All week long Al Jazeera America is showcasing a selection of your stories. They include some of the most important issues weve covered on this channel for you, and there are few issues that matter more to my team and me than americas shrinking middle class. Ive explained the brutal economic headwinds blasting middle income americans. Those changes include technology, stagnant changes, the Housing Market collapse and a Great Recession that left many workers unemployed or earning a lot less than they were before. I brought you personal, emotional stories of families struggling to survive. Now, the good news is along with the pain, there is hope. Theres no better example of this mixed picture than philadelphia. A city where i spend about half of my time. The loss of phillys Manufacturing Base along with high crime, poverty and a Poor Public School system have taken a huge toll. Now, remarkably philadelphias middle class has started to stabilize, but its a different middle class than it was during the 1970s. Its less blue collar, more professionals. Our story from two years ago begins in a south philadelphia neighborhood where that transformation is clear. Fell philadelphia is a city beloved for reasons as diverse as the people that live here, celebrated in equal parts for its cheese steaks and rich history and many, many a rocky movie. Here in south philadelphia lies a gem of a restaurant called victor cafe. [ singing ] its as rich in history as the city itself, established in 1918 by greg destefanos grandfather. As a matter of fact, part of the last rocky movie was filmed here. What did you love about filming . I loved the smallness of it when you dont get loss when a Sporting Team wins an event. Its such a celebration. Were an underdog city and fighting for respectability. We have a lot of great things here. Describe what somebody in philly who is middle class feels like to you. I mean, what is middle class . Its families just working hard, struggling to make their payments, getting their kids in some kind of a good school. Its a middle class struggle common throughout the u. S. , but philadelphias story has a unique twist. In the last 40 years, the city has lost a quarter of its population, almost 400,000 people. 43 of that population loss was the middle class. Nationwide the middle class has shrunk since 1970 from 60 of the population to 51 . Philadelphias middle class has shrunk considerably more than the rest of the country to just 42 . This report was fascinating. Larry wrote a comprehensive pour Pew Charitable trust on the decline of philadelphias middle class. Even theres a huge decline in the middle class for 40 years, if you look back from 2000 on its pretty flat. It seems to have stabilized. The milgz class is a reflection of a citys economic health. It fuels the local economy like its been doing here at philadelphias italian market for the last 100 years. The middle class uses and pays for a citys services, and it serves as a stepping stone for those who want to climb the economic ladder. Philadelphias middle class carries a much larger burden than other cities do. For one, its taxes support one of the larjest groups of lowincome residents in the country, second only to detroit. Not only that, but philadelphia has fewer rich residents, just 9 of the population, to offset that burden. Much lower than most u. S. Cities. This is stretching phillys middle class, causing higher taxes and limiting how much money the city can spend on Important Services like police, fire, and updating its aging infrastructure. Philadelphias middle class may have hollowed dramatically since the 1970s, but theres a still solid albeit vibrant base in the city. This corner is one of those neighborhoods. Traditionally blue collar italianamerican, the area is now in the midst of a transformation as a new middle class of Young Professionals move in. They could be the foundation of a new middle class here. Philadelphia magazine news director bryan howard bought a house here in 2009. You could call him the face of the new middle class. How does this feel to you as part of a city that has seen decades of hollowing out of the middle class . This feels like a good middle class neighborhood. I like it. I mean, there are a lot of newer faces on my block, but theres also faces who have been there for decades. People who were born on the block and still live there. Its a tentative peace between the two faces of the middle class. Young professionals have been buying up property in the neighborhood the past few years and bringing with it many changes. Byob restaurants, hipsters and higher home prices. What do they think of guys like you . We get along, you know. I think there was a sort of feeling each other out period, you know, the first winter we were here. I didnt shovel my block right away, and i got some sidelong looks. They get from a middle class thats historically been blue collar, mosting manufacturing and midlevel office jobs. Thats changed now. In 1970 philadelphias work force was roughly equal parts blue collar jobs and white collar like finance and real estate. In the last 40 years, manufacturing jobs plummeted to just 10 of the citys work force, while white collar jobs have almost doubled to 53 . People with a longterm investment in the neighborhood can get priced out. Brian took me on a walk of his neighborhood to show me how much its changed. An Old School Barbershop over there, mexican and what else do we have . We have fountain porter over here, which is a bar, and this is a cigar shop, which has the oldest cigar shop in south philly. Yes. So does this work . Make sure you get that one we got it. All right. Clearly, he doesnt mind the new philly. The guy yelling is a regular