Don’t always believe what you hear

Commentary by Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig

For the past three years — since I moved to the Bay Area — the one place I was told to stay away from was the city of Richmond.
   “You don’t want to live there … too much crime,” some would say.
    “Not much besides trouble comes out of there,” said others.
    So like a good Bay Area newbie, I listened. I headed out to Hilltop Mall a couple of times (can’t keep this girl away from her Wal- Mart), but that’s about all the experience I had beyond the tragic news accounts I would read on a somewhat regular basis.
    Then I realized, it was only “somewhat regular,” not often. Being in the news business, I began to hear more good stories than bad. As I expanded my horizons, I soon met more people who either worked or lived in Richmond, and to me, they seemed to be doing okay — and be happy.
    I decided it was time to check out for myself this city by the bay that gets such a bad rap.
    I took BART to the end of the line and walked through parts of downtown. This allowed me to really see the “bad environment” and “troubled people” I had heard so much about. Now, besides the strange guy on the train who kept asking everyone for change as we entered the station — who soon was handcuffed by BART police — the people I saw didn’t look very different from those in several other bay cities I frequent.
    In fact, the city of Richmond looked like most of the urban environments I have experienced. There was blight, there was evidence of crime and there were the usual unsavory characters here and there. But like so many things in life, when opportunity presents itself, the good can outweigh the bad.
    During my travels to the northwest, I talked with Amanda Elliott, a longtime Richmond resident and executive director of the Richmond Main Street Initiative. The organization, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to revitalizing the city’s historic downtown area into “a pedestrian-friendly urban village, offering products, services, arts and entertainment that reflect the community’s rich and diverse heritage.” By starting at the heart of the city, the organization believes there will be a trickle-out effect to other parts of Richmond.
    I quickly began to see the potential in my surroundings. I met people at the Nevin Center and saw their commitment to the youth in the area. I traveled along the shoreline and saw the beautiful homes and properties there. I learned about the young adult training programs offered by the Richmond Main Street Initiative to help encourage potentially successful teens to contribute to their community.
    And remember the infamous “Iron Triangle”? Well, to highlight its origin — the three railroad tracks that once bordered it — and to help eliminate the negative perception people have of the area, the city now refers to it as the Historic Triangle. I learned that there are a lot of historical features in this mislabeled community, and that it’s home to the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Park.
    Hmmm … I’m beginning to have a newfound respect for Richmond. Don’t believe me? Then check out the city’s Home Front Festival this weekend — the second annual celebration of local sights, sounds and tastes.
    Sure, it is a three-day event that will attempt to paint Richmond at its best. The point is, there is a best.
    Elliott said it’s all about perception, and she encourages others to “be a part of the change you want to see.”
    And in turn, it’s up to us to see, and acknowledge, that change.
   For more information on the Home Front Festival, visit homefrontfestival.com.

Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig is an award-winning, professional journalist who resides in Oakland. If you have an individual, organization, issue or other topic that may be of interest to the Globe’s readers, contact her at  talk2mfc@yahoo.com.