America's Collapse: The Slums Of Illinois
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- Опубліковано 26 кві 2024
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Chicago isn't the most terrible place in Illinois. This place is.
On this adventure, I traveled to Rockford, which is the most dangerous, rundown place in Illinois. At least according to statistics.
#illinois
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You're a CELEBRITY but without being as big a freak or a pedo!🎉
There are lots of lovely old buildings. It's a great shame about them being empty and derelict.
@@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw I love those cheap little house's! I'm surprised squatters aren't jumping in them.
IF I was an Investor .. I would renovate those nice historical building and made them nice apartments or library or whatever and call for another investors to chip in .. and other shops, restaurants, clubs, pubs, supermarkets, malls, etc. I know it's hard .. but .. I see it as a potential.
What you get when you become a DEMOCRAT STATE😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Its nationwide. Its just awful how we allowed our manf. base to leave the country for other places just for the increased profits. The jobs we lost were the ones that millions of people raised families on. Our politicians and business leaders have gotten filthy rich while the middle class sinks closer to poverty everyday.
Could it had some to do with quality?
@@leeloy2108 Unions
Chinese crap isn't known for Quality!
And now we allow foreigners to buy up businesses and real estate and drive prices up
And it’s going to repeat with AI eliminating white collar jobs.
I was born, 1946, and raised in I Rockford. We lived on Spafford Avenue on the near East Side. My Dad worked at Elco Screw Company and my mom was a hairdresser and ran the beauty shop in the Hotel Faust. It was always busy and lots of jobs. My Stepfather owned Rockford Peerless Furniture. My father came from Sweden and my mother’s family were Polish. Lots of emphasis on education and pride in where you lived. Both my brother and I graduated from college and moved away… East Coast. I eventually ended up in Texas- Dallas Area. My Midwestern roots taught me self reliance, work hard, take care of what you have, and help others. You went past the Midway Theater on East State Street. The Hotel Faust was just across the Street. I lived not too far from there… brought back lots of memories. It was safe and vibrant when I grew up there. Sad to see it so deteriorated. Thanks for the video.
I was born there in the early 1960s. My family is a Swedish machine tool/tool and die maker. I worked in and/or delivered parts to many of the buildings/factories shown here. Many more have been demolished. This is the ugly side of Laissez-Faire capitalism.
On a positive note, Rock Valley College has expanded their 'tech center' offerings in the area.
Blessings to you dear lady and thank you for the memories. Many of us are trying to bring back the industrial US and we're having some success. We are in it for the long haul. Blessings to you and all.
Mary, too many good people like you left. Chicago has dumped their miseries on us after gentrifying nearly everything.
Greetings from Sweden.
@lewe1451 I finally got around to tracing my heritage, and one path goes back to the the 1560s, about 100km W/NW of Stockholm.
Can only imagine what life was like then and there.
My mom grew up there. My grandfather was a builder in the 1920s. I cry when I see where my grandparents lived. He built it and now so run down. He was such a good builder
My paternal grand and g-grandfathers were carpenters and builders and built 5 2-story homes in a block area in the 1900 and teens. The neighborhood was ghetto for 30 years when the good people took back the neighborhood. It looks 100x better than it did in 2000. 3 of the 5 homes are still lived in. But most of the rest of the area...
@@indy_go_blue6048 who are the good people?
@@Beefinator5000you should ask yourself where are the smart people? Unless people are that partisan that will continue to vote for the same idiots that continue to ruin their cities
You voted for Democrats.
Its not the future its current state. Manufacturing was all systematically moved overseas were labor rates are extremely low. Maximum profit for the large corporations and to hell with the working class folks. This was a bipartisan effort and still is today.
It's called lobbying ..this is why I don't engage silly talk about presidents and political parties. I don't do the race shhhh either white black we all getting taxed to death,most people are 1 check away..As long as companies can lobby "DA" people gonna lose. It's obvious...
BOTH the Democrats AND the Republicans sided with big business and allowed this devastation to occur. The American government is FIRMLY controlled by the business elites (who pay the politicians their "under the table" salaries). Wake up America.
