er in the SouthBronx is another prime example and areason why the children feel like they are being "thrownaway." Many residents believe that the waste burner is toblame for their health problems. Many children in thecommunity are only able to breathewith the use of a breathing machine because their asthma hasgotten so bad.(Amazing Grace, p. 170) Whythen would the city decide to put one there? Did the cityhave the residents in mind when they built thewaste burner in this community? The residents do not havemuch of a say in city, state or governmentalissues. Positions in government are held by wealthier andmore powerful people who more then likely have no firsthand knowledge of life in a low income ghetto. How can wechange this?To change a whole community involves much more thendirect practice with individuals. Counselingpeople on an individual basis gives individual responses. The problems of the South Bronx are not with the individualsthemselves, but rather community organizational problems. Changing the social policy of the community is of utterimportance in making it a better place to live. The norms forthe people inthese neighborhoods have gotten to be that of violence anddrugs. These are not healthy norms. Tochange them, the communities could use more education onsocial issues in the schools and communities tohelp the people learn to live healthier lifestyles, to get theword out that violence and disruptance arenot all right, and to help the people obtain some communityunity. Getting some of the well knowncommunity members involved in politics is another way theycould get their voices heard and let thegovernment know their needs and desires. Support groupsheld for people with AIDS, for people who have lost lovedones, and also for people who just need a place to talkabouttheir emotions and get their frustrations out, would help thecommunity as a whole and get more peopleinvolved in the healing process of that community. ...
