Blocks of single-family homes were leveled and replaced with the densely populated public housing complexes that dominate the landscape. An elderly couple who live a block from Pope have seen the changes, too. The couple declined to give their names for fear of retribution from neighbors. The neighborhood's not what it used to be. In 1947, when they moved in, everyone knew all the neighbors and took care of their properties, she said.
Some houses sit empty.
Several houses between the elderly couple's house and Pope's house have been vacant for months, since their owners died. I don't want to say nothing bad about my neighbors, but lots of them are young and on welfare. I never wanted nothing to do with that welfare. She is proudly independent. At 84, she still has an office job, she said.