I Drove Through The WORST Parts Of Gary, Indiana. This Is What I Saw.

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  • Опубліковано 24 лис 2024

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  • @NickJohnson
    @NickJohnson  Рік тому

    Here's my entire Unboxing America Series: ua-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yqgM1vGG305six5T7dqGURF.html

  • @edwinnochebuena1214
    @edwinnochebuena1214 3 роки тому +2316

    one day i got stuck in the snow in one of these areas at night... i saw like 4 guys come out of the shadows and they helped me push my car out of the snow and was very grateful...

    • @richardhertz1989
      @richardhertz1989 3 роки тому +183

      Human beings

    • @chrishandsome6542
      @chrishandsome6542 3 роки тому +139

      Yeah really doesnt look as bad as people say on the internet. I live 20 minutes from Detroit. Ill tell you the real beast is in Flint. Theres literally 1000 people to one police officer and only have 97 police officers who patrol the whole city. South Side Chicago looks about just like this. Guess i cant say whats better or worse..

    • @richardhertz1989
      @richardhertz1989 3 роки тому +57

      @@chrishandsome6542 And to think it was , not long ago, an industrial powerhouse with great jobs putting out world class leading autos and AC Delco electrical parts . Such a loss .

    • @Ir-of4zn
      @Ir-of4zn 3 роки тому +96

      @@richardhertz1989 The crooked politicians sold out jobs to overseas. The deterioration of the middle class, steel Mills, and now poverty manifesting itself through low paying job.

    • @richardhertz1989
      @richardhertz1989 3 роки тому +14

      @@Ir-of4zn Well said and a sad reality

  • @jess_bounce
    @jess_bounce 3 роки тому +342

    Went to college in Gary at Indiana University Northwest. I’m female and I look white. I was in Gary for classes, errands, etc sometimes very early, sometimes after dark. Never had any issues. Because my tuition was relatively affordable, like $10k per year, and with the help of scholarships, I was able to finish my undergrad with no debt. This allowed me to afford law school. I’m now a practicing attorney. It’s fair to say I wouldn’t be where I am without Gary, IN.

    • @dreamweaver8913
      @dreamweaver8913 2 роки тому +11

      I went to Ivy Tech and also graduated from IUN. I tutored for Ivy Tech too. Many of the people in Gary need help. One of the tutors that I worked with was an amazing mathematician. She had also lived in her car with her kids. She ultimately died of heart disease at a young age. So sad and such a loss to the people whose lives she touched and all those she helped.

    • @LittleRapGuy
      @LittleRapGuy 2 роки тому +5

      All the suburbs inter-states were designed inter-colonies possessed by different countries themselves possessed individually, grouped, and together. The suburbs were designed since before our founders were born North/South colonies. It knew the cities would be the way they are. All spots are tactically denatured. We're in a semi-ancient trap. Even in the other countries; it's the same thing. All exceptions are in demonstration of the same thing/s. Our founders left us to explain to the world how the breaching method/s forced us to entertain economies as entertained, too. We could only afford to fix the tactically denatured everywhere with a species body plan. I just looked at a video of Detroit looking just like this. Hartford looks like it. We have to discern how the best/worst spots are landscape theater tactically denatured.

    • @doctorpanigrahi9975
      @doctorpanigrahi9975 Рік тому +13

      How did you manage to look white?

    • @shadowyt69420
      @shadowyt69420 Рік тому +1

      @@doctorpanigrahi9975 Just look at Lil Mosey, probably either lightskin or racially mixed

    • @pattiecoates8478
      @pattiecoates8478 Рік тому +1

      I too went to Indiana University Northwest. My parents couldn’t afford for me to go to Bloomington, so I lived at home and attended IUN.

  • @ryanbreneman3136
    @ryanbreneman3136 2 роки тому +94

    I work in Gary everyday for Nipsco and despite the city being run down. The people are very nice and helpful. Not everyone there is bad just like every other place. City needs some love.

    • @octavioayala395
      @octavioayala395 2 роки тому

      Agree people are very cultural ,its just like any where in the world for the most part its nice in the day an dangerous some what at night.

  • @turkey2003
    @turkey2003 3 роки тому +1196

    A few years back the GPS took me through Gary on the way to Chicago. My car broke down and a group of homeless looking people came running out of nowhere and got my car running again in 20 minutes. They refused to take any money for their services and just literally ran back full speed into the woodwork like madmen for no apparent reason lol. Not the outcome that I was expecting when I saw them running at me for sure!

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  3 роки тому +80

      Aww that gives me hope about people thanks for sharing!!!

    • @tangyorange6509
      @tangyorange6509 3 роки тому +105

      @Noah Ohlhaut or just people

    • @MySingleLifeADollShow
      @MySingleLifeADollShow 3 роки тому +80

      The people in Gary are friendly for the most part. I grew up there and moved when I got older to a place where people are kinda stuck up. Everytime I go back to Gary I feel welcomed even though it doesn't look so good.

    • @joseph1150
      @joseph1150 3 роки тому +30

      @@MySingleLifeADollShow Agreed, people there take care of each other. Most of the fighting and killing is in the past anyways.

    • @gordon3186
      @gordon3186 3 роки тому +2

      @Noah Ohlhaut --- Or maybe succor from a succubus.

  • @mattinmo
    @mattinmo 4 роки тому +1129

    afraid to stop at stop signs are we?

  • @StillonEarth
    @StillonEarth 4 роки тому +287

    Even without trees; Gary remains shady.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +14

      lol yes

    • @lewiechase8608
      @lewiechase8608 3 роки тому +5

      Best line I heard all day. I know for a fact that I will be using this. Thank you

    • @maximo6037
      @maximo6037 3 роки тому +1

      🤣

    • @BasoSonia
      @BasoSonia 2 роки тому +1

      🤣🤣🤣

    • @charleshoang566
      @charleshoang566 2 роки тому +1

      Resident evils,too many Obama sons.

  • @4kking966
    @4kking966 4 роки тому +847

    Fun fact: Gary was such a successful steel production city that when the Soviets wanted to industrialize they built a full scale exact replica of Gary in the middle of the Russian steppe, complete with trees made out of metal because real trees could not grow.

    • @CLINT-THE-GREAT
      @CLINT-THE-GREAT 4 роки тому +20

      4K King do you know name of Russian town?

    • @christianlenberger5894
      @christianlenberger5894 4 роки тому +95

      @@CLINT-THE-GREAT Magnitogorsk

    • @SBCBears
      @SBCBears 4 роки тому +8

      Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that.

    • @mitchg7809
      @mitchg7809 4 роки тому +25

      I wonder if that was the town where they trained spy’s to act American

    • @javetsims6685
      @javetsims6685 4 роки тому +6

      Can anybody find any real information on this because I can't

  • @dreamweaver8913
    @dreamweaver8913 2 роки тому +24

    I went to Ivy Tech and also graduated from Indiana University Northwest. I tutored for Ivy Tech too. Many of the people in Gary need help. One of the tutors that I worked with was an amazing mathematician. She had also lived in her car with her kids. She ultimately died of heart disease at a young age. So sad and such a loss to the people whose lives she touched and all those she helped.

  • @EricPudalov
    @EricPudalov 3 роки тому +690

    I have a friend from here. He told me that even if you didn't want to join a gang, they'd consider you part of a certain gang just based on what block you lived on. He said he was beaten up many times going to school, but he was smart and managed to work his way out. I'm happy for him.

    • @inorelin
      @inorelin 3 роки тому +81

      your friend probably made that up while playing grand theft auto

    • @ifeawosika966
      @ifeawosika966 3 роки тому +71

      @@inorelin No gangs literally singled people out based on what color they were wearing. Its no joke

    • @hoodlum6776
      @hoodlum6776 3 роки тому +5

      @@ifeawosika966 yup!

    • @mariedrake1291
      @mariedrake1291 3 роки тому +14

      Why don't you show the beautiful old mini mansions around-bouts 12th and Roosevelt?

    • @ImJustAliciannette
      @ImJustAliciannette 3 роки тому +3

      Definitely isn’t how that works here …

  • @andyandcallie
    @andyandcallie 4 роки тому +1037

    When even the Dollar store is closed, that's pretty bad!

    • @wendyjenkins1559
      @wendyjenkins1559 4 роки тому +15

      😂😂😂😂😂😂

    • @niekko5969
      @niekko5969 4 роки тому +59

      Thinkin same thing; when your Dollar store has bars on it.........

    • @Cornerstanding
      @Cornerstanding 4 роки тому +4

      😱😱😱

    • @Cornerstanding
      @Cornerstanding 4 роки тому +11

      I know especially sense they started taking coupons if you if you speak with the manager and can have the manager do a purchase order to match the coupons you already have and walk out with free everything then yeah it's bad

    • @spade4457
      @spade4457 4 роки тому

      Not closed...

