There's a thread in the SW section about new residents wanting to push out old. Meanwhile I am off today and experienced something that could be seen as similar.

My mom went out to plant a few flowers. She came back in with them, and I asked her what she was doing. I get this:

"I'm not bothering. Why should I bother? Look at this out there. These people leave trash next to their doors, and with these fences out front I feel like I'm in a prison. Look across the street. What a pigsty. I ain't bothering."

Hmmmmm. Well that isn't what you taught us growing up. You're supposed to care, and take pride in where you live. That got me a swooping motion as she took her plants out back. I asked "So you aren't going to get your impatients, and all?" No. So count that in how the old residents let things go.
Sheeeesh. I feel how she could get a little put out, but come on.

ACE, I get your Mom. We always, always planted impatiens in our front planters, maybe some flowering vines and looked forward to it.
The last few years here in Frankford, we planted in May some impatiens and two little azela bushes. The first few days I had to keep pulling out the discarded wrappers of potato chip bags, deli paper from sandwiches from the Quickie Mart that were just unwrapped and tossed on the ground, coffee cups, and worse - little crack bags, and unbelievably disgusting - used condoms.
Within a week the bushes had been pulled out and tossed on the street. I replanted them and a few days later they were pulled out again. Determined I bought two more, the next day, they had been urinated on and obvious spit on with huge disgusting spit that was left on the steps. And, finally they were just gone.
I stopped planting out front. It's not cheap to buy flowers and bushes and the trash just gets caught in the planters and these dirt bags just don't want it to look nice. There just aren't enough of us any longer to keep up with the decline.
I'm sorry your Mom feels this way. It's not that she feels she's being put out, it really hurts and it makes you very angry to know you've spent much of your life in a neighborhood and cared for it and raised your family here and you have an emotion attached to your home and to a better time. It's just a slap in the face that the people that are here now just have no respect, no care for where they live and tossing trash, writing graffitti, having sex out in the open, spitting, urinating, vandalizing, drugging, and worse is just normal for them.
Everything we try is just a bucket against the flood. I know that moving is our only option at this point because where we are there really isn't any hope. Keeping it from bringing the same disease to surrounding areas is IMO going to be impossible. These scum are relentless and after awhile, like your Mom, you just feel "Who needs this?"
I hope your Mom can at least plant in a space maybe in a back yard or maybe try joining a community garden. There are a few in and around Byberry and it at least gets you out to meet other people that enjoy gardening and into a different environment.

Ace:

My neighborhood in SP was highly organized. We had block captains and every Saturday, we cleaned the block. We painted as a group and every house had window boxes and planters on the pavements. We scrubbed our steps daily and kept our windows washed. This was my black neighborhood in SP.

Then the dreaded crack was introduced and it was impossible to rebound. I used to love turning onto my block to be greeted by the beautiful flowers everywhere, especially since everything was all concrete and bricks. Then the addicts stole everything out of the window boxes and anything not nailed down. The older neighbors started dying out and their kids didn't join in the cleanup, just watched.

I remember how it was and it makes me very sad indeed.

It is so sad to hear that Ace. My mother always taught us the same thing keep it clean and green. Every Saturday we would help dad cut the grass sweep the patio and so forth. But maybe you can talk your mother into planting just a few. Ya know it only takes a few flowers to make a block look attractive. I know when we go out for walks I point out the houses that have flowers as opposed to the ones who dont. Tell her that her house will be the envy of the street. It will be noticed. IT is frustrating but its her HOME. Everytime she walks out she can feel confident on her homes apperance, and I bet a few of the older people would notice it also.

Just out of curiosity (and before the sun sets) I'm gonna take a quick El trip to see (overhead) if there's more of an abundance of burglar bars as I saw the last time I went up this way.

Stay tuned.

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Spring should be a happy time when people get out after a long dreary winter and do the things they love to do, like gardening.

That story about the trash is so depressing. Oh yeah there is always a clean up of your garden in the spring, leaves and of course basic trash that has blown onto your property, but when you are finding condoms and spit hockers on your flower garden that is just sooooooo pitiful.

Just trashy people who just don't care. Where the hell do these people come from? They are the biggest lowlives. They don't know what Nice and Beautiful is. It's so scarey.

You guys are so sweet. Thanks. It really hit me because we always painted too like Summersky mentioned. We had all the matching plants, and lawn ornaments. I did feel where she was coming from, but she's no quitter. Actually the complete opposite. Scorpio. Ya know pull yourself up, and move it, and who care what other people do.

We had gorgeous wrought iron furniture, and used one of the chairs between houses. They stole the entire set. My mom was more PO'd about that then my dad's car being stolen.

Then last September she flipped. My dad had purchased a "Garden Girl" for her after they hit at the casino one time. Heavy as anything, and a few hundred dollars. She was way up by the top of the garden. Well don't you think they stole this Garden Girl, and my dad had died so she was fuming. Whoever did that knew the good stuff. They knew the difference between that than junk. Still though that didn't stop her from planting.

I'll put them in. It just all stinks. Maybe she'll come around. We do have a yard, but people get stuff stolen out of there too. You guys are all compassionate. Thanks again.

Oh East Chestnut you do that little thing. Come on up, and look at the cellar windows. Yep. I pray we don't have to live in a cage like people in North Philly. A caged in patio with a door with a lock. That's what they have to do. That's just wrong.

Dragonfly, how about 2nd floor window boxes? I know it sucks to have to put stuff out of reach of the crackheads, but it might be an option.

ACE, I work in Society Hill 2 days a week now. It's interesting to see how that neighborhood has evolved away from burglar bars and security fences. The older new houses (from 1960 and 70s) were much more fortified. I try to think and hope that things like that run in cycles and hope the upside will come around eventually.

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Not a bad idea Scoats, thanks! At least it's something nice to look out at in the morning.

You da man!