Yep, and unions’ outrageous demands didn’t help, along with lack of import taxes in the US (think NAFTA). It all came together like a perfect recipe for disaster.
ah no, we were EXPORTING OUR POLLUTION , YOU DECIDE WHICH ONE YOU WANT
@@deeplyclosetedindividualYup. This is what you get when your union demands you get paid $50 an hour for putting 4 screws into the back of a line of washing machines 8 hrs a day. Who do they support? Democrats. Nuf said.
The sad part is these old buildings are really beautiful and we’ll never be making them like this again. Now a days it’s just the ugly but quick throw ‘em up metal sheds that gives everything in America that cheap generic look.
😕
Those sheds are made in China.
Especially Apartments.
We are probably in satan's little season
I was a bricklayer for many years. You are right, they do not build them like they did years ago. The trade went to hell.
Not true. It all depends on where you are. Now everyone uses as much glass as possible. Pure brick buildings look like crap. Building after building all look the same
You get to enjoy the second highest property tax rate in the US in Illinois.
My kids and grandkids live here in IL. My wife and I will never move away from our family.
Thanks for the heads up😊
Probably 5th highest
First state to adopt property taxes.
Yea but income tax is only like 5%, as always the devil is in the detail.
These videos should be on the national news on television but they won’t
Because the media isn't interested in reporting news and videos by normies.
Because the dems would lose even more votes
You think Rockford is bad???? You should see the inner cities of Chicago and Detroit!!!! I mean, what little is left of them!
I was in prison in 1995 and was shocked by how many guys from Rockford
I was thinking "wtf is going on in Rockford?"
Crimes, apparently.
Yes, but tax the the people to build a new bears stadium and give the illegals 70 million
🎯!!!!!
White Sox want a new stadium too.
70 million ? 😂 exaggerate much do we ? 😅
95 billion to Israel
Well it's only fair to give sports teams and politicians whatever they want while all of us tax payers are hurting.
When Chicago started dismantling the notorious housing projects , the inhabitants were dispersed to places like Danville , Rockford , Kenosha , even the Twin Cities.
This explains the rising crime rates and gang activities in these places.
Yes - the section 8 housing was placed in so many safe places and instantly - cops Sherriffs - university cops being called out there constantly where before these towns didn’t even have any problems . So awful
Don’t forget about once lovely towns like Dubuque… went there too.
Madison, Wisconsin too.
DeKalb too.
Also NWI got hit with BS!
Industry left Rockford in the 1970s-1980s we are talking about events that took place 40-50 years ago, this is not like it is going on now this is history not current events. But look where new industry is setting up today, it is in the south in Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas in Texas, so people who want to work in industry need to follow where it has moved to. One of the biggest problems in the USA is that people who want to work at X work field might be living in the wrong city or state and finding where to move to for optimal future can be VERY confusing we really need a national office that can help people relocate properly that would really help so many people that are simply living in the wrong place.
I was partially raised in west side Rockford. I remember when stuff started getting scary there. My parents moved us out of there. But what I remember the most is what a beautiful city it used to be. The architecture, the parks, the down town. The city had such pride then but it quickly started deteriorating when the gangs moved in and the economy started to go bad. You showed places where my dad used to work. You were close to my old house. I knew a lot of the places you went.
you mean when the boo boos moved in.
Peoria here. Almost a war zone now and pot smoke all over😢
Fixing up old houses is simply impossible for most Americans. Most people don't possess the skill, money or motivation to do it. There was a time that your average dad could do it. Not anymore. Nothing at Home Depot is cheap.
Oh, it's cheap, expensive as hell, but cheap AF :)
@@stringlarson1247 That's a good phrase to know: Expensive AH, cheap AF. Thanks.
@@lesliemacmillan9932 EAH/CAF! :)
I'm done with being in high tech, rewiring, and replumbing my 1914 house and going to start doing it in the historic district where I live. Lots of people need work done but don't have tools or knowledge to do their own work, and jobs tòo small for larger firms to be interested.
Takes time, effort & money but not impossible. Some things zoning won’t allow you to do it yourself such as electrical unless you’re a licensed electrician bonded, insured. How I acquired my first home cheap, fixed it up.
Hey Nick. I’m a 75 yr resident of Chicago. Can you believe there’s news / videos here telling people that Rockford is the next best place for the young newlyweds to buy a house!!!!!!