at the cigar shop as as he likes to be called anthony. Hes lived here his entire life. You could call him the face of the old middle class. Now you have a whole bunch of different people moving in. You have Young Professionals moving in. Does that keep the neighborhood solid . Yes, they have kept our neighborhood solid. Its changed because their aspect is a little different than ours. Because of their age . Because of both. Both. Coming up, ill take you to a black middle class neighborhood in philadelphia. You hear from residents fear theyll be the first to slip down the economic ladder. Later, one mans plight to find beauty and meaning in a sea of abandoned homes that used to be a vibrant middle class neighborhood in detroit. These people have decided that today they will be arrested. I know that im being surveilled. People are not getting the care that they need. This is a crime against humanity. Hands up. Dont shoot. Hands up. Dont shoot. What do we want . Justice. When do we want it . Now. Explosions going on. Were not quite sure is that an i. E. D. . Al Jazeera America gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. More on every screen. Digital, mobile, social. Visit aljazeera. Com. Follow ajam on twitter. And like alJazeera America on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. So you dont just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. Al Jazeera America. Philadelphia offers a vivid example of stark and stunning decline of the middle class in major american cities, but interestingly phillys black middle class has grown dramatically since the 1970s. Thats a good thing. Even so, many in philadelphias black middle class dont feel like theyre on equal financial footing with their white counterparts. Lower Median Income and fewer resources have forced some black communities in philadelphia to get resourceful, and you can see this happening in an area called windfield. Its a largely black middle class neighborhood in west philadelphia. How the community has kept itself together over the last 40 years as nearby middle class areas hollowed out. [ singing ] its sunday morning at pin Memorial Church in the winnfield neighborhood of west philadelphia. [ singing ] frances has been going to this church for decades. She moved to winnfield in the 60s when the neighborhood was primarily jewish. This church used to be a synagogue. Back in the 1800s it was mostly angelo saxton, and in the 60s the Africanamerican Community which is now 94 of africanamericans. I was the second black family to move on diamond street. Winnfield is one of the philadelphias few predominantly black middle class areas. It looks like every area thats middle class. Many blocks have block captains who keep an eye on whats going on, whether its garbage collection or snow removal or crime or deciding who is holding the block party this year. Winnfield has a strong identity. Its a tightknit Community Spread out on curving treelined streets with beautiful old stone homes. Its not unusual to see scenes like this in winnfield, someone actually sweeping the street. A mile away blighted homes and abandoned businesses make up the landscape. Tell me why this area has maintained itself in a way other areas havent in philadelphia . Well, you have, for instance, the winnfield residents association. Its one of the oldest residential institutions in the city. Maybe in the country. They have marched and walked and had block captains staying up all night with candles, candlelight marches. You have individual block clubs that formed because of crime. Philadelphias middle class is more diverse than in the 1980s. Back then 74 of the middle class is white. That number decreased to 54 . Now blacks make up 42 of the middle class. Austin says the general feeling here is theres a difference between white and black middle class in philadelphia. When you look at the Median Income, its such a wide gap from blacks to whites that you never catch up to what whites are making because you dont have those opportunities. Income varies in philadelphia between white middle class and black middle class by neighborhood. The Median Income for winnfield is about 40,000 a year. In nearby rocksboro a white middle class neighborhood the Median Income is over 60,000. Larry ikele studied this for the pew trust. He said blacks dont have the same kinds of jobs as white middle class. Fwloo people in the black middle class tell you a lot of that is generated by Public Sector jobs and related jobs and some africanamerican analysts and scholars will tell you that they havent made as much progress in private sector, and they would like to see that. Some economists believe it makes it harder for black middle class citizens to climb the economic ladder or send their children to better schools. Some of the communities where philadelphias black middle class are living arent gent fieing, so their home values arent appreciating. They say the resilience of winnfield is due to the vigilance of residents and organizations like the winnfield residents association. Do you think thats the answer to success in predominantly white neighborhoods, too . When you look at white neighborhoods it may not be publicized as much. They quietly Work Together to solve their problems. They have the resources that often africanamerican communities dont have. They have to work harder to get to that level. They may have a network of relatives who are judges and lawyers and indian chiefs. So they can get things done. Whereas, africanamericans may not have access to that community. Philadelphians wore about their standing in the middle class. Pew Charitable Trust found that 59 of black philadelphians fear they will slip out of the milgz class compared