Can Anything Good Come from Hammond?

      I went on a 7 mile bike ride the other day. I used to ride bike daily, but didn't ride much in the last suburb we lived in.
     Hammond has a significant number of bike trails. 1 of them runs a short distance from our house, and it is incredibly easy to access. It weaves through a wooded green space, along the bike side of many houses, and connects to other cities and towns in the area.
     As I was riding down the path I was reflecting on Hammond as a city. It isn't a place tourists flock to, it doesn't have the allure and glamour of a big city, it doesn't have the security and comfort of a small town. It's this small city, with big issues.
     From what I understand it used to be amazing, when the steel mills were still running. Much like Gary used to be a place of middle class people. Then when the steel mills closed, and people were out of work, the landscape started to change.
    The businesses that were once here, left. Many of the people fled to different areas.
     It doesn't take a long drive through the city, to see some of its issues. The dilapidated houses, the empty store fronts. The beauty that is downtown Hammond, gets lost at times, in it's ghost town feel. In fact, while taking a missions trip team to walk through the downtown, a couple of older gentlemen informed me there was really not much to see anymore. Then went on to tell us some of the history of the buildings, a great history, that is worth exploring and preserving.


    I see all of this. The 25% poverty rate, the lack of amenities that the surrounding communities have, the trash in the alley ways, the pot holes that seem to never be filled. 
    I know it's there. I know that many people wouldn't refer to this as "real America", the America that Anthony Bourdain visits, where he interviews natives and talks about a great future, or a great present, or both. Where he sits down at a table with delicious food and talks to a local chef about the delicacies. I can't picture Tony sitting at Nick and George's over a plate of liver and onions, though I think he'd get more than he bargained for there.
     Because despite what people see, or what people say, or even what I see, there's beauty here. I saw it that day riding my bike along the back side of houses. I saw people riding bikes with their kids and laughing. I watched for a moment as an old man was doing Thai Chi along the green space, and marveled at his movements. I smelled the burger joints that are still going, despite odds stacked against them. I witnessed people out in their gardens, sitting in their lawn chairs, and mowing their grass. And I thought, it's a real shame that people don't come here, that Anthony Bourdain won't sit down at Nick and George's, that tourists won't sit on Adirondack chairs eating giant ice cream sundaes from Dairy Belle, that people say things to me about how I like Hammond with a follow up of "well you know, we really mean Munster and Highland.".
      I get that. I get that it's easy to see the crime rates, and the poverty levels, and miss the beauty of real people, living real lives, in real ways. I'm not so naive as to think it's all roses (a 16 year old was shot on her front porch the other day, because she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time). I'm not so naive as to think that this is the best place in the world to raise kids, or to be "safe", or to start a business.... but I think in our rushing around to get to the next "cool" place, the next up and coming location, the next best thing.... we miss the beauty that is here now. 
      Sometimes I wish I could have seen this city in its hey day. Back when there was optimism and the streets weren't lined with pay day loan buildings, but then I wouldn't get to see it now. With it's grit and determination to be something more.
      To see these beautiful kids who sacrifice a lot, and work a lot, just to graduate high school. Who have faced tremendous odds and come out of it OK. To see men doing Thai Chi along a green-way, to see kids laugh as they race their bikes through my neighborhood. 
       If this isn't real America... a place where people have gotten sucker punched time and again, but still get up each morning and head to the only job they could find, I don't know what is. 
      People asked of Jesus if anything good could come from Nazareth. People ask me that question about Hammond too (tongue and cheek of course). Can anything good come from Hammond? 
    My answer... good already is, you just have to take the time to see it. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2015. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

One Response to “Can Anything Good Come from Hammond?”

  1. Thanks for both noticing the good and telling others about it. Dr. King once said "Only when it's dark enough can you see the stars". Thanks again for the post.

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