😮
I bet.
Young people like ghettos. The slums in Colorado keep getting filled up. Young people think dumpy Kalamazoo (Michigan) is hip and cool. I just don’t get it. I’m shocked Nick Johnson isn’t sick and tired seeing all of America’s ghetto cities / towns.
There’s actually been a news article from the WSJ indicating that Rockford has one of the best housing markets in the country 😂
I just saw a video yesterday saying the same thing cause the price of housing is so low. Duh. Why do you think that is? And the schools are crap.
I was born in Rockford back in 1958. My dad worked at Woodward Governor. They opened a plant in Fort Collins Colorado. We moved there in the mid 1960s. Guess we were lucky to get out. Now I'm watching Colorado turn into California !
The gentleman you spoke to really summed up why we have so many problems in modern society: parents want teachers to play parent and neighbors don't socialize like they used to. I feel fortunate to have friendly neighbors, but so many people move to a new area and won't even say hello to people. As bad as parents when teachers call home. Sad.
Welcome to Hellinois
But those red states sure don't mind the blue states support.
Exactly
Leave.
@frankd.506 what support?
@@ronschafer4533 Most right leaning states take more from the Fed than they put in worse yet downstate Illinois gets carried by the northern half the blue half .
My Dad is from Rockford. Actually my whole family on his side is. We walked down State Street some years back, so he could show me around. The shock on his face told me everything. Great Dad, great man, hard for me to believe he’s from a place like Rockford. Reality is, the place he’s from doesn’t exist anymore and Rockford isn’t what it used to be.
You can't go HOME again. You can visit the area but the people and the times that made it home are long gone... dust in the wind.
@@indy_go_blue6048 extremely sad and very true.
Your family is to blame as you voted for Democrats
I live in Rockford, and yes I would say from the 80-early 2010s Rockford saw crazy decline. Though there’s been a massive amount of growth recently and it’s kinda funny we were just named America’s top housing market from the Wall Street Journal.
I believe that Rockford was once known as “The Screw Capital of the World” because they were the major manufacturer of screws. Kinda fitting that now they are totally screwed !
Rockford once was the home of several leading industries. I think most still exist in another state, or production was moved overseas
I think I said that exactly
Yes, Rockford was the fastener capital of the world until free trade and cheap Chinese fasteners began flooding into the U.S. and underselling American manufacturers.
Screw City! 🔩
Was a major player in the world wars and we learned in school Rockford was on USSR top city’s to destroy.
Good thing they just sent $95,000,000,000 to Ukraine and Israel...
There’s money for everything.
@@Victory1981Is that is why the U.S. is $34 trillion in debt?
@@jeffrobodine8579and counting! I believe we add a trillion every 6 months
@@jeffrobodine8579 I don’t think you understand how our economy works. The Republicans did a good job of that.
@@jeffrobodine8579 Our credit rating is the best, and we have the highest GDP.
The conversation with the local guy makes this video great! Perhaps this could be a standard feature for future videos?
He kinda does that a lot. Least the ones I've seen. But yeah, the local guy was great. Glad he caught him before he left for Texas.
Nick the only good thing about Rockford Illinois is that Cheap Trick came from there😂
Saw Cheap Trick in Rockford at a bowling alley in 77
@@brucejedwabny3473 Reminds me of when REO Speedwagon (which is from Champaign) played a high school prom in the early 70s in a small town of not even 3,000 people.
It already comes pre-blighed so that the people from Chicago can just get right to their criminal activities.
🧐
😂😂😂😂
Crook county gives newly released pedophiles a bus ticket to Rockford.
@@gdc3084 nothing to laugh
That's where they're going to start pushing them to.
Illinois the no sunshine state 😞
you're just not looking in the right places maybe some micro dot?
Colorado & Washington are gloomy
@@_ChicagosfinestColorado has some of the highest sunshine days totals in America.
@@markb2938 oops I meant Connecticut lol I know that because I live in Nevada ☀️
@@_Chicagosfinest ha funny 😄
The first abandoned buildings you showed is called Barbara Coleman, Google Coleman Yards Rockford Illinois. There are plans to remodeled this property.
