Running head: UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

Part 1 of 2: Understanding Your Community

Wayne State University
Oliviah Marshall

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

The following document is part 1 of 2. Part one of the assignment will analyze Lapeer
County, Michigan, in depth focusing on issues presented currently (within a time lapse of 20132015), and recent past (2005-2007). In part one, I will begin with gathering data within the
selected time frames and use the information to provide the basis of a commutative analysis.
Points of topic will refer to community functioning, analysis of community change, community
member interaction and perspectives. I will also discuss how theoretical concepts can enhance
understanding of communities by implementing a supporting theory. To provide the assessment
with conclusion, I will also present my reflection and personal analysis on the community by
discussing how it has contributed to the individual I am today.

I will provide my commutative analysis on Lapeer County, Michigan; more specifically,

zip code 48446. A centroid of 43.056 latitude and -83.382 longitude. Lapeer has 11,077 single

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

family addresses, and 1,034 multifamily addresses, as well as 1,064 business addresses registered
with the US Postal Service (Hometown Locator, 2015). In 1998, when I was six years old and
finishing kindergarten, my family moved to Lapeer. We lived in the same house, across the street
from my elementary school until 2007, and we moved out of Lapeer in 2008.
In this analysis, I will be referring to the distant past as years 2007 and 2008, which
served my freshman and sophomore levels in high school. I have chosen to analyze this point of
time because it was a significant mile stone in my life; I entered high school, I started becoming
independent, realizing and interpreting life around me and having the ability to somewhat
understand what it all meant. I am curious to see how my life at that time will be provided
through data and statistics. The recent past will be analyzed through the year of (or closely
surrounding) 2013. I believe I will find a significantly increased amount of information for 2013
than 2014 due to the year previously ending, however, should current 2014 or 2015 data be
found, it will be referenced.
Community Then and Now

THEN
NOW

Est.

White

Black

Hispanic/Latin

Births

Deaths

Population
91,869
88,153

96%
84.4

1.3%
7.6

o
4%
7.3

967
807

659
764

(BRB Pub, 2015) (US Census Bureau , 2015) (Department, 2013-2015)

The reportings show an increase in the African American population, with a decrease in
White population as compared to data in 2007. As a social worker, I begin to wonder if this is
due to white flight. Another theory could relate to the idea of original African American
families in Lapeer settling and expanding their families for decades inside the city.
Total

Manufacturin

Per Capita

Below

Home Value

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

THEN
NOW

Industrial

Personal

Poverty

Earning
$1,088,271
$1,045,730

$249,348
$256,378

Income
$30,211
$34,720

Level
10.1%
6.8%

$96,600
$80,216

(BRB Pub, 2015) (OnBoard Infomatics , 2015) (Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP), 2015)

Many sources prove manufacturing, specializing in metal or plastic factories, to continue

as Lapeers wealthiest industry within the city.

THEN

High School

Some

Bachelors

Unemployme

Graduate

College/Associat

Degree and

nt Rate

(GED)
9.3%

es Degree
3.4%

Above
4.4%

17.8%

6.5%

7.1%

1.5%

21.8%

(2009)

NOW (2013)

(United States Census Bureau, 2014)

Throughout my research, I found it interesting that the overall city decreased in

population, but African American population increased. There are still three high schools in
Lapeer, however; recently two new junior highs were built. It makes me wonder why there is an
extra need for junior high population, but the high school has yet to be remodeled since they
were first built. The graduation rate is not extraordinarily low, leaving me to ponder on the idea
that there is not enough attendance in high school to support a remodel or new building, or
families move out of the city before reaching high school ages. As a social worker, and
conducting my research and survey of the city, I am very curious to have feedback regarding the
school system.
Crime

Murder

Rape

Rate
THEN

Robberie

Assaults

Burglar

Theft

Auto

Arson

Theft

Violent
Crime

299.7

35

37

368

25

Rate
233

278.6

21

41

346

186

(2005)

NOW

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

(2012)
*Per 100,000 (Advameg, 2015)

