Stockton Is Not as Bad as You Think It Is, I promise.
Photo courtesy of the Holt-Atherton Digital Collections.
My Personal Defense of Stockton
“I was born and raised right here in Stockton so if you have any questions or concerns about the area please feel free to ask!”
That is part of my introduction when giving campus tours, and usually this statement is immediately met with “Do you feel safe here?” To be completely honest, I have always struggled with answering that. I can say, yes I do feel safe here, but I feel dishonest answering that way. The truth is, I am comfortable here because Stockton is my home. I have lived here all my life and it is really all I have ever known. I know that someone who has not experienced the city the way that I have might not understand my love for Stockton, so I am going to try my best to put it into words because everyone should get the chance to feel safe here and to see Stockton for all her beauty.
When reading this, your first question might be: how and why could I feel safe somewhere that is at the top of so many negative statistics? The only answer to this question is that Stockton really is not as bad as you think it is. To thrive in Stockton you just have to follow the advice most parents give their children: mind your own business. It really is as simple as that. If 13 year old me could walk to and from school by myself and come out perfectly unscathed, then so can everyone else! Nobody is forced to encounter the dangers of poverty every time they walk through Stockton, in fact, if they look in the right places, they can find the beauty of it all.
My love for Stockton also comes from a love of the community. This city has dozens upon dozens of hidden gems- community efforts that really show just how much love people have for this city. Take, for example, The Mexican Heritage Center which was founded in the 1990’s to provide a space that celebrates Mexican culture. Stockton is also home to organizations like Parents By Choice, which has made continuous efforts not only to assist foster children but also to keep kids out of the system. There are also programs like Stockton Scholars, started by former mayor Michael Tubbs, which provides scholarship money for Stockton students going to college. All of these efforts prove one thing, people care about Stockton and they want to see her thrive. This city is full of loving and caring people who do not deserve to be judged by preconceived notions of the place they call home.
My best advice for someone wary of the city is to actually experience it! Go out and volunteer, participate in Pacific’s Day of Service or maybe go help out any one of our local organizations. There is so much fun to be had in Stockton, as you can visit local shops around the city. Even the garage sales have lots of hidden gems. There is an incredibly diverse array of cultures in Stockton and the biggest thing they have in common is great food! There are dozens upon dozens of amazing restaurants in the city, from smaller places like Thanh Thanh which offers delicious and affordable Vietnamese cuisine to places like Nena’s that provide a great atmosphere alongside great food! A lot of the cause for Stockton’s struggles today come from things like redlining and the displacement of multitudes of marginalized communities. Many Stockton locals are still trying to recover from the effects of these misfortunes and this segregation has created significant and lasting disadvantages for many communities. Despite these struggles, the disadvantaged in Stockton still work incredibly hard to make this city a better place for those who may come after them. I promise Stockton is not as daunting as it may seem. Truth is, she can be a beautiful city when the bias and preconceptions are excluded. Give it a try!
Sources:
https://mexicanheritagecenter.org
https://parentsbychoice.net/our-story
https://www.stocktonscholars.org