  • @Janiprox
    @Janiprox 4 роки тому +525

    I'm originally from Indiana and I swear if you visit any place in the Midwest at that time of year, it'll look 10x worse than it does in the summer. Go back when there's vegetation. I guarantee you, at least some of those places will look very different. It won't be Shangri-la, but it won't seem as sinister

    • @chadmulligan5629
      @chadmulligan5629 3 роки тому +36

      I've noticed he always hits these places in winter.

    • @tangyorange6509
      @tangyorange6509 3 роки тому +4

      Very true

    • @BobCalNor
      @BobCalNor 3 роки тому +15

      I grew up not far from Gary and yes, the winters are bleak. The rest of the year the trees are beautiful but they can't cover up the poverty here.

    • @siXer502
      @siXer502 3 роки тому +3

      I work in Gary, and during the summer it's still bad.

    • @artiefischel2579
      @artiefischel2579 3 роки тому +1

      I grew up in Chicago and always liked that time of year in the Midwest.

  • @adinal.5522
    @adinal.5522 3 роки тому +37

    I went there once to visit Michael Jacksons birthplace and it was 2 years ago when I was 12, I felt so bad for the people and wished I would help since it was practically a ghost town

  • @jessicalynn6263
    @jessicalynn6263 3 роки тому +492

    I moved to Indianapolis from Arkansas in 2010. I lived in a bad part of town in an apartment complex. The funny thing is the people in the "projects" are nice, normal people. Not everyone who lives in places like this are automatically a threat just for socializing outside.
    No need to run a stop sign and potentially hit a child or person because you're scared of the people outside congregating.

    • @spooky9030
      @spooky9030 3 роки тому +1

      What part of indy if i may ask

    • @fosakensavage_2989
      @fosakensavage_2989 3 роки тому +53

      I’m glad I’m not the only one that noticed that he ran almost every stop sign. Didn’t even slow down or anything. Must’ve been terrified listening to the same stories of Gary as I did. Hearing people say not to stop at stop signs or whatever but I’ve never had a problem in Gary and I go there all the time through some of the same areas that’s in this video

    • @aliciabishop7396
      @aliciabishop7396 3 роки тому +13

      Nobody to hit no
      Traffic either lol

    • @JM-md4ri
      @JM-md4ri 2 роки тому +20

      No offense but Indianapolis must not have bad projects if you think it’s okay to drive slowly through rundown areas. Out here in LA and in many other ghettos we learn quickly that you just don’t risk it. Bad things can and do happen all the time.

    • @samsaadeh3622
      @samsaadeh3622 2 роки тому +8

      Lol i moved to Louisiana i didn't know the areas i seen nice looking apartments & imoved with asking ouy any questions so i told my co-worker where i move to he start screaming at me for staying there becuse its the worse erea in new orleans i lived ther for a whole year never had proplem nice people

  • @ernestconnell8087
    @ernestconnell8087 4 роки тому +387

    Still remember the old billboard on 80/94: “Last one out of Gary, please turn out the lights.”

  • @Nevermind7771
    @Nevermind7771 4 роки тому +459

    I graduated high school from Gary, and the problem with Gary is not the people it's the people in office that are in charge.

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому +41

      And who’s voting those people into office? The surrounding cities don’t have the same problems as Gary. Why? It IS the people. At the end of the day, the PEOPLE are responsible for who they choose to represent them.

    • @franklindorrell4755
      @franklindorrell4755 3 роки тому +43

      These people believe that officials are elected and not placed into power lol.

    • @BrotherJudahIsrael60
      @BrotherJudahIsrael60 3 роки тому +12

      @@mrsirendude6931 people running for office often tell lies of what they'll do if elected, once in office it's another story (lie) you can't blame the citizens for the lies politicians tell, c'mon are you serious...

    • @arjanpetersen
      @arjanpetersen 3 роки тому

      Bullshit man

    • @FAH-Q23
      @FAH-Q23 3 роки тому +3

      It's a lot of the people also..

  • @shaneschirmer5238
    @shaneschirmer5238 3 роки тому +135

    I love the fact that you run some of these stop signs, and honestly, I don't blame you.

    • @bullfrog-nt1lb
      @bullfrog-nt1lb 3 роки тому +12

      My friend had a gun pulled on him when he stopped at a stop sign on the south side chi

    • @j.anthonymorgan3025
      @j.anthonymorgan3025 2 роки тому +2

      🤣

    • @caitlynguthrie
      @caitlynguthrie 2 роки тому +14

      I’ve had officers tell me roll through signs when driving through Gary in order not to get car jacked

    • @sheilacampbell2521
      @sheilacampbell2521 2 роки тому +3

      Hahaha I had to go downtown, (Nick drove by the building) and I didn't stop at one light or sign, of course I made sure it was safe first.

    • @StormyFNCS
      @StormyFNCS 2 роки тому +2

      @@caitlynguthrie it’s true. Me nd some friends were headed to Gary but had to turn off cause of a toll road. Stopped at a gas station nd dude told me to gtfo or we’d get shot for being white nd at the wrong area so we tried to leave nd my car got surrounded by 7 guys so I stepped on it🤣

  • @robertfolkner9253
    @robertfolkner9253 4 роки тому +617

    This is what happens when a business creates a company town that relies on one industry. When the industry fails, the company town fails.

    • @robertm7554
      @robertm7554 4 роки тому +39

      The steel mill is still open and going strong. All the surrounding towns of Gary, which are just as old as Gary (like Griffith, Hobart, are doing great. They are clean, have nice fairs, farmers markets, and are wonderful to live in. They have great schools and low crime but yet they bump up to Gary. Down town hobart is beautiful and just As old as Gary.

    • @Playback007able
      @Playback007able 4 роки тому +33

      Not exactly. The cyclical nature of the steel business did hurt Gary, but not as much so as the city politics, which were corrupt deamonRAT types. Then the civil unrest of the sixties saw White fright/flight to Merrillville, Indiana, a new city that would have been annexed by Gary before becoming incorporated but was not allowed to do so by the county politics to expand southward of the Gary Southern city limits back in the 50’s/60’s. Basically, Gary grew right up to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 94 and U.S. 30. A physical barrier that kept the city from expanding into the Merrillville, Indiana vicinity, before Merrillville was incorporated by county politics that blocked several attempts. by the Gary city officials to annex this once unincorporated land. Merrillville is where many of the Whites fled to.

    • @ayoitsxavier205
      @ayoitsxavier205 4 роки тому +12

      robert but Gary lost over half of its population and jobs and all the property tax that came with it the people who stayed were the people who couldn’t afford to leave

    • @mrtheguzzomanshouldknow5853
      @mrtheguzzomanshouldknow5853 4 роки тому

      yeah

    • @SeventhCereal
      @SeventhCereal 4 роки тому +9

      Nein mann. It's the people. They have their basic necessities, even electronics. They have zero capacity for work and investment.

  • @icyburger
    @icyburger 4 роки тому +371

    i feel bad for the trees that are there. Couldnt move even if they wanted to...

  • @ppdc7387
    @ppdc7387 4 роки тому +475

    I was actually impressed with how clean the streets are. I see a lot of potential. God bless all.

    • @sn3akydna314
      @sn3akydna314 4 роки тому +43

      You must have cataracts 😂

    • @racheljohnson9902
      @racheljohnson9902 4 роки тому +24

      You don't live in Indiana do you?

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому +41

      That potential has long been lost. It WAS a GREAT city. Much like Detroit and Chicago in their prime. But certain people moved in and took over and now you have this gem.

    • @prod.newmagiciane2342
      @prod.newmagiciane2342 4 роки тому +8

      @@mrsirendude6931 like back in the 1940s-1960

    • @nonyabusiness8324
      @nonyabusiness8324 4 роки тому +1

      @@racheljohnson9902 I seen worst

  • @MrAforsyth
    @MrAforsyth 3 роки тому +64

    Surprised by the statement “the people who live here are gonna have to decide they want change and do the hard work themselves”. The belief that social adversity can be solved simply by deciding to work harder shows indifference and reinforces social inequality. Sorry, it’s going to take more than a drive through video to figure that one out.

    • @jakobforney8891
      @jakobforney8891 2 роки тому +21

      This video creator seems to lack a social consciousness when it comes to places of lower economic development. It is a shame and the creator should not be supported.

    • @janinec4444
      @janinec4444 2 роки тому +6

      Yes it takes more than hard work, but it most likely isn't what you think it is. It takes personal responsibility; it takes discipline; it takes social stability; it takes a moral compass; it takes strong values and ethics; and most importantly it takes leadership who speak the TRUTH and have honesty and integrity, but that takes a citizenry who is strongly involved in all aspects of our society and its leadership. It also takes an honest media and centers of influence must be not be monopolized.

  • @stevenbucko5687
    @stevenbucko5687 4 роки тому +77

    I can be at 5th and Broadway in 5 minutes. I live just 1 town over. If you don't go there asking for trouble, you won't find it. Know when to be there- and know when not to. I've partied in GI, drove in to work there at US Steel for 24 years, never had a problem.

