A community is a group of people connected to one another by a bond of some sort. This bond, be it, race, social class, or friendship, links the people living there together. A good community a can be an aid in the success of individuals living in that community. A bad community, however, can have detrimental affects to those who reside in it. They tend to act like glue traps which keep their residents in a never ending cycle of poverty. This is not say that there cannot be good bad neighborhoods and bad in good neighborhoods.
             I have seen this first hand growing up in Harlem in New York City. When people hear Harlem they associate it with "bad neighborhood." That title in some cases is justified but in others it is ill deserved. In this neighborhood, I have seen extreme acts of kindness as well as the worst in people. Harlem is a community of both extremes, as are many other communities. It is a community that has tight bonds and it has become a better place to live thanks to the change in people's attitudes. It can also act as a trap if you allow it to or as motivation to better ones live and the lives of those around you. There are those who fall victim to its drugs, gangs, and violence. These are the people who end up never leaving the hood and end up ultimately falling victim to it.
             I have learned to use this side of my community as motivation. I remind myself that this is where I came from and that I still have family in that community that I don't want to fall into the trap and will do what it takes to get them away from it. A community is people who are bonded together but, more importantly, it is in a sense a support group. As a support group, it plays a major role in the development of its residents, be this development positive or negative.
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