Not just Illinois. Nationwide problem. This country doesn't produce/manufacture anything other nations want.Then turn around and blame homeless individuals for not having anything. Unbelievable stupidity.
While I definitely get where you're coming from and it isn't wrong that all the actual physical mfg has been outsourced everyone on the planet uses Google and UA-cam, and most places the iPhone is still largely dominant (products of American companies). Again not to say I don't see value in bringing back some manufacturing (especially in the high tech space like chip manufacturing, but aren't gonna bring back dead coal mining towns with coal mining)
Thanks for the video! Very sad to see those old buildings rotting. I love the older architecture! What Marvin said at the end was right on the head, totally agree with him! It comes down to parenting. Being a good parent just adds to the kids views on the world. If all they see is reliance on the systems (not the parents), and the systems let them down, what else are they suppose to do? It comes down the parents making the right choices! I wish the very best for Rockford's future, I'm sure it'll get better!
It also comes down to the system not screwing the parents when they make the best choices based on what they know. The kids see their parents get screwed and go, "Phuquet!"
Very sad.. A lot of beautiful buildings, i'm sure at one time.
we keep prices low by building everthing over seas. we dont want anything built in america anymore.
Yup, thanks to your government. Enjoy
@@enemyofthesheeplethanks to democrats and NAFTA you mean .
@@enemyofthesheeplemanufacturing had survived the Japanese and Chinese manufacturing booms ..but it wasn’t till the last plants left to Mexico did stuff really go to shit . That was the mid 90s , that’s why most of these cities all have a similar story ;
@ci6516 that is all true but you left out the best part. The United States government made all of the corporations and manufacturing jobs leave by design.
my brother is a carpenter, joiner, and cabinet maker. he inherited the tool chest from our great grandfather and took it from there. he can repair/renovate these old places provided he was paid and had the right materials. every ahole with a shiny suv (who doesn't need these 4 whl drive behemoths) wants him to work and rebuild/repair/whatever their hoped-for flips. alright, he'll do it but here's his rate. they gag, exaggerated cries of being "ripped off" and say he's not really worth much money. after all, my younger brother didn't go to college, he's not well-travelled outside of the country, and works manual labor (you'd be surprised - maybe - how often instead of manual these turds say "menial").
naturally my brother picks and chooses his jobs. everyone wants something for nothing.
I’m from Detroit. Rockford don’t seem too bad.
And then you vote Democrat and hope for different results. Voting for Democrats over and over again wishing for different results that is the definition of insanity. Trump 2024
I have lived in Illinois my entire life, and at this point, I cannot remember it being a good place to live. I keep trying to convince the wife to move to Iowa, South Dakota or Wisconsin.
افتقاد الامن في منطقة سكنك واستقرارك مخيف ويجبر العقلاء على المغادرة .. نشاهد ونعايش التغيرات السلبية تزداد ولاتنقص !!
South Dakota is way worse. At least in Wisconsin you can have decent quality of life.
@@Gaslighter893 nope. I know plenty of people that live in South Dakota. Awesome place to live.
Wisconsin is getting bad
As a Southern IL resident who has lived in Wisconsin, I think Iowa may have a tiny bit better of weather.
RIP America
And europe.
America has more millionaires than the next country by a lot, America isn't going anywhere. Way too many racists in this post.
@@joesmith-es1zy the rich wont save you
How is it racistvto tell the truth ????
America is declining fast in every way culturally politically legally financially spiritually demographically , is a dying society if you can't see that then there is no point it explaining it to you @@joesmith-es1zy
@@joesmith-es1zy I think you wrong, look up the wealthiest countries in the world and what shocked me was that India had the highest number of million- billionaires. America, decades ago probably was the top nation for wealth but when everything really started to go into a terminal decline was when drugs ravaged communities, crime went up the local authorities and police gave up and society became unsafe to even walk around in broad daylight. America has one choice, get rid of drugs and drink, get Good with the Lord or die by your own sword.
7:10 Circuit City empty shopping center.
Boy Howdy, in 30 years that shopping center never recovered!
Chicago Heights Illinois is the same way. About 35 miles South of Chicago, just factory after abandoned factory.
I think the Heights are worse. I was just there last month.