  • @nubiandoll7
    @nubiandoll7 3 роки тому +387

    It still hard to believe this was town the Jackson 5 were originally from

    • @leaderofthesociety1775
      @leaderofthesociety1775 3 роки тому +7

      For real?

    • @gordieevans2263
      @gordieevans2263 3 роки тому +57

      Honestly it’s easy to believe when you consider the family dynamic

    • @fuego421
      @fuego421 3 роки тому +25

      it was better in the 50s

    • @nubiandoll7
      @nubiandoll7 3 роки тому +3

      @@gordieevans2263 well I guess you have a point....

    • @SPaarlberg1
      @SPaarlberg1 3 роки тому +13

      Michael Jackson went back to visit the home where he grew up. He drove by in a Brink’s truck!

  • @misguidedyouthbrand6338
    @misguidedyouthbrand6338 4 роки тому +189

    I AM FROM GARY....EDUCATE THE HOOD AND LIFT THE PEOPLE

    • @Andrew-bc1wo
      @Andrew-bc1wo 4 роки тому +14

      yeah VOTE DEMOCRAT! (that'll fix everything)

    • @misguidedyouthbrand6338
      @misguidedyouthbrand6338 4 роки тому +9

      Gus Perez those will be lost in the wind..killed or locked up, the kids is who matter... teach them before they are old

    • @justincase4892
      @justincase4892 4 роки тому +1

      @LEWIS JONES
      Self-proclaimed...

    • @ayoitsxavier205
      @ayoitsxavier205 4 роки тому +4

      muy thai and republicans will magically turn it around

    • @angelmartin7310
      @angelmartin7310 4 роки тому

      @@misguidedyouthbrand6338 amen

  • @user-hx8fn2he9q
    @user-hx8fn2he9q 2 роки тому +18

    Thank you for taking this video, my heart goes out to these people who have to live here, and in some of those very run down areas, but at the same time you have something like billionaires’ row in New York. The problem isn’t that billionaires’ row exists, the problem is that billionaires’ row exists and places like this also exist at the same time. There just seems like some of that billionaire money should go more towards helping the less fortunate in our country rather than going towards a $150,000,000 condo. Makes me very grateful that I live where I do and I have the job that I do, and also it makes me want to help others more. Thank you again for this video!

  • @bryansimpson8694
    @bryansimpson8694 4 роки тому +368

    I used to live in Gary and ever since the steel mill shut down, it's been on a downward economic spiral and shows no sign of rebounding. It's quite depressing.

    • @arminiusofgermania
      @arminiusofgermania 4 роки тому +3

      You could always go somewhere else. Better job oppertunities.

    • @bryansimpson8694
      @bryansimpson8694 4 роки тому +61

      @@arminiusofgermania Go back and read what was said because you totally missed the point.

    • @arminiusofgermania
      @arminiusofgermania 4 роки тому +6

      @@bryansimpson8694 and did you leave when it was in your better interests? Even if you have property there, it will be there when you get back. Same as momma in da hood. She's going to get her check whether the man in her life is there or not. Why just reduce yourself to waiting on your wife, when you can hop a bus, and leave the hood in Noo Yoark and go somewhere where the economy is actually growing?

    • @SBCBears
      @SBCBears 4 роки тому +36

      @@arminiusofgermania Feel better now?

    • @06alwilliams
      @06alwilliams 4 роки тому

      Arminius of Germania or bring new industry

  • @andrewtomlinson18
    @andrewtomlinson18 4 роки тому +333

    It’s a tragedy that a town that was once a hive of industry is left to decay like this, unfortunately it’s no different in the UK.

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому +12

      And it’s even sadder that the cause is so simple. Yet no one will talk about it.

    • @WarrenPuffet
      @WarrenPuffet 3 роки тому +28

      This is what our politicians have brought us over the years. Selling out jobs to China, taking in money to line their pockets while not helping the community. It’s all a joke, people are so easily wrapped up in social media, UA-cam, and other entertainment, they don’t care about what is actually going on.

    • @blotsinn
      @blotsinn 3 роки тому +24

      The UK doesn’t have places as desolate as this though, I can’t think of a town in England so rundown

    • @hoosierproud7718
      @hoosierproud7718 3 роки тому +16

      Yeah Gary is what happens when u let democrats run things. Gary will be what the rest of the country will look like. Just wait and see with the new communist party in the white house. Enjoy America.

    • @blotsinn
      @blotsinn 3 роки тому +25

      @@hoosierproud7718 I take your point, but did Trump really make any difference, seriously? He didn't exactly change things for the better.. Made things worse in some cases.

  • @grokster9ontheroads174
    @grokster9ontheroads174 4 роки тому +463

    Should have shown the Jackson’s five old home! That would have been cool.

    • @johnschmidt2964
      @johnschmidt2964 4 роки тому +51

      Yea except he’s only interested in shaming it.

    • @jasmineduran6731
      @jasmineduran6731 4 роки тому +44

      thomas grokenberger I wanted to visit that place when I was in Indiana and I asked my Mom if we could go. She sounded scared and was like, “I don’t know,” and now I see the reason why.

    • @johnschmidt2964
      @johnschmidt2964 4 роки тому +4

      Masquerade Anonymous shut up. Also you have the dumbest screen name ever!

    • @jonijacques2453
      @jonijacques2453 4 роки тому +9

      thomas grokenberger Its really nice. Drive by there all the time.

    • @06alwilliams
      @06alwilliams 4 роки тому +7

      thomas grokenberger been there 3x lol

  • @jonathonpolak3697
    @jonathonpolak3697 3 роки тому +38

    I actually live in Gary and while there are bad parts, there is also good parts as well. The city is trying to do its best so you gotta have faith. I hate when people do these types of videos and say oh its bad. Just imagine living in Chicago or Detriot or the worst parts of L.A.?

    • @rebeccarockchik6704
      @rebeccarockchik6704 2 роки тому

      💯 I'm originally from Gary and can imagine those other places aren't so great either.

    • @allaboutrap1
      @allaboutrap1 2 роки тому

      I'm originally from Gary and I'm looking to invest in realestate there now.

    • @MiloMilo-z7t
      @MiloMilo-z7t Рік тому

      I'm I. Chicago, it's not as bad as gary!!! Not even our worst neighborhoods!!

  • @dm-gq5uj
    @dm-gq5uj 4 роки тому +323

    Back in the 70's my parents had to make an emergency trip to Florida to help a dying relative. My older brother (then 19) drove them to O'Hare and then got messed up on the freeways and ended up driving through Gary. I was in the back seat (I was 11 then; my little brother was 7.) He pulled off the freeway in Gary and pulled into a gas station to ask directions. The black gentleman behind the counter took one look at my brother's pale face and said, "Look you get back on that freeway right now. You go down this street and drive through red lights if you have to. Don't stop until you get back on that freeway to Chicago or you'll be in big trouble."
    In the meantime, my kid brother and I were playing and joking around in the back seat. We had no idea. My older brother was practically peeing his pants in the driver's seat and we had no idea!

    • @hazyhartman423
      @hazyhartman423 4 роки тому +42

      The guy was f***n with him. Come on you guys, get a grip.

    • @justinunger3526
      @justinunger3526 4 роки тому +15

      This isnt the only story I’ve heard like this.

    • @shawnsimpson913
      @shawnsimpson913 4 роки тому +10

      Justin Unger that’s what I was thinking. Had the same basic story told to me by a old coworker, but he was the one driving and no kid brothers in the car

    • @NurseRatchett
      @NurseRatchett 4 роки тому +6

      Your older brother is a damn lie.

    • @YungRekless
      @YungRekless 4 роки тому +6

      Fake story

  • @l.salisbury1253
    @l.salisbury1253 3 роки тому +46

    A lot of these parts look more "back woods" rural than ghetto. (I lived in WV for a few years in the early 90s.)

  • @lgoldman
    @lgoldman 4 роки тому +144

    I drove through Gary almost 50 years ago, and it was a pollution-clogged inferno. The steel boom came with a price.

    • @stankatic8182
      @stankatic8182 4 роки тому +27

      50 years ago as a 13 year old boy I lived in Gary, on 3rd and Marshall. I went to Ambridge grade school and afterwards Horace Mann High . I lived fairly close to the mills and at night you can see the skies light up from dumping slag pots and lit up the skies a bright orange. Yeah those jobs came with a cost.

    • @ajayasir5272
      @ajayasir5272 4 роки тому +4

      Stan Katic wow. I’d like to know the cancer rates

    • @danielmota1095
      @danielmota1095 4 роки тому

      for every action there is reaction, and murphy's law

    • @SBCBears
      @SBCBears 4 роки тому +1

      @@stankatic8182 Remember the rusting car roofs, hoods and trunks?

    • @notapplicable687
      @notapplicable687 4 роки тому +1

      faz arminha que passa he wouldn’t have seen mj, 50 years ago mj was already touring the world as 1/5 of the Jackson 5!!

