In his book titled Sidewalk, author Mitchell Duneier distinguishes between physical disorder and social disorder within an urban society. He and other sociologists including, Bernard E. Harcourt, Mike Davis and Sampson and Raudenbush challenge Wilson and Kelling’s “broken windows” theory, which I will go into more detail about. Later on in the Essay, I will reflect on Part 1 of Duneier’s work, titled “The Informal Life of the Sidewalk”. Throughout the text, we will “meet” several men and women trying to make “an honest living” on the sidewalks of Greenwich Village in New York City. Overall, Duneier sheds light on the lives of impoverished people, who seem to believe in the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He also draws inspiration
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In my opinion, this section of the book has a theme similar to that of Jane Jacobs, “The Death and Life of the Great American Cities.” There is great focus on the featured book vendors as public characters, especially Hakim Hasan who states, “People like me are the eyes and ears of this street” (Duneier, 1999:17). Although Hakim is “just” a used book vendor, he is well aware of and proud of his position in the urban society of Greenwich Village. “The sidewalk book table draws a wide cross section of browsers and readers, fostering interaction between people who might never otherwise mix” (Jacobs, 2000). This quote makes clear the importance of these men and women in creating a diverse, healthy neighborhood which stems from informal social relations. Hasan, Duneier, and Jacobs alike, believe that public characters are essential to the social structure of sidewalk life. It is their unofficial job to spread the word throughout the neighborhood city streets. Duneier summarizes the importance of magazine vendors stating, “They keep their eyes upon the street, and the structure of sidewalk life encourages them to support one another” (Duneier, 1999:43). The Sidewalk documentary also reveals the less appealing aspects of these men and women such as instances of catcalling, drug addiction and alcoholism, homelessness, and using the restroom in public. Duneier’s goal was to portray these members of society in the most truthful way possible, exposing the ups and downs of trying to earn a buck to
In my opinion, this section of the book has a theme similar to that of Jane Jacobs, “The Death and Life of the Great American Cities.” There is great focus on the featured book vendors as public characters, especially Hakim Hasan who states, “People like me are the eyes and ears of this street” (Duneier, 1999:17). Although Hakim is “just” a used book vendor, he is well aware of and proud of his position in the urban society of Greenwich Village. “The sidewalk book table draws a wide cross section of browsers and readers, fostering interaction between people who might never otherwise mix” (Jacobs, 2000). This quote makes clear the importance of these men and women in creating a diverse, healthy neighborhood which stems from informal social relations. Hasan, Duneier, and Jacobs alike, believe that public characters are essential to the social structure of sidewalk life. It is their unofficial job to spread the word throughout the neighborhood city streets. Duneier summarizes the importance of magazine vendors stating, “They keep their eyes upon the street, and the structure of sidewalk life encourages them to support one another” (Duneier, 1999:43). The Sidewalk documentary also reveals the less appealing aspects of these men and women such as instances of catcalling, drug addiction and alcoholism, homelessness, and using the restroom in public. Duneier’s goal was to portray these members of society in the most truthful way possible, exposing the ups and downs of trying to earn a buck to