This past Sunday afternoon on my way to my parents’ house for dinner, I decided to drive through downtown San Bernardino. It was my own impromptu experiment of sorts. I had just driven through downtown Riverside and watched as excited families walked from museum to museum as part of the city sponsored “First Sundays” art and culture programs for kids and teenagers. As I drove up the 215 Freeway to San Bernardino I wondered what I would see happening downtown there. Okay, I admit I knew what I would see, but I wanted to see if perhaps I was wrong.
I wasn’t.
After a quick exit off 2nd Street, what I observed driving down E Street was disheartening. Overgrown lots and empty buildings peppered with various campaign signs, served as a metaphor for the current state of affairs in a city that was once voted “All-America.” The looming empty hotel, sadly deserted Harris Building, and underutilized indoor mall, simultaneously symbolized a bustling past and a visionless present. Downtown was like a ghost town with the only signs of life being the homeless encampment in front of the Feldheym Library and a group of teenagers sitting outside the Light of the World Church.
I couldn’t help but think about not only the elected officials who were selfishly focused on their own interests or the interests of those entities that contributed to their campaigns, but of the masses of apathetic citizens, the very residents who live (and should vote) in the city who allowed the slow decay of their community as they watched. I kept wondering at what point do we as tax paying and contributing members of our society demand change? Demand cooperation? Demand accountability?
And for some reason, perhaps due to my many years as a student of American literature, I found myself thinking about the 19th century writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau. I know some of you are thinking, “what is she talking about?” Isn’t he the guy who wrote about isolation and spent years away from society in a cabin on the pond? And I’m sure even more of you are asking yourselves Henry David who?
Stay with me for a moment.
Astute critics of the city of San Bernardino often point to the islandization of the city council members and executive leadership as a continued source of the city’s woes. There is no spirit of cooperation among the elected leaders, even during the bankruptcy process, when the city needs their selfless and focused attention the most. Yes, the current crop of electeds have the shame of the city’s current condition on their hands, but so do the masses of apathetic citizens who watched it happen and didn’t vote out some of these so-called leaders sooner.
I agree with contemporary author Robert Sullivan who describes Thoreau’s 19th century experiment at Walden Pond as a philosophical exploration of the ideal city and his philosophy on citizenship as active engagement and ownership of the government. Thoreau’s city wasn’t utopia, like his Transcendental colleagues proposed, but a city owned by its citizenry.
With this upcoming recall effort in San Bernardino, it is up to the citizens to correct the problems that have been slowly destroying the city for decades. This November residents have an opportunity to become the reform-minded citizens Thoreau continues to inspire with his writings. Repairing the damage created by years of neglect, I believe, begins with supporting the recall effort, the continued engagement of the apathetic masses, and the election of individuals who work together to solve all the problems of the city not just serve their own interests.