  • @akwrdlyprrfct8879
    @akwrdlyprrfct8879 2 роки тому +14

    You have to come back in the summer. Gary looks nice in the summer. And you'll see alot of people out and about. We are doing better as of recently since our corrupt mayor has been replaced. Roads being redone. Building finally being torn down and replaced. We have a bunch of new apartments and houses. And with that amazon and Walmart near by there are more people working which is good.

  • @TheAmazingBigLuck
    @TheAmazingBigLuck 4 роки тому +12

    Born and moved baby. Born and moved. I believe in my city. I think it can come back strong when the right investors meet with the right leaders. God has a plan for this holy land. There are very good people still in Gary. I still love my home.... from afar. God bless Gary!

  • @carolhodges9899
    @carolhodges9899 4 роки тому +256

    I’ve been to Gary a few times. It’s humbling to see where someone as impactful as MJ was born. But, as with every city, there are bad parts and good parts. I drove around a lot when there, and I was super surprised at the nice neighborhoods we encountered. And, Miller Beach, is a nice area with some great restaurants. I visited Gary at night, as well as during the day, and I never felt afraid. Of course, I didn’t go off roading in an alley with fencing on both sides where there was no means of escape! Lol!

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +25

      My mom yelled at me when she saw that Carol.

    • @carolhodges9899
      @carolhodges9899 4 роки тому +4

      Gee, Nick, I wonder why! Lol! 😉

    • @Mike_B4141
      @Mike_B4141 4 роки тому +12

      Remember, the Jackson where born there and lived there. But I'm sure it wasn't even close to being anywhere near as bad as it is in this time and era. Some places are good amd change for the bad and some are bad and we change it to good. Only as can take part on fixing the places that we live in. Regardless of the time it takes to fix.

    • @DrKOKONUTZ
      @DrKOKONUTZ 4 роки тому +11

      @@NickJohnson LOL. You failed ro mention the majority of the buildings were left by WHITES from when Gary was predominantly WHITE. They left their buildings and many homes. The city had to pay to knock those buildings down.

    • @mh.1568
      @mh.1568 4 роки тому +10

      KOKO NUTZ The so called white flight had nothing to do with condition of homes left behind. We lived in a very humble but well cared for home. When we moved it was in prime condition. Not the fault of those that moved how the once nice homes ended up. Perhaps those that moved into our homes didn’t care and ran them into the ground. I drove by old neighborhood and it was as if the apocalypse had come. No, not our fault the city is in ruins. And Carole you were delusional if you had no fear driving at night in Gary.

  • @gibbyswife9218
    @gibbyswife9218 4 роки тому +138

    Gary was my Home Town in the 1960's. It was a whole different era, back then.
    It was a whole different city.
    Gary was once beautiful, and a great place to raise a family.
    I lived in the Glen Park district of Gary.
    Glen Park is best known by it's location.
    It is located at the intersection of Broadway and Ridge Road, and the surrounding areas as well.
    The history of Gary is actually fascinating. To be fair, I would like to suggest looking into Gary, Indiana's past.
    You will be surprised by what you learn. It was not anything like many portray it, as it appears today.
    There are a lot of books written about Gary.
    MANY famous people were born and raised there.
    I ♡ GARY
    Gary is still a part of me.
    I left a part of myself in Gary as well.
    And, I am a good person.
    We were all good people.
    The 1960's, yes, was a great decade to grow up in.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +22

      Lots of places were better then

    • @sopwithsnoopy8779
      @sopwithsnoopy8779 3 роки тому +8

      My mom had an aunt that married a guy with a lot of money...he was a slumlord in Gary, IN back in the 50s & 60s. But he was a miser and hermit and lived in a slum himself.
      I remember when I was 5 or 6, so this would be around 1970, we tried to visit her, as no one in the family had heard from her for 15 years. This was a run-down apt building in downtown Gary. My father went into the building and knocked on their door, but no one answered, although my father said he knew someone was home.
      Anyways, even in 1970, to my 5-6 year old eyes, Gary IN looked like a war zone. I just remember how run-down and shabby everything was even then.

    • @deanarupe73
      @deanarupe73 3 роки тому +9

      @@NickJohnson until a demorat gets ahold of it. Look at Seattle, Portland, and San Franshithole. The rat party are good at running out the businesses that create the wealth by over taxation from failed social policies. Leaving the town bankrupt and the people on welfare. It begs one to ask why do people continually still vote for these criminal scumbags.

    • @terryjirtle8123
      @terryjirtle8123 3 роки тому +1

      Lived in Gary, Glen Park, in the 50’s , both were booming at the time. It’s a shame that the mills closing would kill Gary. I still love to drive through just for old time sakes. Then moved to Hobart. We would catch a bus from Hobart to Gary, then catch another bus to go to Miller beach. Growing up around Gary wasn’t bad at the time, Gary had so much at the time, but then times do change

    • @gibbyswife9218
      @gibbyswife9218 3 роки тому +1

      @@terryjirtle8123
      Yes it sure did. But today, nobody can believe it.
      👉Steel City Storm Channel here on UA-cam is all about Gary.
      You should check it out!
      Lots of people from Gary subscribe to it. You can get a chance to see it before it is all gone. They are dismantling now.
      Gary will look completely different in a few (or more) years. Lots of stories and memories are shared. You might recognize a name or two?

  • @thisiserich
    @thisiserich 2 роки тому +8

    It makes me so sad to see all the industry here dead and gone. In my head I try to visualize what it looked like in the 60s. A bustling town full of hard workers, trucks coming and going, kids running around, school buses going to and fro. Now you can buy what is essentially lakefront property for less than a new car. These industrial towns used to be the backbone of our country, and now that they’re mostly gone, I can see why the United States has become so spineless.

  • @christinejohnson5564
    @christinejohnson5564 4 роки тому +39

    I grew up in a little town bordering Gary worked there spent lots time in gary till mid 80s when i moved across states. I was never worried or fearful. I'm white, from the Region Think one thing it taught me is how to have compassion and love for all mankind.

    • @christinejohnson5564
      @christinejohnson5564 4 роки тому

      Yelp sorry grew up there worked from Miller to Glen Park we all got along just fine left in early 80s

    • @christinejohnson5564
      @christinejohnson5564 4 роки тому

      Gus Perez yes worked for ANCO in Gary and lots others 1st at 16 McDonald's on hwy 12/20

    • @christinejohnson5564
      @christinejohnson5564 4 роки тому

      @@oldgoat50 yep windshield wipers

    • @christinejohnson5564
      @christinejohnson5564 4 роки тому

      @@oldgoat50 I also tended Bar all over the area for 10 yrs, So I probably knew many Tony's

  • @authuser676
    @authuser676 3 роки тому +44

    Gary has so many assets going for it. The video briefly mentions the steel mill. Lake Michigan is another asset. Lake Michigan in Gary is the location of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as well as the Dunes State Park. Gary is served by 3 interstate highways and Gary is a rail center for the same reason Chicago is. It's possible Gary will recover. Of course, Gary has been failing to recover for decades.

    • @elbolillo2703
      @elbolillo2703 3 роки тому

      It's all political

    • @vinnysoprano1180
      @vinnysoprano1180 2 роки тому

      I grew up just 30 miles south of Gary when I was a kid use to go there all the time with my gf to the movies over in Broadway and to where the Montgomery wards shopping plaza use to be and just behind that is a place called black oak use to have some friends there in high school and hang out with them and play ball ..it's sad to see what happened to Gary now I know most of the people moved out down to Merrillville and farther south where I lived at but I always loved going there at Christmas time because it was better than going to Chicago then and closer

  • @kirkshairpiece6741
    @kirkshairpiece6741 4 роки тому +417

    "I drove through the WORST parts of Gary, Indiana" - That seems to be ALL of it.

    • @melthomas6519
      @melthomas6519 4 роки тому +3

      Kirk's Hair Piece exactly

    • @alvallac2171
      @alvallac2171 4 роки тому +1

      *That
      that's = contraction of "that is/has"

    • @gregoryjones5987
      @gregoryjones5987 4 роки тому +20

      All of Gary is not like what this person showed! How dare you comment on something of which you obviously don't know about?

    • @BigTeezy223
      @BigTeezy223 4 роки тому +7

      In some areas actually look really nice asf lmao u just have to find it

    • @TheDunestrider
      @TheDunestrider 4 роки тому +18

      Actually, the Miller neighborhood (which is in far northeast Gary) is quite pleasant.

  • @lucast3006
    @lucast3006 3 роки тому +9

    I got turned around driving through Gary on my way to Chicago at night last year. I stopped at a gas station to get some gas and a cop pulled up across the parking lot. He was saying stuff to me from across the lot but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. He kept getting really mad and finally came up to me. Told me I should get out of there asap and that he was trying to avoid getting close to me so that I wouldn’t get shot. He then followed me from a distance back to Broadway and escorted me out of that part of town. I guess he was just looking out for me.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  3 роки тому

      We w a little over the top perhaps haha

  • @samrodriguez9653
    @samrodriguez9653 3 роки тому +136

    The worst part of Gary?
    That's like looking for the wettest part of the ocean.

