My 2 cents on Bezos...after seeing what Amazon has NOT done for Stockton
Stockton, CA is not a "destination" for many... My son recently was stationed there for the California Conservation Corps so I went to visit on his last day off before being sent out on assignment.
I googled a few "things to do in Stockton" saw there was the Bob Hope Theater, the Marina and river activities, etc...not much so I decided a trip to the mall with AC might be a better way for us to hang out.
Stockton is a hub of commerce and transportation. Both I-5 and Hwy 99 that traverse the state come through here. BIG buildings on the outer edges of town that have Blue trim and the Amazon trucks are moving stuff through the hub, the airport is directly by the USPS as well.
So out in the fields beyond town is where there's 2 HUGE new Amazon buildings for shipping...and yet around the whole area is poverty and squalor. Houses are few and far between, but most are run down with cars in the yard etc. lots of litter...there's some fast food and 7-11 right next to the freeway, but that's about it. It's a mile walk from the CCC facility to the 7-11 where the kids go for snacks, smokes, etc.
The mall was way out on the other side of town, definitely in a "better" neighborhood, fewer bars on windows... just beyond it seemed to be a more middle class area. But near downtown was this mix of delapidation and a city trying to pull itself out of something...
We ended up circling downtown cuz there was a movie theater and my son had the idea to see a movie. but the parking was on street and I was literally not comfortable leaving my car unattended.The Homeless population is everywhere and the huge camp is literally right next to the Marina. (Not bashing the homeless, just felt like increased risk for crime, very "sketchy" feeling)
I was horrified by the amount of obvious poverty and the obvious decay of the area. (And I grew up in Oakland, so I've seen a few things...)
Id never really been there, but it was obvious that some buildings had been fixed up, but there were NO commercial businesses inside. Other buildings were literally condemned and boarded up, gorgeous historical buildings just left to rot...
And the Bob Hope Theater is beautiful, flanked by 2 empty buildings in decay as well...
~ ~ ~
So When I think of Bezos, I think about someone who capitalizes on the cheap land outside of a struggling city, where eradicating poverty/homelessness and rebuilding could be a way to help mankind...and he chooses to play astronaut.
I bet he's never driven through that city, either. But his new buildings are sure shiny. wonder where he will find the workers?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Response to FirstLight (Original post)
When the otherwise lovely downtown surrounding a seaport and served by rail could have revitalized like so many other cities have, it chose to push outward, occupying more and more acreage of prime farmland.
That mall you're talking about was built in the 60s and began the demise of the downtown that formerly had the Sears Roebuck, Penneys, Newberry's and more. It's always been easier for developers to build new shiny things while letting older things die.
We now have those suburbs around March and Robinhood, the mall, in deep decline while newer developments, Brookside and things even further north along 8 mile road, are more popular.
The south side has always been in and stayed in decline, thus the opportunity for an employer like Amazon to drop in and exploit those already living in poverty.
Stockton is, to some degree, a bedroom community to jobs in the Bay Area. It's a shame they never courted higher paying high tech industries as much as they might have.
And, don't blame the mayor or the council. There are hard-working well-meaning people in that town, always have been, but national politics and economics prey on communities like Stockton, one of the hardest hit during the mortgage mess.