The worst is yet to come.😊
Ahh got my Ghetto fix thanks Rockford Illinois 😊you didn’t disappoint
us liberals are trying our best to make every corner of america a ghetto. we make money keeping the masses down.
What do you mean...Rockford is GREAT...just like all of the American cities Nick visits...
Thank you Democrats
🤣🤣🤣
I love this guy! He is a good narrator!
These things are sad to see Nick but it's good that you are showing people
Sad. I grew up there and it was a beautiful city. That’s what “blue” does!
Exactly. Democrats have ruined every large city. Tax tax tax.
Exactly
Blue or jew?
Or maybe it's because Republicans allow companies to send jobs overseas?
That's what outsourcing American industry to China and other foreign countries does. This isn't partisan politics. This is the plutocracy of this country divesting itself from America for larger profit, and abandoning American workers. Oligarchs, corporations, their lobbyists, and their money OWN Washington DC. The people no longer matter. The middle class is all but dead because the wealthy destroyed it.
I voluntarily left Rockford in 1987 when I was 24 and moved to a small town in Arkansas. I've never regretted it for a second!
There are a lot of people from Rockford in Arkansas. I moved here in 83
I am shocked and surprised at the lack of trash around in this video. Everything thing you show seems clean and kind of tidy.
Our cities are collapsing, but hundreds of billions in our taxes can be sent to other countries.
Why everything close?
They have to prop up all the corp that went overseas. The gov needs there money.
Hey Nick, just stopped in for my weekly Nick at Nite Sunday time!
I grew up there. Downtown is definitely run down but if you cross the bridge there’s a much better side of town. Theres Anderson gardens and East state/ perryville isn’t bad. Plus prairie st in Rockford is nice too. The only thing I miss there is my family and how cheap everything is there.
He won’t report that cause people love to see bad news and drama. Nick just feeds into it. And the views just roll in. Can’t blame top guy for trying to build his channel.
He’s a lol-cow though.
Can’t take him seriously. 😅
Never really was the major housing shortage we were all lead to believe, it was a manufactured shortage thanks to cooperation's buying up real estate and pumping up prices. Our economy is very manipulated like inside traders in the stock market.
Thanks Nick. Nice job showing Rockford's shortcomings. ...without leaves on the trees. lol. I have lived in Rockford most of my adult life. I Got a job teaching 6000 high school students for over 40 years. Mostly English. Some history. I met a lot of fine people and their parents. Still, everyday I meet fine people. After retiring I stayed, because I'm not done living in Rockford yet. I looked around for a place to retire; and they all have the same chemistry as Rockford. The city's got some rough patches. And it has some beautiful places. With leaves on trees. But it's home; and I make it that way. Keep up the good work. And come back when there are leaves on the trees. lol
I live about 30 minutes South. Rockford does have some great places. It's big enough to have what you need but the traffic is reasonable. Too bad IL is so mismanaged.
@@markd9130 ogle county is pretty nice
As someone who is/has lived in Rockford all my life this actually hit pretty close to home.
Manufacturing really was a big part of Rockford back in the day, it's why it often goes by the name of screw city. But now there really isn't here anymore.
Had friends come in out of town on weekend and that whole we were struggling to come up with anything to do, and the few things to do were in fact all on the east side.
The east side is actually not that bad during the day but you really don't want to be anywhere around town at night if you can help it.
And then that one stabbing you mentioned happened very close to where I lived and my sister actually knew the perp. This place is just sad and to be honest, things are not gonna get better unless serious change happens.
❤im from Chicago south side low end and we love your channel nick
Hey Ben!
or in prison...sorry...
@@NickJohnson Hey Nick thanks for being honest on your channel
@@Slimedog1963 don't be sorry it's kinda true, But that doesn't mean it's not full of good people that need Nick's help Understanding there are BETTER places to live in America not just where your from,
"Is this where our country's heading" ? NICK JOHNSON.
Powerful question & is the total truth. We are halfway there. A couple of years.
OMG, Nick, you can really see beyond the facades, the time the eyes of the rest of us americans.
Your videos and comments are so on point. Open eyes & minds. God bless.
I always thought Rockford and cities like it are a more accurate representation of the true current state of our country.
