we fortunate to live n modern times but that doesnt mean people struggles arent real But yes u right its certain people fault for not taking advantage of the opportunities we get We just follow the footsteps of everybody else around us
@@CaptainJackSparrow110 Good observation. I wish more people in the U.S. would consider this, think and talk about it in depth. We have come so far as a race, and enjoy so much ease and good health compared to the serfs and peasants of the Old World.
Are you volunteering to move there, Jack?
I went there when I moved in NJ 20 years ago and this looks like progress compared to what I saw. There weren't any parked cars and it all looked abandoned and far more depressing, not to say that it is good but I have seen other states as well and it is ashame that they exist.
Thanks for sharing, be safe out there brother
My father had surgery at Cooper Hospital in Camden and while we were waiting to him to recover I remember looking out the window and counting the abandoned/burned out houses I could see. I think I got to 27 just from that one view. The sad part is there are some wonderful people in Camden but their circumstances are such they can’t afford to live anywhere else. My heart breaks thinking of them stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty. 😢
You're a brave man, Nick, driving threw all these blighted, decaying hellscapes.
@@phillygrunt2154 God bless you
Next time if able drive an armored car and 2 pistols. One for each hand.
@@phillygrunt2154 I figured. I used to have to go through East St. Louis everyday to go to work. It's not as bad as it's reputation.
SP - that's through, NOT 'threw' ! 💀
He ain't all that brave.
He picked just the right day to make this drive. Cold and wet.
I highly doubt he would make a return trip on a warm sunny summer afternoon.
Interestingly enough, Campbell's Soup company is based in Camden, NJ.
But yeah, Camden was always rough. From the looks of it, it's miles WORSE than Harvey, IL.
I think Campbells went out of business there years ago. The big deal there now is the stadium; for sports and rock concerts.
@@metalmike570 the Campbell's Soup company is still open and thriving in Camden. They also just built a car manufacturering plant there as well a few yrs back. I think it's Subaru if I'm not mistaken.
@@metalmike570 All Campbell Soup has in Camden is their research department n their Corp., offices. All the soup n other companies they own are spread out through the country n the world.
@@roberthagberg5482 Oh I know what a corporation is. So the corporate building and high-ups are their. I hate the corporate level because I had a problem at Pizza Hut, I was a delivery driver there and had a problem with a shift-manager. It went under review at the corporate level. SO someone in a suit decides whether or not you stay with the company or not. at least that's the way they make you feel. Then the regional Manager fires you. You don't know if it was the store manager, the regional manager or the Corporate Officer. I think it was the Regional but She blamed it on the Corporate guy / gal.
So I don't like the corporate level they suck.
@@keirsten3828 Thanks for the information, it's nice to know some positive things about Camden and NJ.
The cloudy skies and the rain really added to mood of the video. Camden has been a delapidated hellhole since the 60’s. The burned out library, that you showed has been standing that way for decades now, and shows how much regard the people squatting up there have for places like that
Camden Free Library. I've stood on that corner just marveling at the architecture on that building. One of the Carnegie libraries. It was a masterpiece in the day. Now just a shell. A real reflection of the modern Camden.
@@timbaldwin6283 it’s too bad that most people don’t feel that way, obviously most people up there see as a place to torch
It's nj. All the money goes up north except for Atlantic City. The politicians need to make bank before they get voted out so Camden gets left out.
What a wake up call! 😳...thank you for sharing this video. Those people deserve better, the State needs to assist to clean it up.
Blessed-
Quick observation: There are a LOT of parked cars that are more expensive than the car I drive. And I assume I am probably in a better financial situation than most of these people.
Always expensive cars and crap homes
Because it’s easier to finance a nice car with An insane interest rate than it is to buy a nice house
@Phil what do you drive? These are average looking car's dude.
Tax dollars! Working people are paying for it!! There are a lot of street corner pharmacist at work. Check out the people standing on the corners!
@@Carlos-nq7up I drive a 2012 Honda Civic.
Nick: Camden is the worst hood in America
Me: Laughs in Kinston, North Carolina🤣🤣
But Kinston doesn’t look that bad though.
your hood white as hell
James, trust me when I say this. Camden is terrible. Besides the ridiculous crime the suicide rate is insanely high.
Yikes.. Camden has literally streets filled with people that swarm ur car n kill u if u stop.. .. 4 real
@@fredgardner2870 yeah and they are not even gangs. Some of these people are on drugs or literally starving to death.
The results of corruption I feel so sorry for Camden and it’s people.
They are all rolling around in $$$ cars, doesn't look like anyone is going without.
STOP. please stop saying these things! that's not how it is. i swear. i lived there my friend. my neighbors daughter (in a house five feet away from mine) was shot and killed. it is not a good place.
I once worked for a school cafeteria as a kitchen man. One of the janitors there Armand was from Portugal. One of the cooks Betty said that she had worked for. Campbell's Soup Company ( founded in 1869) in Camden where she stayed before that. I was 20 then but she showed me a picture of her daughter who was 16 then. I told Betty that her daughter was stacked. Caroline, the head cook, who had thought that I was a nice boy decided against showing me a picture of her granddaughter.😮
Hello Nick.. Just one question.. Do you ever get nervous driving thru some of these rough neighborhoods in these cities you document?
