I live in the Eastside. I see the predatory advertisements every time I walk or drive in my neighborhood. I have the luxury of choices. I can choose to bank at a regular bank or credit union, I can choose to bypass the fastfood restaurants, I can choose to ignore the glaring billboards that send wrong messages to kids and families. People living in poverty don’t have these luxuries. They don’t have the options to spend a little more for fresh foods; They have to pick between a meal that costs $3.00 at a fast food chain or $6.00 at a grocery store. When parents need to feed their children and they want to make sure they have enough to make it through the week. These are tough choices and no family should be put in these types of situation. It is sad that we tolerate these types of conditions for families in Austin.
As I was coming home, I took pictures of these types of predatory advertisements. It’s real and they are plaguing the East Austin. See pics…
Church’s on East 7th Street
Predatory Income Tax Center on East 7th Street
Pay Day Loans Billboard on East 7th Street
Predatory Check Cashing Center on East 7th Street
Mando,
Congrats on this awesome and incredible task you’ve just finished (24 hours blogging, 42 hours of sleepless work).
One potential answer to dealing specifically with nutritional issues is to teach folks what is “healthy” (mostly fresh, leafy, green foods) vs. “unhealthy” (any packaged, processed, or artificially-flavored foods).
Surprisingly, many uninformed folks I’ve talked with think the words “Healthy” or “Low Fat” on the package magically make processed foods healthy.
The issue of having enough money to spend on food is a very real concern. I occasionally chat with folks at HEB who use the WIC card to try and stretch their limited budgets to cover all the growing mouths in their household, and it’s a challenge most middle-class families would fail rather quickly if placed on a similar budget. Yet some of these many folks on WIC somehow learn “tricks” to maximize eating healthy while forgoing the sugary, artificially-flavored and heavily-processed foods which lead to serious lifelong illness such as diabetes.
The absolute best way to deal with “predatory advertising” in East Austin is to educate folks, and encourage them to further educate their friends. Together we can evolve beyond cheap, fast food to embrace a more local, healthy approach to food.
Thanks! Great feedback. Education & meaningful dialogue are key to making this kind of change. Looks like you're already doing it! I appreciate your comment.
Si Se Puede!
Mando