While interviewing neighbors about their hope for the Central District, I met a white man in his thirties, cleaning out flower pots in his garden. When I asked about his hopes for the neighborhood, he said, "'I'd like to see more pride in the neighborhood." I agree, I thought instinctively. That's what we all want, isn't it, a sense of community, a place to live we can all be proud to call home. When I pressed him for more details, he said, "Less loitering. Less littering." And I realized that pride for him, didn't have anything to do with connecting with the people in his community. It was cosmetic, about the objects around him. I was disappointed. But then I walked home, and I went up the stairs, and felt a small twinge of relief that there none of my very nice neighbors were on the porch to share small talk. I make theater, which is all about human connection, based on fundamental transactions between people, and I assume all the time that these connections are as necessary as breathing. But even though I know I need those moments of connection, that I need a sense of community, I don't always want them. Sometimes I too just want "No littering, no loitering.