As a Philadelphia resident for the first 20 years of my life, I am very familiar with Camden, NJ. My Italian immigrant grandparents originally settled there, but moved across the river to Philadelphia in the 1940's. I couldn't help but notice that among all of the urban squalor, the cars parked on the street look new or close to new. Not uncommon in many ghetto communities. I notice the same thing in North Philly which is nearly identical to Camden.
Much easier to get financing on a car than financing to remodel a building or home
It makes sense a lot of young people have to start out living in neighborhoods that are not very expensive such as Camden and young people typically have new cars as opposed to someone who is much older who may have hung onto a car for 15 or more years
I'm grateful for Camden raised my 2 children there best teachers and school system affordable housing just had to work in oaklyn fish store town over lived in a townhouse ate homegrown vegetables grown in my backyard I was respected by neighbors minded my own business when walking to the stores the kids would actually put their joints out and the drug dealers would actually watch over my home when I was at work to make sure nobody broke into it the kids in the neighborhood always knew in my house they could get a meal if needed and was happy to help anyway I could to those in need nobody ever messed with me quite opposite everyone always looked out for each other and guess what my kids got better education in Camden and where ahead when we moved to CA they where way ahead of their class Camden is a beautiful place
Michelle Jackson- what the hell are you talking about woman? Camden was hell up until about 5 years ago. now its a D -
My dad graduated from Camden High in 1960. He always said it was a great place to grow up. Then you see this ☹️
Born and raised in E.Camden. I had to get my family out . IMO This is no place to raise children.
Perfect weather for this drive. Lawd. PA drizzle gray.
This is another great video, thank you.
There’s no doubt many residents are sincere good people who’ve been dealt a bad hand.
Shame on the people who resort to crime and indulge others and shame on the politicians who are SUPPOSED to represent these people. These standards are way below what they could be and this is no way to live in the US …..Love from Australia.
The state, county, and volunteers have all stepped up .. there’s tons of resources for them but they’d rather loiter, thug & drink all day. it’s the people who need to step up for themselves. This was my parents hometown & it makes me sad to know my Italian immigrant grandparents home that they were so proud of earning is now a boarded up relic on a street with more drug dealers then people working or going to school . There can’t be change unless people want to change
We in Camden Appreciate your love. Thank you. Not everyone is dealt the same cards but we have some great people in Camden and we have some terrible people in Camden. Also people come in from surrounding cities and towns to loiter, prostitute, and get drugs.
6:45 spotted camera. what camera is he using for it to be so blatant
As long as the Unions and Democrats are in control in NJ. The only way to go is down! My home state and it's sad to see the shape it's in!
The problem with Camden is the same problem that inner cities faces across the country. It is the expectation that the government will take care of you. Now, local governments will do what is necessary to meet basic needs but it will not think for the community's future.
Camden has so much potential (I've been there a couple of times for its aquarium) but it will be up to its people to breake themselves for this vicious cycle
Funny how people never mention white folk on or near the roughly 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail when talking public assistance. 🤔
Or maybe the problem with Camden is the same problem with rural America. Big corporation abandonment and policies that disadvantage small businesses
@@app1mxh agreed
if im paying taxes, i expect the government to tell the local government to fix the public utilities and used network of transportations, the street and sidewalks
correct!
areas like this need local militias to erase street gangs.
Yes Nick, please explain what was so terrifying about this tour? I don't live in Camden, but saw nothing to be terrified about. Sure, the infrastructure is run down, but to me was incredibly clean in most of your video, given the circumstances.... Sorry man, thumbs down.
Exactly, this guy is a troll. I've seen videos of Kensington Philadelphia and Gary, Indiana that were more disheartening than this. Heck, the South Bronx looks worse than this!
The crime in Camden is what makes it a dump...
We're no longer a first world country. That's the point.
Just get out and walk the streets
@@cmoneyno5 The crime stems from the rampant drug issues that plague this city and other cities around our country. Just take a look downtown around the transportation center.... Addictions lead to people finding ways to feed their habits.
I have never been back, since leaving in 1987. Most of my family is buried here. I would like to visit my dad's grave before I leave this earth. Shout out to the surviving Gideon's.
Inters tour of Camden. I loved Yorkship Village neighborhood Camden for a few years. I made a garden in the front and back of the house and watered from the porch. My neighbors recommend I leave so I can thrive. I did. Still miss that hood.
God bless u
Nice, one little piece of Camden and from the old days. See there's always 2 sides to the story!
These are great videos to watch when you feel depressed about how bad things are where you live. Count your blessings. Someone else always has it worse than you. 🙏
Ok
there are worst places than camden believe me.....he chooses what section to go through.....
With rain it was sinister. A feeling of desolation and sadness.
It was a mood vid. Depressing as all hell.