We are paying for the 50 dollar scratchers- one way or another we are paying.
It’s not as bad as you think Nick. Most of those buildings are own by corporations or private investors. Not worth fixing, but they won’t demolish it , because it will cost way more to build new buildings according to the new codes.
You could go to Beloit WI and see how it’s done 😜
I completely agree with Mappy!
I can bet whoever bought that house will rent it out as the tenants trash it over 10 years. The neighbors are probably trash too.
10 years? Give 'em six months.
Thanks Nick for spending the time to check these places out.
I grew up in Rockford. It really is that bad. Things really went downhill in the 80s&90s, when all the factories closed.
That is some very interesting, weird looking homes. I agree Nick, does look like the Victorian Era, type of design. First time i ever saw homes like that before, narrow type of design to. Very weird looking.
Love the no parking painted on the building at approx 5 min. I mean, there's zero chances I'm leaving anything of value there.
So sad. Another blue collar manufacturing town lost to change. I remember as a kid in the 60's things were strong in towns like this. Now thanks to " progress" their only hope is to work service jobs at crap fast food or kwicky marts.
As we lost small manufacturing in the 70's onward, I knew this was where it would end up. You cant replace those old school jobs with whats available today.
Their actual hope is to get vocational or community college courses and, if they succeed there, four-year degrees in math, science, and engineering.
Stop devaluing and shortchanging education -- or alternatively, stop complaining about the high inflation that results from us taking back our manufacturing and imposing tariffs on imports.
So cool that you ran into a fan!
Yes. It looks just like east Dayton, where you can see the shadows of long-closed-down factories and lots and lots of abandoned houses. To be fair, though they keep up the area further east and Beavercreek pretty nice because nearby Wright Patterson is such an important AF base.
Downtown has low income housing apartments, about 5 or 6 in roughly the same area, so these poor people don't usually shop anywhere except cheapest stores, like dollar stores, that's why no foot traffic a lot of times.
All true stuff Nick.
Long time Rockford area resident here except for the time I was in the military. I'm currently just outside the Rockford city limits and it has some stuff going for it currently.
The biggest decision that shaped the city forever was the decision to build I-90 on the far east side of the city. Reports say I-90 was planned to be routed through downtown in the 1950's and the residents and city fought it. Little did think about the effect it would have and lure growth eastwards and then the west side and downtown became neglected.
I remember a lot of projects were supposed to come to Rockford around 2000 and bring lots of investments and jobs but again, the people and city objected and it's no wonder why it became a miserable place to live. Rockford really needs to fix the west side and south side and the city seems to be doing nothing.
This makes sense, because if you enter the town from I-90, it seems to be thriving. Plenty of businesses, nice neighborhoods, some new housing. When you get closer to downtown, it starts to go downhill, then the west side is so far from the nicer part, seems like it will never catch up
Cities that built interstates through the middle of the city suffered too. Thriving neighborhoods from Boston to Detroit to San Francisco became slums *because* the interstate made the neighborhoods extremely unpleasant places to be.
@@mairhartExactly!
I think that Metra train could fix the problem by connecting to Chicago. I'm sure people would start moving here. I moved 4 years ago and I like it. You are so right, there is many beautiful neighborhoods and I love the old part where I live. People really working on their houses and I don't travel on the other part of the river to often. 😅
Great channel, big fan. I was a cop in Rockford for 29 years. There was bad and good. I lived in the City my entire career there when many lived outside the city. I started in 93 and there have been many improvements since then. Again, there's bad and good there. Again, great content.
Cop unions support Democrats. This is what you get
The gray, flat overcast sky couldnt have been more perfect for this
Building Back Better.
Biden has done some good things. All the MAGA Republicans do is cry, and they have no solutions. All the MAGA republicans care about is the 1 percent. They vote against everything good for the U.S.