  • @Havaseet2
    @Havaseet2 4 роки тому +135

    3:24 First rule of driving through the hood, ignore the stop signs.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +25

      Always.

    • @DrKOKONUTZ
      @DrKOKONUTZ 4 роки тому +21

      Scared white guy drives thru black neighborhoods.lol. Ur a hack

    • @wokaroni
      @wokaroni 4 роки тому +36

      @@DrKOKONUTZ bruh it's not cause its a black neighborhood, its because it's Gary Indiana. Officers sometimes will pull you over if you stop and will tell you to just go through them.

    • @benruffo1197
      @benruffo1197 4 роки тому +2

      When they fix Gary up it won't be Silicon Valley. But then it never was Silicon Valley.

    • @TheDane824
      @TheDane824 4 роки тому +14

      Like they say in the 'hood' red lights mean dead lights if you stop. You keep the pedal to the metal and still might get a brick thru the window.

  • @broaddusmarines
    @broaddusmarines 4 роки тому +26

    I live in Indianapolis and go to Gary all the time. While the places you’ve shown may be dreary, the people that live there are really nice and laid back.
    I’ve honestly never felt in danger any time I’ve been there.

  • @joeandrews8091
    @joeandrews8091 2 роки тому +9

    I lived and worked in Gary in the early '70's when America decided to move on from the production of basic steel. The city was already in decline economically and suffered from immense public corruption. It had begun to be a rough place to live. For entertainment it was necessary to travel north to Chicago, an hour away, for sports, shows, etc., but I have fond memories of the small Mom and Pop sandwich shops, eating pierogis and fish at the Slovak Club on Fridays, eating Lake Perch and frog legs at Phil Schmidt's in nearby Hammond, going to the beaches in Miller and Indiana Dunes. I remember the ethnically diverse population, Germans, Slavs, Italians, and Blacks who had only recently moved up from the Deep South. The people were hard working, friendly, compassionate, and tough. They deserve to be remembered in a kinder light.

  • @KevinRAAMAAAGE
    @KevinRAAMAAAGE 4 роки тому +40

    I'm actually surprised there isn't trash everywhere. It's cleaner than I thought it would be

    • @kevinxanity4113
      @kevinxanity4113 4 роки тому +1

      Recrat Demopublican you crazy if you think City of Atlanta is a garbage city . It’s clean and new buildings going up every few months. Now the surrounding counties like Clayton and dekalb Sure

    • @that1guy0219
      @that1guy0219 4 роки тому

      It's not so bad here..I left in 95 and still have friends and family here.. there's some bad spots but I'm never scared to drive though or even walk here

    • @ps92809
      @ps92809 3 роки тому +3

      @@kevinxanity4113 wth is a Recrat Demopublican

  • @fordnut4914
    @fordnut4914 4 роки тому +172

    I love old run down neighborhoods I think they tell a story with out even saying a word. Coolest stuff ever.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +15

      I know there's more coming up in the next couple weeks 😉

    • @Savagesaiyan2318
      @Savagesaiyan2318 4 роки тому +2

      They give me the creeps

    • @anthonydisanto439
      @anthonydisanto439 4 роки тому +15

      They aren't cool, when you live out there its just sad

    • @scarcomets
      @scarcomets 4 роки тому +4

      theres actually something very scary about this area of Gary.

    • @scarcomets
      @scarcomets 4 роки тому +1

      ima just say- d e a t h

  • @SP-po5qg
    @SP-po5qg 3 роки тому +46

    I've been to the bus station and rode around the city. Gary's former economy may have moved on. But, it doesn't look equally trashed or neglected. Occupied houses and lawns look o.k., almost no graffiti tags, road surfaces o.k., no garbage overflow. Someone's making an effort.

  • @guitarhero6584
    @guitarhero6584 3 роки тому +7

    Do a video on the Best parts of Gary
    I'd be interested in that one

  • @shelliupshaw3405
    @shelliupshaw3405 4 роки тому +56

    Thank you for being brave enough to do this video. This is my parents home town. I have never been. My mom said she didnt want ever go back. I have a lot of families members that still live there.

    • @damianoliver6913
      @damianoliver6913 4 роки тому +1

      How are they doing

    • @simmiewilliams5970
      @simmiewilliams5970 4 роки тому +10

      Shelli Upshaw ...don’t believe the hype, he’s driving on one side of town.

    • @marisutton334
      @marisutton334 4 роки тому +4

      Joy Joy yes we still have decent people here.

    • @alvallac2171
      @alvallac2171 4 роки тому

      *family members

    • @richardhertz1989
      @richardhertz1989 3 роки тому +5

      How's that brave ? He drove like a bank robber and ran stop signs and didn't have the balls to talk to one person

  • @StrangePlaces
    @StrangePlaces 4 роки тому +46

    I go here all the time to explore abandoned places with my friends Many of the people here are pretty chill. The locals aren't very hostile (they're actually welcoming in some cases) towards people who obviously don't belong in that town. For instance, I once struck up a conversation with a guy who's brother owned a church right next to an abandoned one I was checking out, and he gave me a tour of the church. I haven't (yet) had a problem with the people there. But if you DO run into the wrong person, it could turn ugly very quickly. A friend of a friend of mine who explored in Gary was robbed at gunpoint in an abandoned theatre. It is a dangerous city, but its not a death sentence to set foot in the town like people think. Go during the daytime and stick to the downtown areas and you should be fine. When we decide to go out at night, we usually run 5 deep at least. Don't go out at night unless you're with at least 5 people who can throw a punch lol. Or just play it safe and don't go out at night!
    Next time you're there check out the abandoned methodist church! Its arguably one of the city's most iconic structures!

    • @williiamhughes5612
      @williiamhughes5612 2 роки тому +2

      A punch😂 come armed to the teeth those gangs got illegal automatics and all I’ve seen it

    • @italianchair5801
      @italianchair5801 Рік тому

      I’ve been to the abandoned Methodist church, and an abandoned theatre downtown. I wonder if it’s the same one your friend got robbed at 😳

  • @maaan8494
    @maaan8494 4 роки тому +42

    The area at 4:00 looks exactly like a typical british council estate

    • @brimzs
      @brimzs 4 роки тому +3

      Trust

    • @jaytay8637
      @jaytay8637 4 роки тому +1

      But better, I was brought up on one .

    • @Rob1Rich
      @Rob1Rich 4 роки тому +1

      My first thoughts as well

    • @michelledogan624
      @michelledogan624 8 місяців тому

      But cleaner

  • @louisflores2552
    @louisflores2552 2 роки тому +1

    I was born and raised in Gary until I was 12
    Born in 1951..I got to see Gary in its heyday..man it was awesome..it literally was a microcosm of Chicago...to see it now is painful...I shined shoes..work the theaters shoveled snow and cooked in restaurants..always a hustle to make quite a few bucks up till I worked at uss steel..amazing times until the late 70s..it went down fast..great memories 👌

  • @trueh8
    @trueh8 4 роки тому +169

    Who else from the 219?

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +15

      Not a lotta people left Brian

    • @why_im_poor
      @why_im_poor 4 роки тому +2

      Used to be, back to 260 now lol

    • @xyrw236
      @xyrw236 4 роки тому +7

      Used to be, West Side HS, class of 1984!!

    • @fredmendez4837
      @fredmendez4837 4 роки тому +5

      5th ave...west side!!!

    • @karlastory1933
      @karlastory1933 4 роки тому +2

      Eastchicago,in harborside Guthrie street

  • @Blahbevava
    @Blahbevava 4 роки тому +43

    I used to work with troubled kids and teens in neighborhoods like these. When I first started I was freaked out a little to learn how some people live compared to the way I grew up. However I soon came to realize that most people there are just trying to get by, live their lives, and they don't want trouble. If you have a reason to be there people generally know it and aren't going to bother you. Now if you show up like some kind of tourist with a camera as if your looking at animals at the zoo...then you might draw some unwanted attention. lol

  • @lkhommes1
    @lkhommes1 4 роки тому +19

    Looks a lot like Detroit. I've only been on the highway passing through Gary . Didn't know it was that bad.Not stopping there for gas ! Thanks for the video I learned something new today !

  • @chazmandingo5396
    @chazmandingo5396 2 роки тому +2

    One day my car broke down during a blizzard tornado storm in Gary and 137 people came out of a crack house and put all their money together and bought me a brand new car. I offered to pay them back but they wouldn't have it. Very nice.

