Homewood West is located on the eastern side of Pittsburgh and is one of three neighborhoods that make up the Homewood community, along with Homewood North and Homewood South. Homewood West was once a thriving neighborhood with an abundance of upper-class families and an economy that was heavily dependent on the city's rail system, which made economic opportunities readily available and affordable, affordable housing (Allegheny County DHS 2010). African Americans were the first to inhabit Homewood, however many whites moved into the neighborhood, causing tension within the community, at a time when racism was still a major factor in society. According to the Allegheny DHS (2010), in 1910 the population of Homewood was 30,000. The residents and workers who came to Homewood were skilled workers and small business owners (Allegheny DHS 2010). The social classes were those of a stable neighborhood; the upper middle class, the working class family and the poor. The situation would change dramatically over the next century, when a massive influx of African Americans migrated to Homewood. In the early 1960s, Homewood was 70% black (Allegheny DHS 2010). The riots that occurred after Martin Luther King's assassination caused damage to businesses that led to the failure of the rail system, making this the primary reason why demographic change caused Homewood's economy to collapse (Allegheny DHS 2010). This scared white and black middle-class families, who left for more stable jobs in the city, as African Americans continued to flock to Homewood West's now unstable economy towards the end of the industrial era. Today, after the population decline, more than a third of people live in poverty, and 17……half of paper……but they use this senseless violence to come closer as a community and see their trials and tribulations as a sign of strength as they overcome all these problems. With the positive and ambitious attitude of the residents along with programs like Operation Better Block to stop the deterioration of buildings, Homewood Children's Village which cares for children in their early stages of life, I truly believe that Homewood West can become a place where business they can thrive, and parents won't have to worry about their children getting caught in the crossfire of a gang war on their way home from school. Nothing upsets residents more than seeing one negative media story after another cause this negative stigma and keep everyone away. It's about time their voices were heard and then hopefully we can hear a whole new story of Homewood West, a story of peace and prosperity..