Sundown Culture

It was originally one of my LinkedIn.com journalistic articles when I relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida. Approximate word count: 2700 range. Wading through a façade of fake nice.

The dog and pony show that those that are revealed to be Sundown Towns to be, "We embrace all cultures," there's difference from saying it than living in a place that really is one.  

    No matter how much of a stellar resume that one would have, when they're in a Sundown Community looking for work, they have to be wary about giving them the dollars -- what might be seen as a chain store in Florida is a local place for me. I was talking with some employees at the Gulfport, Florida, Walgreens suggesting they have shirts that reflect the origin of where the store is. Walgreens is based in small village in Lake County along The North Shore, this is normally where Chad and Trixie hang out when chased out of The South Side. Deerfield's metropolitan area is about close to Highland Park, Illinois. 

   The village came to realization in 1903, meaning it's older than Gulfport and the settler John Millen suggested the name change, though it was originally populated by the Potawatomi.

   Little Rock of The North became what this area had been dubbed. So what Gulfport can learn from Deerfield about Integration was that it was a heated debate in 1959 though Walgreens is a major employer in Saint Petersburg, though the invitation to bring Illinois out-of-staters to the Florida incarnation to give it a genuine Illinois attitude.  

    I told the Gulfport Walgreens manager in the Illinois version of the wing; they saw 30 years of business from me while in Morris and Joliet. So the one who worked The Gulfport Walgreens was helping me find one of their store brand colas; one that the Morris version had where it was in a glass bottle. Looking on those who are in Florida and transplanted looking for work, those who are freelance are in for an uphill climb with the buy and read local; though some of us brought our news stories with us to report on the perspective we have, though it will never be a 100 word count.

   "We cannot help you, please don't message us," when the questions become more heated -- I kind of knew about the Sundown Town reputations in the South but a few in Illinois was surprising to me.  

    I noted quite a few trying to say I am putting Illinois first when I should be putting money in the local out here, I might gone to lunch at a few local joints though at times I felt the stereotyping just dripping through the walls. Sundown Towns are where Chad and Trixie are left in charge. 

    Chad and Trixie are a slang term in Chicago and yes you will hear it uttered when they're the ones who are standing along the wall with too much to drink.  

    Yes, we can get pretty damn derogatory with those who are these two.  With Walmart teaming up with Toronto based Kobo, the indie saw marketshare in a big-box the first time but we're the ones who have to show them how to work with them. The whole thing that the locals want to put the ones who are more accomplished than their locals in a situation where they're washing dishes in a kitchen or forcing them to take Culinary because it's a punishment detail. Well, on the record... I was a former bagel baker before I went freelance and became a fledgling freelance webmaster at the time.

   "I think you helped me more than you know, though you might be anti-Walmart they helped me more than you even begun to." 

  "We are Indie Author friendly," excuse me while I interject them there.

  "Indie to you, someone who doesn't export their work and bring those who don't farm out their material to other states or my case had farmed out internationally to a British magazine. Now think about that a minute, rule out the use of email, free word processors [Either download or online] and PayPal or Cash.App then they would have even taken out the freelance writing jobs. 

    If it isn't local, it shouldn't be published in print or farmed out more that's their world as seen from a lens known as New American Localism -- therefore making it damn near impossible for the freelance writer to write longer works. The area would have them stuck in jobs where unskilled labor is overflowing. Walmart might be a big-box though more tech-savvy indies are getting noticed because of the advent of Kobo merging with them. They want the literature of Old Gulfport, what the hell is that in my eyes?

   I brought a news story to the table about a woman who died of an enlarged heart to the one who only plays a reporter on television. That happened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Florida is not exact with locations when they report on those who are out of the Midwest.  I was dropped a bombshell by someone from a nonprofit; one of their directors was presented with a pink slip. I told the one to do his research about the media up North (Direct North not Northeast.)

    "I want to talk to you journalist to journalist."

   That is something going down and the locals who saw that one knew they had to inform themselves about the Milwaukee scenario because I wrote about such cases in 2006.  