  • @valadina4477
    @valadina4477 4 роки тому +294

    This video gave me anxiety and I'm black😭😭

    • @valjean2036
      @valjean2036 4 роки тому +5

      Vala Dina lol

    • @valadina4477
      @valadina4477 4 роки тому +24

      @@valjean2036 😆😆😆it did, I thought he was gonna get shot at, it was like ANY SECOND NOW😭😭

    • @susanhowell1673
      @susanhowell1673 4 роки тому +4

      Lol

    • @valjean2036
      @valjean2036 4 роки тому +11

      Vala Dina ive heard about Gary and Michigan detroit and flint. Worst places

    • @timofeegraaay8165
      @timofeegraaay8165 4 роки тому +38

      I am a White as Casper man who coaches HS basketball and my teams have always been primarily African Americans and they are just as scared as me in some inner city or close in suburbs where we have to play. It is race, but really it is a feeling of despair and the horrible influx of drugs. Whites in rural Appalachian areas are just as scary

  • @putridpeasant
    @putridpeasant 4 роки тому +171

    Stop going on about how scared you are ,most are just people trying to live ....

    • @marisutton334
      @marisutton334 4 роки тому +25

      putridpeasant Thank you sweetie and yes we really are just trying to live....be blessed.

    • @Lynn32blessed
      @Lynn32blessed 4 роки тому +13

      Ikr he's being rude

    • @Zvasra
      @Zvasra 4 роки тому +27

      How about the patronizing "the people of Gary have to decide they want change" as though suddenly people struggling to eat know all about building demolition and construction and how to fix a crippling infrastructure. It's so easy to just pick yourself up right!? Plant a garden and everything is magically ok!

    • @angelmartin7310
      @angelmartin7310 4 роки тому +6

      @@marisutton334 I lived in the Jax ghetto while it was the murder capital and was never bothered or done wrong by anyone, people were friendly. So I believe it. But people see the crime stats and I can't blame them for not wanting to chance it. Too bad he could not have met you and showed everyone the friendly faces in Gary IN.

    • @marisutton334
      @marisutton334 4 роки тому +4

      @@angelmartin7310 yes for sure.....have a blessed night.

  • @felixpeters4953
    @felixpeters4953 3 роки тому +27

    Used to visit my grandparents in Gary in the 60's and early 70's. Used to walk to the park and watch old guys throw horseshoes, if you missed a ringer you lost.

  • @adriennepatterson6113
    @adriennepatterson6113 3 роки тому +5

    Ok so the comments below kind of bummed me out. What…exactly…is so scary about anything in this video?? What vibe are you picking up? From WHAT? From WHO? You are afraid of empty streets? Of mature trees? Of people walking and getting their exercise? I kinda feel like the truck with the camera and the white dude driving randomly pryingly around the neighborhood is the scariest part of the video, to be honest. This town is a victim of an economic wave that came in and quickly out. Nothing more. People are all the same, everywhere. You are too, in your heart, watching this. Let’s all go buy up and rebuild Gary. So many people work from home now. I bet this is already happening and I just have stumbled across it yet. But I’m gonna go get it soon before its too late. I got FOMO like a MOFO. Open land for gardens?? Affordable housing with just a little bit of fixer upper elbow grease?? Full on cathedral churches with TREES growing inside them??I can’t imagine anything more wonderful. I’ll be there by Jan 2022. See you there 😘

    • @insanatty
      @insanatty 2 роки тому

      So are you there now?

    • @adriennepatterson6113
      @adriennepatterson6113 2 роки тому +1

      @@insanatty I went last October to check it out! Loved it! My man wasn't so down with the whole adventure, but, we ain't married so, maybe soon!!! Dreams are awakening more and more these days for me

    • @tu8bo
      @tu8bo 2 роки тому +1

      I agree with you. The scariest part of what I saw is the man making this video while running stop signs and picking up the "vibe" of his own prejudice. I work in Gary and never had a problem. The people of Gary are kind and civil. The city fell on some hard times, but hopefully it will rise again.

    • @adriennepatterson6113
      @adriennepatterson6113 2 роки тому

      @@tu8bo 💜💜💜💜💜 lets hang when I get there! New eta is springtime. 😀

  • @DaraR3431
    @DaraR3431 4 роки тому +30

    I've lived here for 48yrs....trust me,there are some beautiful areas in my city!! SO GO TO HELL WITH GASOLINE DRAWERS ON!!🤬

    • @wendyjenkins1559
      @wendyjenkins1559 4 роки тому +1

      I know that's right family!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

    • @chipdouglas4181
      @chipdouglas4181 4 роки тому

      I was a cab driver in Gary for a minute a few years back and I'm calling your bluff simply by you saying that you lived there. Must not be that nice if you moved

    • @DaraR3431
      @DaraR3431 4 роки тому +2

      @@chipdouglas4181 I still reside here in Gary...n I love my city!❤

    • @wendyjenkins1559
      @wendyjenkins1559 4 роки тому +2

      Family you lived there most of your life this ding a ling came thru with a camera for a second and judging where you been most of your life that's right family go to hell judging huh get him 😂

    • @mikecastellon4545
      @mikecastellon4545 4 роки тому +1

      Dara R I agree w you. It’s a safe place and one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. No crime to speak of and the food stamps and welfare checks ensure that no one ever has to work. Oh yeah, it’s affordable, you can buy a house for 3 or 4 hundred bucks and everyone is a democra

  • @JumeckRafeal
    @JumeckRafeal 4 роки тому +26

    Unfortunately, you can find similar sites on Chicago’s west and south side. Avoid driving through at all costs because the condition of the streets can lead to major car and tire damage, and you don’t want to be stranded alone in areas like these.

    • @asphodelale
      @asphodelale 4 роки тому +1

      Gads, yes--I ended up on some of the back streets of Harvey a couple years back. You could hold a crab boil in some of the pot holes.

  • @CarringtonHollister
    @CarringtonHollister 4 роки тому +91

    The Jacksons has entered the chat

    •  4 роки тому +10

      "The Jacksons has entered the chat" -- Impressive English grammar.

    • @PAULY-P
      @PAULY-P 4 роки тому +5

      @
      Well, they has....

    •  4 роки тому

      @@PAULY-P Ebonics -- or just arrogant ignorance?

    • @alvallac2171
      @alvallac2171 4 роки тому +1

      *have

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому

      Not really. None of the Jacksons has ever done a single thing for Gary. What did they do? Visit once or twice?

  • @driverjoelonghauler2881
    @driverjoelonghauler2881 Рік тому +4

    I use to work there. I’m so glad I’m out of that dump. Its great you showed this to the world. I often thought that everyone needs to see this. It is sad that any American would have to accept living like this, but there are many cities across our country as bad or with large sections as bad or worse. 🍺

  • @heathmcdaniel9232
    @heathmcdaniel9232 3 роки тому +11

    Use to live there now when I go back I drive threw to see friends that are still there & what has changed their starting to clean it up starting last year Gary isn't as bad as it use to be & like anywhere u go mind your own business & nothing will go wrong respect them they respect you

  • @kikonyc68
    @kikonyc68 4 роки тому +51

    I'm conflicted. It feels somewhat wrong to "Safari-Parking" through these unfortunate neighborhoods, this is very interesting and informative.

    • @njl51
      @njl51 4 роки тому +1

      I'm old and will probably see much of the country so I'm intrigued. Wonder what it will l be like 200 years from now if we as a whole don't implode or something.

    • @imtheCoolest
      @imtheCoolest 2 роки тому +2

      I agree 100%! While I’m not sure what this really brings to poorer neighborhoods other than people gawking, I do enjoy the information provided.

    • @357SWAGNUM_MAGA_X
      @357SWAGNUM_MAGA_X 2 роки тому

      You must be black or have white. Guilt. To feel bad just for looking. I don't feel any guilt but maybe because I'm from Mexico and came from worse than this.

  • @keyonvinegar7920
    @keyonvinegar7920 4 роки тому +15

    Got stranded in Gary in 1995 (car broke down) for several hours off Burr st. People were cool towards me. Should not judge a book by its cover! People of Gary are some of the realest people you will ever meet!!

    • @alexandercoffman8319
      @alexandercoffman8319 2 роки тому +1

      @ Keyon Vinegar- Those were Thee Murder-Capp Ye@r$, I am glad you had a g00d experience in Gary.

  • @tuseau
    @tuseau 2 роки тому +2

    Where can I find the music in this video?

  • @susanforsey9102
    @susanforsey9102 4 роки тому +16

    My work friend was beaten& robbed there died in a coma year later we did fund raising for his family R S - RIP

  • @B3burner
    @B3burner 4 роки тому +27

    0:51 - Why’d you mount the camera atop the Jeep, when inside and at the top of the windshield would have been much less conspicuous?

    • @wolfmantroy6601
      @wolfmantroy6601 4 роки тому +6

      I'd make it look like a Google car.

    • @thelton100
      @thelton100 4 роки тому +6

      That's what I want to know. He's just asking for trouble. Fool! Got a rolling neon sign flashing"I got money. Come and kill me." What a jackass.

    • @xaviermccloud4586
      @xaviermccloud4586 4 роки тому +7

      @@thelton100 What? So you know these people have no jobs and money, their city is not being fixed by the United States and you STILL have jabs to throw? By this thread alone I can tell all of you are cowards... So why even comment with some passive aggressive BULLSHIT?

