apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I don't live in a city, so I've never seen a house like this.

I don't understand - is it a duplex with each half separately owned? If the occupied half is going to repaint, why not repaint the whole house, even if no one is living inside the other half?

Along the same lines, I wonder what the squatters rights are in these areas. Most of these look like half the house has been empty for a very long time - couldn't the owners after a certain amount of time just expand into the other half or renovate the rooms? I'm terribly confused.

Isn't the coat hanger the odd one out? Split townhouse, [coat hanger], splitting headache if you stand like that for long, banana split?

I agree totally with dewgirl.
Furthermore, why is it only in 'middleclass' neighborhoods that residents take care of empty buildings and keep the police updated?
Don't the neighbors in 'lowerclass' neighborhoods have the ability to do the same? I know the answer to this: They do but they don't care.
Signed: A person who has always picked up everyone's garbage so that my street/environment stays clean - posh neighborhood or not.

I find the Jesus hangar to be offensive. Even if you are not a Christian, the death of any person is tragic event, and should be treated with respect. I am not sure that the image of a tortured body is an appropriate place to hang your hat. Sometimes edgy is cool, sometimes it's offensive.

well EAM, considering one of the example homes shows a guy who can't even afford to replace the missing windows in his house because he can't afford $45 for each one, I'd say the people living here have extremely limited financial resources and can't justify the expense of more paint or a larger home. Chances are their current home is all they can afford. A couple cans of exterior paint can run upwards of $100 or more. That's a lot of money to a lot of people. I think it is dangerous to say they just "don't care."

And yes, these semi detached homes are separately owned. There is no common maintenance.

I agree that the Jesus hanger is in poor taste. It'd be one thing if it was just the image of Jesus, but the image of him suffering on the cross is what takes it over that line. Not only that, but it's insensitive to beliefs of any houseguests you may have that are Christian or even just admire Jesus as a historical figure.

Jesus isn't off limits. People have done worse with his image.

The answer to the coat hanger question is, "Yes." It is both equivalent to the Buddha-Zen iconography, and it is offensive. Both decor choices evidence a sad lack of cultural competency.

I'm not particularly religious, but I find the jesus hanger to be in very poor taste. religious icons should be treated with respect, whether you believe in them or not. I don't think you absolutely have to believe in a particular religion to have elements of it in your home: you could have a beautiful cross on your wall or a buddha statue because you appreciate the crafstmanship, the history, the cultural significance, for example. but I do believe such items should be treated and displayed with respect and should not be in the home to make some ironic, hipster statement.

Jesus coat hanger? Gee... why stop there? Why not a Jesus peg hook, you know... wall-mounted with pegs on his hands and his feet. There could even be a nice thorny crown for small bits, like rings.

Please!

The image of a human being who was tortured to death, regardless of your religious leanings, should not be used in such a callous fashion.

EAM,
People in poor neighborhoods do not get the police response that middle and upper class neighborhoods do. You live in a bubble if you think that the people don't want the same type of 'safe' neighborhoods as wealthier people do. Most of them rent from slum lords that do not do repairs or keep up the buildings even though they ask them to.

re: split houses in camden. as one who grew up in the town next to camden, nj (beautiful pennsauken, nj) where these photos were taken and whose mother grew up in camden, nj, it is unfortunate that the residents simply can not do better.

camden did have its hayday but that time has long past. it is not that they don't care. far far far from it. i witnessed the decline of camden first hand. the small city had several large corporations move away and those who owned there were left stuck - no jobs, no resources and it has gotten progressively worse.

yes, someone could call the police or city hall about the disrepair and neglect; however, the city's budget is so cash strapped that they don't even have the man power to handle the actual crime, much less deal with a home that no one lives in. it's a sad situation.

they probably could expand into the next building without much resistence but that would take money to do. home equity loan? what equity? what income, to repay it for that matter? many of these homes have been bought and paid for and the residents are not paying a mortgage anymore - neither could they afford to if they could. they're not choosing to live this way just because they want to. camden is literally the poorest city in america.

I'm guessing that most folks offended by a Jesus coat hanger wouldn't buy one. Problem solved.

If someone finds it funny and wants to put it in their home who cares?

Worrying about how someone else might be offended by the way you use an object is a losing proposition all around. Buddhists offended by the rather lame displays of their iconography we have seen for the last two decades should probably remind themselves that the objects don't really matter.

The Jesus hanger is of very poor taste, but I have to admit I also find it very funny... its actually better than the abused use of "decorative" Buddha imagery since it is iconoclast and impudent.
Atheism or/and iconoclasm are also beliefs in themselves, and if they are assumed by the person who lives there I say OK.

That Camden photo series kinda breaks my heart.

"our" better half? REALLY? This is just getting silly.

Dewgirl: Yes, each half is separately owned.

If the occupied half is going to repaint, why not repaint the whole house, even if no one is living inside the other half? - Because they cannot afford to, and because they have no legal right to, and because it will get re-wrecked and robbed in short order.

Most of these look like half the house has been empty for a very long time - couldn't the owners after a certain amount of time just expand into the other half or renovate the rooms? - No, they don't own the property. Moreover, they probably cannot afford the renovations or the paint.

Eam:

Furthermore, why is it only in 'middleclass' neighborhoods that residents take care of empty buildings and keep the police updated? - Because the people in middleclass neighborhoods have more money for repairs, more response from police, and are less likely to get mauled by a crackhead or violent felon in the building.

Don't the neighbors in 'lowerclass' neighborhoods have the ability to do the same? I know the answer to this: They do but they don't care. - Have you ever tried to call the Camden cops and tell them you saw "a suspicious person" somewhere in the ghetto and waited to see how long it is before they turn up and what they can do about it? You'll be waiting a while, pack a lunch.

Have you ever tried to just shoo away a pimp or a dealer with the force of that moral indignation or do you just use it for poor homeowners who can't do much about the people next door?

If the cops show, the guy is still going to just wander 3 doors down to the NEXT vacant building. This is Camden we're talking about. "Keep the police updated" - you sound like a fool.

I'm not impressed that you pick up trash. You think you're better than people with less support system in place.

Signed,
Actually Been To Camden