It'll never change as long as they vote Democrat
70% of black men being unemployed is wild. Im black and live in san diego. Things are well where I live where the money is. In an ideal world young men are sent over yonder to either college, military, job/ internship in a new city etc when opportunity is meek in their town. That is exactly what many young black men all throughout the south in midwest need. A set of new experiences that exposes them to new opportunity elsewhere. The black community is filled with success stories of people leaving for better opportunity elsewhere. Think of the great migration from the south to the midwest Or the brave african american men and worked their asses to immigrate to the west coand to ultimately give rise to the black communities in oakland los angeles etc. Poor black people need to stay in touch with their pioneering roots and be ready to move
Elsewhere So they can have a shot at owning the communities that they live in.
It's not about location or a lack of opportunities, or even about lack of education. It's about the deep-rooted, cultural problem of self-sabotage. The saying "you can take a nigga out the hood but you can't take the hood out a nigga" exists for a reason. The very fact that hood Black people *do* move around the country and immediately turn their new location into the same kind of hood they came from is testament to that. Many opportunities for education and life enrichment already exist, it's just that there's no desire to pursue them. It's not like young Black men have never been told or don't know that education and honest work are pathways to success. Modern Black culture has not only demonized being a healthy, educated, productive, law-abiding, responsible, integrated citizen but has actually glorified the exact opposite. Black rappers who were raised affluently and received good educations yet turn around and sell the community "the hood life" illustrate this perfectly. What's their excuse- lack of opportunity? Modern Black culture hates hard work and honest success, family planning, social integration, higher education and most importantly, ACCOUNTABILITY.
We as a whole seem to be unwilling to let ourselves and each other leave the metaphorical hood. We love to blame everyone but ourselves for our problems while we perpetuate them *and* label all clear pathways to success as undesireable. Unless we radically shift our cultural values and start *wanting* hard work, honest success, family planning, social integration and higher education, nothing is going to change, no matter where in the country we move to.
That's how they got to the midwest in the first place. Moving doesn't seem to help anything.
@@bluebee5266 Many blacks who moved to the midwest did live good lives. When good times were up the smart ones took what they had and departed for better opportunity. Many black folk left for California,Florida, Georgia and did well for themselves after leaving. My mom left kansas city for Southern Cali when she turned 18. I was born in missouri but raised in CA since I was 3 months. I thanked God my mom took action when she caught a clue that NAFTA was going to ravage the small towns of Missouri during the 90's. I was born in a small town called Mexico in Audrain County Missouri.
@westbdeon Oh wow, you deleted my comment. Real class act.
Generous welfare and high taxes on workers have immobilized people at the bottom for generations.
Fascinating, im way late to the party on this channel
Rockford was a nice town in the '60s and '70s when my Dad's aunt & family lived there.
Nick, you are the Modern Day Mark Twain, exploring America! I really appreciate your observations and insights as you tour the heartland Shaka brah!
🤙🏻
A+ video!
Awesome preview, history, and intervews of the area, very helpful!
Late 80's into the 90's was great for me in upstate New York.
As a 30 year long haul retired trucker I think your videos are brilliant and very accurate and you have a great sense of humor too.
Been watching your videos for years. You do a great job. Thank you
I really loved what that guy at the end of the video had to say. He was right on the mark with his views about parenting. In fact, I was just telling a coworker how poor our education is nowadays and he had the audacity to tell me it's due to the fact that they're not disciplining the kids. I really started thinking about what he said and it dawned on me that that was a load of bullsh*t. So, what this man at the end of this video said is way more accurate. The failure in education is really more of a parenting issue. Teachers are really only there to teach kids and it's the parents job to take care/discipline the kids. But parenting is not only that. They should also be teaching them. Hey, I have a grandson. A grandson, mind you! And I was helping him with his reading today. The bottom line is that the family unit must be connected a whole hell of lot deeper than just a blood relationship.
Governor of Illinois J. B. Pritzker was just saying like, come on there's very cheap housing in Rockford and he wanted to sound like an achievement.
My Great Grandmother had a big home in Rockford. She died December 25,1946. My mom said it was beautiful!
You nailed it in Rockford. Unfortunately it’s most of Illinois. Crooked politicians and gambling in every little town anymore is ruining everything especially the roads. I’m sure you have seen as soon as you hit the state line your tire life is cut in half
Nah completely untrue, Rockford is not all of Illinois, it has its own problems
16:19 The private home ownership is the last untapped market. They want everyone to be renters.
15 min Country
WEF/ WALL STREET
You know what is happening.