    • @danielasefa1884
      @danielasefa1884 4 роки тому +1

      Zabieru McCloud they dum

    • @B3burner
      @B3burner 4 роки тому

      Zabieru McCloud >>> Cowards? I just wanted to know why he didn’t mount it inside ... that’s all.

  • @TheAddictEmily
    @TheAddictEmily 4 роки тому +54

    As someone that lives and walks around the West Side of Gary.... It's not that bad.

    • @joelvaldez4246
      @joelvaldez4246 4 роки тому +1

      I'm from Sacramento California I thought it was bad here but seeing this video was just depressing. How is it on the west side of Gary?

    • @TheAddictEmily
      @TheAddictEmily 4 роки тому +5

      @@joelvaldez4246 It's not horrible, I mean, it's not very well taken care of in terms of the roads and such, but it's not as violent and scary as it's made to be.

    • @danielhalberstadt9984
      @danielhalberstadt9984 4 роки тому +12

      @@TheAddictEmily what about the murder rate being 15 times the national average. That's facts

    • @MH-WM
      @MH-WM 4 роки тому

      I'd like to see your bud🤗

    • @mrtheguzzomanshouldknow5853
      @mrtheguzzomanshouldknow5853 4 роки тому +1

      okay

  • @user-zr4pd1zp7l
    @user-zr4pd1zp7l 3 роки тому +5

    I did an out of town job years ago in Detroit, MI. Every time I went outside I heard distant gunshots and sirens. We were blocked by a barrier of cars trying to drive through a neighborhood (trying to rob or just keep people out). Had several sus' encounters just trying to drive place to place. Cops on motorcycles aren't afraid of doing 100+ mph over pothole roads. And there were a LOT of people in Detroit. Gary, IN seems quiet

  • @RKMKhii
    @RKMKhii 4 роки тому +38

    I've lived in Gary my entire life, and all I can say is. I love it here, I love where I'm from. I get people just look at the bad parts of Gary and go off that, but trust me all parts of Gary aint so bad.

    • @YoboiiiChriss
      @YoboiiiChriss 4 роки тому +5

      Agreed my grandma lives there.

    • @Lynn32blessed
      @Lynn32blessed 4 роки тому +8

      Right! I feel highly offended by this video because I was born and raised here. I LOVE MY TOWN

    • @MH-WM
      @MH-WM 4 роки тому

      🤔

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому +4

      If ‘ain’t so bad’ is what you strive for and are happy in, then good for you. But many of us aren’t fine with ‘good enough’ and actually take pride in our cities and choose to take care of them and elect people with our city’s best interest in mind. Your motifs are pure, but if you don’t strive for the best, then Gary will never improve.

    • @mrsirendude6931
      @mrsirendude6931 4 роки тому +3

      @@Lynn32blessed I was born and raised in Gary too and am not offended at all. Gary is a shithole. I would never be proud of a city like this. Now my current town? I’m extremely proud of it. But the demographic is better and we care about ourselves and our city enough to never settle for ‘good enough’. Also, I find it absolutely HILARIOUS that your channel name is ‘SimplyBeatiful&Natural’(and btw, you spelled beautiful wrong) yet, there’s nothing simple, beautiful OR natural about that filtered pic of you caked in make up! 😂🤣😂🤣😂

  • @Swampzoid
    @Swampzoid 3 роки тому +87

    I love to see "then and now" footage of some of the streets.

    • @jean5570
      @jean5570 3 роки тому +4

      my whole family is from Gary and it was so much better when my parents were growing up there. it was fully of life and still is amongst the locals. all stores were open and the schools too. its also where the Jackson 5 were born and raised so tourist would go to their house, but that stopped awhile ago when the statute was taken down. it's crazy how when the factory shutdown people just left and it turned into almost a ghost town

    • @cheesepuffgod
      @cheesepuffgod 3 роки тому +1

      @@jean5570 true Gary has been lively a couple years ago. Just not the same

  • @BigSlotter
    @BigSlotter 3 роки тому +31

    Wow, I haven't been through Gary in years so this was interesting. Back in the 90's it was a lot more dangerous just because there were a lot more people still living there. I can't believe how empty those residential areas are now.
    The Dorrie Miller projects are slated to be torn down soon so won't be able to get back there FYI.
    Seems like the city just needs to fully empty out, then a new city will grow there being the location is actually good but the image of the place is still too dangerous for that to happen in the next 10 years.

  • @jamesstuart3346
    @jamesstuart3346 2 роки тому +1

    Very interesting and enlightening. Thank you for posting this

  • @eddiemorrone870
    @eddiemorrone870 3 роки тому +17

    Seems like an affordable place to live with a reasonable commute to Chicago. It also doesn’t look dangerous at all, just in need of some restoration and TLC.

    • @EiseniaFoetida
      @EiseniaFoetida 3 роки тому +2

      This guy is just very afraid of black people

    • @nicolenemeth9989
      @nicolenemeth9989 3 роки тому +2

      @@EiseniaFoetida I've doordashed as late as 12/1am in the middle of summer, alone, and nothing ever happened. I'm also a white female. So, yeah, I have to agree with you. Every place will have bad and good. But, it's videos like this that put unnecessary fear in people.

    • @ecksluss
      @ecksluss 2 роки тому

      There's a reason for the title "Murder Capital"

  • @bikesandcampswithcats
    @bikesandcampswithcats 4 роки тому +60

    I really like just driving and looking, especially with your commentary about history and statistics.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +6

      Glad you enjoy it Patricia!

    • @karencox3626
      @karencox3626 3 роки тому

      I live in Gary. Thank you for showing different parts, I got to see places I have never seen before.

    • @mickeymouse12678
      @mickeymouse12678 3 роки тому +2

      Same. Honestly, I'd love to just see a series of American cities driving tour. Relaxing videos like this with commentary about the history of the city and some unique facts and such overlaid. Doesn't have to be limited to shithole or interesting cities either. Who knows, maybe interest would run out quickly but it may be a fun series.

  • @robertdominguez8705
    @robertdominguez8705 4 роки тому +8

    I'm from Gary.... left in 68 after a brief experience at USS Sheet & Tin Mill.... Tuff town back then too

  • @RobertNES816
    @RobertNES816 2 роки тому +12

    No place in the US should ever look like this. It's amazing what government and business can do to places like this. Such a shame.

  • @deebee9751
    @deebee9751 4 роки тому +6

    Wow it looks a lot better than the last video I saw another guy did prior to this. But man,It makes a big difference when you demo the old burned and trashy houses out of the way and looks cleaner and also it looks like they cleaned up the trash on the sides of the roads tool. It will take time but to me,This is off to a good start.Just start to paint over the graffiti with new paint makes a big difference too. Gary city will bounce back in time if they keep up this fast pace. Well done Gary Indiana. I'm impressed with the clean up in the recent video. Great job bro for driving around and showing us the improvements.

  • @jakobforney6640
    @jakobforney6640 4 роки тому +34

    “Unusally warm winter day.” Yup only northwest Indiana natives know.

  • @0r3stis23
    @0r3stis23 4 роки тому +14

    I am not even from America but I love watching these types of videos

    • @TearsinaVial
      @TearsinaVial 4 роки тому +2

      Most small towns are going to look like this, if not already. The main cities will become the Mega Cities

    • @wolfmantroy6601
      @wolfmantroy6601 4 роки тому +2

      Half of Americans have never been to a place like this.

    • @justenjoy8459
      @justenjoy8459 4 роки тому +1

      We're same.👍

    • @wright_one
      @wright_one 4 роки тому +1

      you should come visit ... this is not a true depiction of the US ..even outside of our major cities... you should come and enjoy...

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +3

      These are the worst places as a whole it's a great nation

  • @Philosophy42DaysUth
    @Philosophy42DaysUth 2 роки тому +7

    That "restructuring of the steel industry" may have more to do with the downfall of Gary than the residents just not wanting it to be good there.

    • @ogcontraband
      @ogcontraband 2 роки тому +1

      Yeah I like this guy's republican explanations - the lazy scary people in these apartments need to get off their butt and fix everything abracadabra

  • @Whipslinger1
    @Whipslinger1 4 роки тому +28

    @3:45 I'm wondering how he got the impression he didn't belong when there was really nobody around. Perhaps it was the camera on top of your Jeep that made you look like a Narc to the guys who WERE out there. Just guessing.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +11

      Camera was inside the car and you couldn't see their faces and eyes like I did

    • @Whipslinger1
      @Whipslinger1 4 роки тому +5

      @@NickJohnson Mia culpa. Thought I heard that it was mounted atop the car.

    • @G.I.Joe-
      @G.I.Joe- 4 роки тому +12

      @@NickJohnson I say & feel the same way when I'm driving through your neighborhood but I bet you'd say I was just being paranoid huh.You have a fear of the people who live in a neighborhood,I have a fear of the people & police when I'm in yours.

