Jumpin’ Down the Rabbit Hole

Abstract

Begins with a story of a young refugee, Tenderloin resident, and Tenderloin U student, illustrating the conditions of the neighborhood that many young people raised here normalize. A street encounter between students and “Big D” leads to a flashback to my ride-alongs with the police, who introduced me to neighborhood street youth. Thus began a long association with Big D, a Tongan giant, who runs the 200 block of Leavenworth Street. I hang out with the “Fish Stick” gang and learn that many children raised here actually like living here, feel safe here, and do well in spite of the conditions. The chapter concludes with questions related to why we, as a society, create such conditions, and how can studying there make our own lives more meaningful and purposeful?