Article September 29, 1997 Issue

Loving a city instead of fearing it

Marcia Simmons Ross

Recently , when I was returning to New Jersey from a vacation, I read in a magazine on the airplane that New York City is being revitalized. My thoughts wandered back to quite a few years ago when it was referred to by some as "hate city."

At that time the city was on the brink of bankruptcy, and many policemen were being shot. Everybody I knew was afraid to go there, and without realizing it I must have accepted all this even though I knew that God is everywhere and that He loves every one of His children.

One special summer evening I was driving from New Jersey to New York City to meet my husband for dinner, leaving the children at home with a baby sitter. I crossed the George Washington Bridge and turned onto the Henry Hudson Highway, but as I approached 125th Street I could see columns of black smoke coming from the area where I was headed. All traffic came to a halt. To avoid getting stuck in traffic, I turned off the highway and began to drive downtown through the inner city. All of a sudden I was overcome with fear. And all I could think of was that this was "hate city."

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