    • @kapoveli1310
      @kapoveli1310 4 роки тому +2

      Naw he just playing up the scared thing he's a coward that wouldn't look you in the eye so he's spreading lies an despair

  • @kymmazelle8424
    @kymmazelle8424 4 роки тому +20

    Don't come back. Gary is not a slum. You know nothing. You're not welcome, since this is what you think about the people and lives of this City. 😡

    • @MahrogG
      @MahrogG 4 роки тому +6

      I grew in Gary have ZERO fear of anything happening to me or anyone else.... bad video.....

    • @touchofjuelz
      @touchofjuelz 4 роки тому +4

      Scary white, insecure, ignorant, beta-male narrative.

    • @simmiewilliams5970
      @simmiewilliams5970 4 роки тому +2

      Kym Mazelle ...local celebrity, love you girl.

    • @marisutton334
      @marisutton334 4 роки тому +1

      @@touchofjuelz exactly.

    • @kymmazelle8424
      @kymmazelle8424 4 роки тому

      @@simmiewilliams5970 love you too 😊☀️

  • @saintg89
    @saintg89 4 роки тому +7

    I love Gary. I was born in Hammond, but my Mom is from Gary. I drive around the city for hours looking at the old architecture and mid-century style homes. In it's day Gary was set to become Indiana's biggest city. It's a tragically beautiful place.

    • @ILoveOldTWC
      @ILoveOldTWC 4 роки тому

      Indianapolis is the state's largest city (and state capital).

    • @saintg89
      @saintg89 3 роки тому +1

      @@ILoveOldTWC Thanks, high speed. That's why I said, "in it's day". Also, Indianapolis is useless to people who live in the region.

    • @amandas3946
      @amandas3946 3 роки тому

      @@saintg89 fr I live in the region and went away to college in Indianapolis, it’s nothing special

  • @TheShrededward
    @TheShrededward 4 роки тому +16

    Like most other third world countries, the churches are kept clean and well maintained, while the rest of the place looks like it was used to test H bombs.

    • @mockbattles
      @mockbattles 3 роки тому

      The biggest church in Gary is a gutted ruin.

  • @manfredmann2766
    @manfredmann2766 4 роки тому +16

    This looks run down, but it stills pales in comparison to the South Bronx and Harlem in the late 70 s and early 80s. Projects in those areas back then were huge buildings that had the same appearance in clusters of 10 or more. There was also a fair amount of burned out buildings too looking like a war zone.
    It was unsafe to drive in some parts in NYC back then during the day. Forget running stop signs, try running every stop light.
    Back in the late 70s to early 80s, I used to have family in Coney Island, and though not as unsafe as the aforementioned, there were still areas that one would not venture into. Projects were everywhere.
    Surprised Gary is as dilapidated as it is, being that it is relatively close to Chicago, which has somewhat of an economy. It sits in a good location near Lake Michigan and is accessible by I-80 and I-90.
    Good video, seeing how the areas return to prairie land, amazes me. But at the same time, it is sad, and I feel bad for the young kids there trying to avoid trouble.

    • @NickJohnson
      @NickJohnson  4 роки тому +1

      I'm seeing that so much more now. I think those shitholes from the 70s and 80s are now bring completely abandoned! It's the new urban ruin environment.

    • @jamesspigner9180
      @jamesspigner9180 4 роки тому

      Im sitting here on morris ave in the bx right now, projects everywhere still and the police go harder here than any other part of the city

    • @David-dx5wz
      @David-dx5wz 4 роки тому

      Manfred Mann My girlfriend and I really wanted to try a slider from White Castle because we were in NYC so we googled the closest one and it happened to be on 125th st in Harlem we had no idea where we were so we said ok let’s go there. Let me tell you, it was the craziest fast food experience in my life lmao. The line was long as hell there was glass separating the employees and customers and people were yelling and shouting at the employees cause they were taking long. There was two people who almost got into a fight, a girl who spoke to the crowd about needing to be nicer and my girlfriend and I sat in the back eating our sliders and Mac and cheese bites in awe lmao.

    • @manfredmann2766
      @manfredmann2766 4 роки тому

      David Bauman Not sure what 125th St looks like in 2020, but I am sure it has changed from what it looked like 35 years ago. I have not lived on the east coast since the early nineties when Harlem and many parts of NYC were crime infested. Actually, 125th was the safer part of Harlem, relatively speaking back then. At least there were hoards of people in that area, which may have served as a crime deterrent. The extremely unsafe areas in Harlem were those streets that were abandoned, and your chances of being a victim were 100 fold. Even in lower Manhattan, back in the 70s through the early 90s, when I can remember, it was sketchy on the west side, like west of Broadway. Hells Kitchen back then, was unsafe to walk after dark.
      What you described to me at the White Castle sounded pretty chaotic and it reminded me of several subway rides I took through the worst parts of NY years ago.
      A safer White Castle alternative, if it still existed, would have been to drive about 30 miles southwest to Edison, NJ on Route 1. Although inconvenient, it would have been a much more relaxing meal. That White Castle was my “go to” because I went to school near Edison.
      Be safe, in 2020, watch out for some of those smaller cities in upstate NY. Today’s Newburgh or Syracuse was yesterday’s Harlem.

    • @David-dx5wz
      @David-dx5wz 4 роки тому

      Manfred Mann I live in Buffalo NY, it’s not really bad as long as you stay out of the west side

  • @MMR7294
    @MMR7294 4 роки тому +10

    This is the town that has produce more steel than any place on earth. Been doing it since 1906

  • @cosmosadorabilis7677
    @cosmosadorabilis7677 3 роки тому +12

    It's nowhere near as bleak as you describe it, and there's nothing wrong with open spaces and woodlands. Our obsession of covering every little bit of land we find is rooted in arrogance and fear.
    Let us enjoy these open spaces.

    • @mikemyers2228
      @mikemyers2228 2 роки тому

      It looks like a serial killers oasis

    • @nellsnaturals
      @nellsnaturals 2 роки тому

      @@mikemyers2228 since from these comments it seem like Gary pop is mostly black, the residents wouldn't have to wory too much about serial killers I think 🙃

  • @cottageindustry3040
    @cottageindustry3040 4 роки тому +23

    At 1:26 you said you drove Main Street. There is no "Main Street" in Downtown Gary. The street you were driving on was 5th Avenue.

    • @lshowell7478
      @lshowell7478 4 роки тому

      Balog Cottage and Broadway!

    • @GeminieCricket
      @GeminieCricket 4 роки тому

      Troll

    • @flpndrox
      @flpndrox 4 роки тому

      Had to turn at Connecticut before he hit the Steel Yard. :-D

  • @danielasefa1884
    @danielasefa1884 4 роки тому +16

    My friend was born there and now his mom is a doctor and his dad is also a cyber security agent.

  • @Elitecamp27
    @Elitecamp27 4 роки тому +4

    I was there recently and i must say that my heart is with you the folks of Gary. You too can overcome this.

  • @rauserbegins5850
    @rauserbegins5850 2 роки тому

    Fantastic video, I really enjoyed this. Your narration was also excellent. Thanks for this!

  • @zexji3728
    @zexji3728 3 роки тому +41

    Gary has gotten so much better. You used to get killed for being out past 5 pm

    • @jbizzmore1878
      @jbizzmore1878 3 роки тому +6

      A few years ago right down my grandpas street someone got shot and killed right on their porch. We got some new neighbors and there good people. It's definitely gotten better.

    • @diary3745
      @diary3745 3 роки тому +3

      Why they kill people like that?

    • @davehanson455
      @davehanson455 3 роки тому +3

      That's because it got so bad even the criminals moved out

  • @tabithawilliams7280
    @tabithawilliams7280 4 роки тому +57

    I live in the next town maybe less than 5 minutes away. I've always been under the assumption, "Don't do nothing, won't be nothing." In other words, if you mind your business and don't fxck around, things will be alright.

    • @MH-WM
      @MH-WM 4 роки тому +1

      Yep!

    • @georgehays4908
      @georgehays4908 4 роки тому

      .....my sister lives in Lake Station ! Maranatha !

    • @DuffMiver7380
      @DuffMiver7380 3 роки тому

      @@georgehays4908 east gary

    • @juanspears5567
      @juanspears5567 3 роки тому +1

      Truth

    • @flarexero2161
      @flarexero2161 3 роки тому

      And sadly you still end up getting hurt over nothing...can't even mind your business with stray bullets or muggings going on.

  • @leslieMClass80
    @leslieMClass80 4 роки тому +7

    Loved that piano music, really beautiful. Thanks for the tour

  • @FroFTW85
    @FroFTW85 3 роки тому +8

    Its crazy some of these neighborhoods go from decent looking small homes. Then on the next block, its a bunch of abandoned decaying houses. Then theres some really nice looking homes that are right next door to crack den looking houses. These are just a few examples.
    7:48
    8:25
    9:57
    10:31
    12:44