Sad for America.
Everything is still so clean. 😢😢
*Rockford Illinois* Is My *Hometown*
My Parents Moved There From *Florida* In The Early *Eighties* As A Child I Noticed The *Decline* First Hand. There Is Definitely A *Dark Cloud* Over It, I’m Glad I Moved To *Georgia* 💯
We moved to Rockford 5 years ago. We left the Silicone Valley where it was impossible for the working class to get ahead. Rockford has afforded us the opportunity to live in a very nice neighborhood and save for retirement. I don't love it, but I don't hate it as much as CA. Homeschooling is the only option for us. Wisconsin will likely be our next home.
Homeschooling is a cop-out for people who refuse to be constructively involved in their local schools, and who don't want their kids to know and better understand their neighbors.
Homeschooling is the only option???? You know Auburn has a great honors program, or you could pay for Boylan, Lutheran, or Keith. Or if you live in Rockford but in Boone county you can go to Belvidere North. There are other good schools as well. Don’t coddle your kid so much he/she doesn’t know different types of people and their situations. It’s good to be around all types of people. That’s what makes the world go around.
Nick, you produce the best videos of any UA-camr, in my opinion, documenting America's internal rot and economic decline. The cancerous rot first manifests in cities and are symptoms of a collapsing society. I believe this collapse will accelerate under the pressure of unsecured borders, spiraling national debt, and the inevitable dethroning of the US dollar as world reserve currency.
I currently live in Rockford. I've been here for 2 years and it's really grown on me. There are nice parts of town, believe it or not.
Maybe you should come to hickory north Carolina to see how we transitioned from a poor factory town to a high tech town with unbelievable growth . people are moving here by the droves
I remember growing up, my grandpa would tell me everyone thought Chicago and rockford would end up merging together because of how much both cities were growing. Pretty sure that isn't happening anymore.
Crazy how much my home state has declined in the 30 years I've been alive
Please do updated East St. Louis video.. Thanks
That’s the shit hole that I was born in. Barnes hospital 1970.
@@larrybuckner8619 One of the best hospitals in the country,
@@larrybuckner8619 Barnes is St.Louis not East St.Louis. East St. Louis was St. Marys. That was shut down in the 2000's.
I used to live in Collinsville IL, i heard many stories of people getting robbed in East St. Louis
@@filmbuff4 There's nobody left to rob you anymore. The city has gone from 60K people to 18K people just in my 42 year lifespan. Basically Cahokia which is now being called Cakokia Heights.
I had no idea, thats unbelievable
You could have filmed this video in the middle of summer and even then I would likely get chills just watching how depressed the town is.
Good to see you back Nick. Illinois is an overtaxed, over liberal, pension debt state that has crime off the charts and is a state waiting to go bankrupt.
Hi MAPPY !!!
Yep. Truth
Little rough around the edges there
love your videos. it's like a nightmare i can laugh at
Banger vid
Wow those buildings could be repurposed into condos and the old watch factory would make a great music/brewery/restaurant venue
Many are. About 1 of these abandoned factories is getting repurposed every year, including the watch factory.
Wouldn’t you need customers 🤷🏿♂️
That refurbishment is very expensive as the layout of the buildings do not line up well. So they tend to be high end housing which is what is not needed.
@@bigtimegenewilder4676 cool yeah I figured the watch factory was due to great shape and water front property
@@MasterMalrubius our city has repurposed factories into breweries restaurants and 2 old high school buildings into condos that a lot of Chicago people have bought up for their summer homes
When it all hits the fan here,all of the business owners will leave to return to the country closest to their hearts in the Middle East.
No way I'm literally here for work this week
Rockford Illinois was once the Machine Tool Capital of the World. Used to hang out there in the early 1980's. It had 3 drive in movie theaters.
Lived in Illinois in the fifties and sixties and it was wonderful…this is heartbreaking.
Love your Illinois stuff! Come to Kankakee!
When the large housing projects in Chicago were torn down, about 20 years ago, a lot of the residents ended up in Rockford.
The people in the projects originally came from other towns around Illinois. When cities stop providing refuge, people return to their home towns.
That's why we see rural lower-income people and immigrants in red states moving to blue cities.