to 41 of white middle class residents. The former mayor, michael nutter, a longtime resident of winnfield is keenly aware of the problem. So Africanamerican Community wealth i think over the last few years generally has gone up. Not as much as some communities. Were also seeing immigrant wealth going up as well. The biggest challenge the city faces across the races in most instances is actually poverty. Were not only seeing that in the city, but even poverty rising in our suburbs around the city of philadelphia. So that has been an inner generational challenge for this city this region. Philadelphia is poorer today than it was 1970s when 15 of the population lived below the poverty line. That number is now 27 among the highest in the nation. Shes optimistic. She says many people that left winnfield in the past are starting to return and reinvest in the neighborhood. You see them moving back because of the taxes and blatant racism that they have happened. These are middle class people who decided its much better to come back here. Theyre working to fight to make the School System better, to make changes because they have that courage and that passion. [ singing ] some sad news since we first ran this story back in 2014. Frances who invited me to sit at her Kitchen Table and talk about her experiences about being black and in the middle class died last august at the age of 75. Our condolences to her family and thanks for her contribution to the community she helped build in winnfield. Drugs, crime, gangs. These are a few things that abandoned houses attract when middle class families move out of big american cities, and detroit has a real problem. 139 square miles of abandoned buildings. Its ugly, and its a major headache for the city. Coming up, we introduce you to one man that thinks its pretty beautiful. Pushing the boundaries of science. We are on the tipping point. We can save species. Its the biggest question out there. Its a revolutionary approach. We are pushing the boundaries. Techknow is going to blow your mind. Our experts go inside the innovations, impacting you. This is the first time anybodys done this. I really feel my life changing. Techknow, where Technology Meets humanity. Only on Al Jazeera America. Every monday night. I lived that character. Go one on one with americas movers and shakers. We will be able to see change. Gripping. Inspiring. Entertaining. No topic off limits. cause im like, dad, there are hookers in this house. Exclusive conversations you wont find anywhere else. These are very vivid, human stories. If you have an agenda with people, you sometimes dont see the truth. Talk to al jazeera. Monday, 6 00 eastern. Only on Al Jazeera America. Al Jazeera America brings you independent reporting without spin. Not everybody is asking the questions youre asking me today. We give you more perspectives the separatists took control a few days ago. And a global view. Now everybody in this country can hear them. Getting the story firsthand. They have travelled for weeks, sometimes months. Whats your message then . We need help now. Youre watching Al Jazeera America. One of my missions since Al Jazeera America launched was to really understand whats happening to the milgz class and why its shrinking. One major reason was high unemployment during the Great Recession, and then there is something economists call underemployment. Two years ago i got into a cab driven by a guy who was underemployed. Jay stein was working as a new York City Taxi driver, but not by choice. A few years earlier he had a good job working in the online sales industry firmly in the middle class. When his job went under, jay decided to start driving a cab. His salary was cut in half, but he didnt give up on the american dream. You have been doing this seven months now in. Seven, eight months, yeah. How do you feel about this . I dont like it. Its very difficult work for a lot of hours for very little money. I was earning 125,000 plus, plus, plus commission, expenses. Now im earning maybe 60,000 gross. Its a 12hour day hustle. How long did you think youd be doing this . Hopefully today is my last day. Im glad we got you. Youre working pretty hard to get Something Else . Yes, absolutely. When somebody wants to meet with me, ill make myself available and go off duty about an hour before the interview, get to a parking lot, throw the cab into a parking lot, change in the cab, get up to the interview. After the interview is over, get back in the cab and go back to work. Did anybody ever have occasion to ask you whether you felt you were part of the middle class . Not recently. Were you before this job . I considered myself to be middle class, yeah. You still do . Yes, i do, however, there are certain issues im dealing with, namely lack of discretionary income. I stopped saving. In other words, my life isnt on cruise control. To me, thats the definition of middle class. You can save, you can think forward, you can think sometimes in the future. Emergencies come up, and you can take care of them. Other than the bills getting paid, i have no opportunity to enjoy what life has to offer. If theres an emergency, which account do i raid to pay for that emergency . You sound like a guy who understands the american dream. Has a piece of it, and has had a setback and wants to get back on the road to achieving it. Whats the road map for that for you . The road map . Ill continue to drive a cab to pay bills. This is not going to be forever for me. I didnt go to college to drive a cab. Im optimistic about the future, because were in one of the wealthiest cities in the world. If i cant figure out a way to access some of that wealth, then shame on me. Since that story aired in 2014, jay stein