   A 2400-word piece about beach cleanup is not my issue; though I noticed chicken dinner stories showing up here and there. Saint Petersburg is what they dub the term hyperlocal. I don't understand the hyperlocal where they are willing to ignore a news story of a woman who dies at 25 of an enlarged heart? This is the heart of Sundown Culture where hyperlocal is the news story.  When the rest of the region might see hyperlocal as something of hard to be taken seriously with journalism at large. 

     The realm of hyperlocal; Fair Trade doesn't register with them. Those of who are pushing hyperlocal on me, safe to say that in Illinois hyperlocal doesn't work. When publishing is involved one has to be open to other areas and communities; even outside of Florida to be published because if they're hyperlocal when someone from out of state has something legit to say -- then those who are from here have a lot of nothing to say when they realize the out-of-stater knows they're in  Sundown Community and learning what's private property and public lands -- Saint Petersburg, Downtown is entirely private property to journalists. 

     Handbilling is a tough issue because getting the word out for a freelance job is something that has an uphill climb; especially asking for a Northern news savvy to play this up.

   "Farming out isn't in our vocabulary nor it shouldn't be in yours either."

    "Oh the hell with you there."

    "I know about your Sundown Community, and why I farm out allows me to be published because where I lived in Illinois was extremely rural? When you're a Sundown Culture, where is the real culture in that when you're shunning the idea of farming out and how a big-box really did help indies."

    "This article is too long for me; I cannot read over 2800-word counts."

    That sounds like something Trixie might say if she is going around Oak Lawn, Illinois.  

   I might note the handbilling of those who tell me to stop shopping at Walmart, well I know how to back up Walmart, "Look Walmart gave my authors work when they were between working freelance gigs, they're my clients too while I have work on Kobo.com. You really are hurting the indie when you're boycotting Walmart."  

    I know I am not handbilling though I had posted fliers with my email address for locals to do the introduction for my classmate's project though the way with Gulfport is carrying themselves getting an introduction writer from Bangladesh or Pakistan might be more inviting now.  The nonprofits in Florida make it impossible to get freelance work because they flood your inbox with Beach cleanup leaflets. Well I told them clearly to take my email off the lists because how was I supposed to know if my classmate has the anthology introduction to work with? 

     "We're not able to help you..."

     "I think you helped me enough to say that I am an advocate of fair trade, you really are not being fair to those who are farming their work out to places like Lulu.com, Blurb.com, CreateSapce.com or other places that give them a platform." I know that will sting because I said in an email, she just plays a reporter on television.

     The other out-of-stater my age read the emails I wrote, "Did I just see ten burns in one paragraph?"

    "Oh man; I don't even know how many people will be torqued at this but man you laid it on the table with the situation in Milwaukee, it's like they don't even tell us about this here."

   The author in this area well vanity press author badmouthed my boss and singled out an African out-of-stater.  These authors never appeared in a 40-author volume or an et. al. situation where the Sundown Community is in play though the facade of "embrace all cultures," I have to interject where they never walked around Glendale Heights, Illinois, in other words the "embrace all cultures," is a bold face lie. I spoke with two from Chamber of Commerce explaining how something in Milwaukee if they ignore what happened would be a complete public relations nightmare because it would remind them that they're still a Sundown Community.

     When Walmart Associates noticed I am one of the publishers who published an associate from Vancouver, a Largo one noticed the connection as their Five Alarm fire story caught wind all the way back home.  If all the Walmart associates got together and produced a volume they could follow in the closing author's footsteps.  McDonald's workers saw the seeds planted when noticing Draft2Digital can be a way out for them too.  

  The idea that comes to mind when they try to be multicultural; the reality the locals never existed in such societies and how they remotely taken seriously when they are wanting to claim they embrace all cultures. What does Chad and Trixie even begin to know about culture?  

    The culture they offer is often tainted; and violates zoning laws.  They're as cultured as wonder beard. What I propose to the Chamber of Commerce of Gulfport, to learn about other cultures without the Sundown Community Bias to travel up to Chicago and stay in one of the many hostels (some hostels allow in-state stays but others they say "No Illinois ID allowed.")  

   I suppose the journalism in this area is looking for more chicken dinner pieces than something where they can have a teachable moment.  I am living proof that citizen journalism supports the bigger guys; I appeared with one of them -- and produced the in-depth landmark in the movement though community journalism in Florida is not the same, they don't thrive on the in-depth or look away on those who produce it. 