decided hed had enough of the daily hustle of a cabbies life. He moved to florida where he now hustles in a new way. He brokers email data to advertisers. He struggles economically. Quote, he hustles his rearend off, only this time theres way more sunshine. The last story is to detroit, a city whose middle class is devastated by the near collapse of the u. S. Auto industry and the largest municipal bankruptcy in american history. The most startling symbol of detroits decline is urban blight. Entire neighborhoods once home to middle class auto workers are abandoned and decaying. In 2013 almost onefifth of all city structures were blighted. Since then, several thousand homes have been demolished, but the blight remains overwhelming. We found one man in detroit who sees beauty in the epidemic. Tony is a detroit native who spepds a lot of time taking stark photos of the citys decay and distress. Im tony mica. People know might know me as tony detroit. As of right now, i have over 350,000 followers on instagram. The pictures i post of detroit are basically pictures that i see every day just being a detroiter. Old architecture, homeless people, abandoned buildings, burnedout buildings. When i walk out the front door, its really different than any other city, big city in america, i believe in the sense that even on a saturday night, its pretty desolate. Looking through my instagram account, you can pull up pictures of many different areas of the city. Heres one from southwest detroit. A lot of the houses look as if it was abruptly abandoned, clothing in the drawers, food in the refrigerator. One of my favorite interior abandoned houses. Also theres the abandoned brewster projects. The brewster projects was opened in 1935. It was the first lowincome housing in the country. The history is still here. Smoking robinson played basketball here and lived here. Lily tomlin, aretha franklin, a lot of motown lived here. The few incidences where i was really threatened was in the brewster center. A lot of gangs, which is why theyre tearing it down. The ecosystem that comes from a blighted community is firstly drugs. We are on the east side of detroit on euclid street. Its pretty much overrun with crips. Its one of the most blighted parts of the city that ive known. Theyre either boarded up, burned down, or theyre whoa. Hold on. Bumpy ride. Theyre turned into drug houses. I dont think anybody lives on this block whatsoever. , which is why the road is in disrepair. Okay. This is not good. The people in the doorway. Okay. Its one of the most dangerous areas of the city. The street of hollywood on the east side of detroit appeals to me more so than any other street in the city because of the abandoned houses on this block. You can tell that such heart and soul was put into the making of it. Just left to rot. Were at the house on euclid street off of euclid and brush. Its been my favorite house to shoot because of the old architecture of the outside of it. Anybody home . Hello . The first rule as you go into an abandoned building, always announce yourself. You dont want to startle any squatters. A babys toy at the foot of the stairs. Everything i capture is basically as i find it. Very seldom do i move an object. Detroit has changed me. For people who say, oh, i only photograph the negative of detroit, i beg to differ. I think i show the world that, hey, look at me. Give me some help. Come at me all you want, but detroit is my life and my love, and i will never, ever talk bad about her. Tony now has more than 400,000 instagram followers, and he still photographs abandoned buildings both in detroit and beyond. Thats our show for today. Im ali velshi. Thank you for joining us. Ali velshi, getting to the heart of the matter. What if there were no cameras here, would be the best solution . This goes to the heart of the argument. People out here are struggling and just trying to get by with whatever they can. New york city has a higher level of inequality of wealth than honduras and india. People need to demand reform. Its coming together little by little. Were making it the best that we can. Were not deterred. Were building a historic project here. How big do you see this getting . Were trying to get a feel for what the people of iran are thinking right now. The galleries and the art and the parties, everything. Its getting better. Greece is this close to running out of cash. I went there to show you firsthand. If you paid taxes, you expect to having something back. The city is a powder keg at the moment. Were back square minus one. Now its time for something different. This is the entrance to the global seed vault. Nations around the world contribute stashes of every kind of seed imaginable if something really bad were to happen, humankind can start all over again. All year long we are continuing with our conversation on americas middleclass. Im on a mission that i have to keep. Keep this business going. The middleclass is a reflection of a citys economic health. It fuels the local economy like its been doing here at philadelphias italian market for the last 100 years. These are middleclass people who decided its much better to come back here and theyre working to fight to make changes. Proud to tell your stories. You know how they say that everybody has a purpose in life. Well, at one time i felt that selling cocaine was my purpose. I used to think that i was born to be a drug dealer. In the crack cocaine arena, ricky was the guy. His thing was that he wanted to be the biggest. He wanted everybody working for him and i think he kind of almost got there. I was going through like a Million Dollars worth of drugs just about every day. Hs
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