    When this was first introduced the piece fell on Black History Month and a Sundown Community attempts to teach locals about Black History; they want to learn about this go up to Proviso Township in Illinois then talk about the glamour of their beloved little city when they will be told, "Your city is a Sundown Community."  

    The Pattern Of Diagnosis is a landmark that bridges the gap between neighborhood journalism and investigative work. What can Florida learn from piece like this; to be more in-depth and direct with those who came here -- and not from here originally.  I noticed an author who was trying to get his book in the library there and noticed something missing, an ISBN, the criticism he was offended by the lack of an ISBN made it hard for him to be even taken remotely serious about being a published author.  

    I was reading about the tornado in Seminole, I am going to say this tornado is not a serve one though Pinellas County should read up on the EF-3 or EF-4 that Illinois gets though. Though those kind of news stories that area is in one ear and out the other.

   Someone on the bus I was talking to said, "Wait, Sundown Communities, I heard about these. You're the first one to really say the term in the open."

     I knew the questions to ask how to address such a town.

    "How come I don't see many minorities visit or shop in the shops?"

    Then the question becomes, "If you really want the residents to shop and live local, do away with the email, abolish PayPal or Square then prohibit use of Etsy.com? Therefore, you would had ruled out fair trade, and freedom of choice."

   I was suggesting they target a minority that's not African-American or Italian-American because they had a Chad trying to hand-toss a pie. They should research the subject of Sundown Communities because they might realize what they're discussing with Black History Month they hardly have a minority venture into the town so what do they know about minorities? Those who are minority-based Law Enforcement I asked about the communities and the same with the Post office who had African-Americans working in Saint Petersburg, Florida's southmost post-office.  I walked out of town knowing what I know and walked all the way to Central Station in Downtown Saint Petersburg.

     One of the tourists knew of my contributor when he was a tenor with The Boston Globe, then saw my work "I know your work as a journalist. Gulfport be careful around him because he can spot someone white-washing history."

    "Officer this man was in my shop four days," the owner claimed. I was there only a day and a half with my debit card and with my EBT. The bold face lie that Sundowns tell someone, and it was the African-American police officer saying, "I believe the Italian over the local."

     I was giving the shop owner the dirtiest look. 

     If they're telling you, "We embrace all cultures..."

     In truth they're lying to you unless they take a few together with your project after reading the news stories one brought to the table. Don't even think about becoming a publisher knowing this information is on the damned table. So those who might be approaching Gulfport for working; please be careful if one is a true minority because this is a community where it's predominately ran by Trixie or Chad. Those who are going hyperlocal it's hurting the skilled workers who are graphic designers or publishers, because the one who runs the Local Only location in Gulfport should take a refresher class in graphic design and Social Studies. This is when it's time to remind them that in the Midwest, Good is not Nice, I suggest take a look around at places that sell our carbonated drinks before you think about your hyperlocal markets.

    I walked around one of the local job-fairs and raised a few questions though the thing they don't truly think beyond a resume and discourage me to think beyond one at times. 

    The thing that comes to mind when in this area the lines are blurred what is public land and private property; that comes to mind when reporting on a piece.  The problem with community journalism is they ignore too much. I will try to give though there are times when I find out a community is a Sundown so I engage in the Fair-Trade rule. 

     Hyperlocality mocks this to the core.  

    The term Hyperlocal had been in play since I was 15 years old though I was doing more research on it -- the whole thing when places that do business with other communities out of state might be blasphemy to them. The idea that community journalism sells well pending on whom is reporting on it.  

    The Pattern Of Diagnosis [found here] is a story that saw both local and national stages within independent media -- meaning I saw publication in Philly with the piece and while I was living in Morris, Illinois, the community encouraged me to farm out because they knew I was an export from the gitgo.

Author's Note

The cover yet in play though I want to do the formatting and font-work; this had originally been from Linkedin.com the images will been from my Nokia 2790 the related article to this is on FictionPress.com [Discarded Ideas: Covid-19 Pinellas Beaches] these two articles were published before my classmate was ready as a publisher. The aspects before looking into this article read works similar to this size before taking part in an anthology either works on here or on FictionPress which happen to be comparable sized