According to research in Lapeer, Michigan, there are 131 registered sex offenders as of
April, 2015. The ratio of number of residents in Lapeer to the number of sex offenders is 67 to 1.
With the current population of 88,153, and a reported 7 rapes in Lapeer during the year of 2012, I
would not believe this to be a social issue within the city that acquires immediate attention.
Community Functioning Then and Now
In this section of analysis, I will begin to compare and contrast Lapeer overall
functioning then and now. Regarding the area of production, I believe Lapeer has met the
needs for the city. As referenced above, Lapeers manufacturing industry is the leading source of
income for the community. Since manufacturing earnings, as well as personal income has
decreased, the community shows it is meeting its production needs. To further support this idea,
Lapeers poverty level has decreased. Though the unemployment rate has increased since 2009,
college attendance has increased, which could be a strong cause for having to quit a job. While
living in Lapeer, I fully remember it as a tight knit community. There were only two high
schools, and one alternative school, so it felt as if you knew everyone. On Friday nights, the
city came together to watch high school football games, and the ultimate rival game of Lapeer
East versus Lapeer West, you could expect to have parked cars for miles from the field and
everyone dressed in the school of choice colors.
Aside from school spirit, I remember Wal-Mart Supercenter being the biggest thing to hit
the town the entire time I lived there; and still only has three grocery stores. You often hear the
phrase going into town when referring to grocery shopping. Many residents in Lapeer choose
one day to go grocery shopping, run errands and eat out since the travel time could be up to 25

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

minutes depending on where you lived in the community. There was, and still is not much
community involvement as a whole. Unless you attend high school, most people stick to
themselves and stay home.
The community has one recreation center, which is directly across from Lapeer East High
School, making it difficult for residents living West in the city to have access. When I was
growing up, there was a movie theatre and other than that, there was not much to offer to teenage
activities. Now, the city has built new plazas, fast food restaurants but still lacks activity or
extracurricular activity options for children and teenagers.
The Lapeer Judicial System holds all social control for the community. Many teenagers
would get in trouble for petty crimes or theft (from Wal-Mart mostly) and be processed through
the judicial system. There is a very old and outdated courthouse that serves all purposes for the
city: marriage, divorce, probate court, friend of the court, lawyers. When I was growing up in
Lapeer, I was in the same grade as the county prosecutors son. The prosecutor was known
throughout Lapeer. Now, that same man is encountering his own court trial, as he is being
charged with embezzlement. Now, there are many more police on the streets than when I was
growing up, but overall, the city complies with Lapeer norms and values regularly.
Though the city is known as tight knit, I refer this phrase more to the idea of it being a
small town and many people know of each other. In times of need, you rarely see mutual support
or caring for others.
Lapeer would represent the theory of a community system described as organisms. Each
individual within the city functions independently for one end result. With Lapeer being a

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

farming and manufacturing know community, individual isolation and going with the flow
would strongly be a supported work ethic.
Analysis of Change
As a social worker, I feel that Lapeer is a town with not much future. The everyday
lifestyle in Lapeer is a cycle and graduation rates are decreasing. Without at least a high school
diploma, it is difficult to succeed anywhere, especially in small towns such as Lapeer. I feel that
the city should also begin to enforce strict truancy repercussions such as community service.
Should a student miss too much school, or drop out, the judicial system would implement a
service opportunity such as cleaning the city roads, planting flowers, or volunteering to make up
for the time they are choosing to be out of school. I believe this would help students to choose to
stay in school and complete their high school educations.

I also observe Lapeer as a city who

could benefit from adding activity centers or extracurricular activities for the youth residents.
Additions such as walking trails, recreation centers and additional school programs like student
council.
Implementing new interventions as discussed above, I believe high school graduate rates
and annual incomes would increase. Youth crime rates would decrease since there would be
options to use time wisely instead of being bored and acting out against the law.
Community Member Interactions
Due to the fact that Lapeer is dominated by the White race, there is not too much
segregation seen within the city. The major cross streets in Lapeer are Lapeer Road and Imlay
City Road, though they are only referred to at 21 & 24. Coming into Lapeer from the major
expressway I69, if you live to the left of 24 you are considered to be from the west side and to

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

the right of 21 is the east. I lived my whole life on the east of Lapeer. For majority of my time in
Lapeer, my family lived in a suburban neighborhood, but it was far from suburban since it
backed up to corn fields and muck swamps. There were very few choices of an extreme
downtown lifestyle since most of Lapeer was extremely rural. There were not too many other
distinguishing factors in who you were as a person or your classification among a sub-group
population. Most families in Lapeer had around the same income levels, unless you were the city
prosecutor, apart of the judicial system, or commuted outside of the city for work.
Community Perspectives
I will analyze Lapeer with the theory of Population Ecology. Population ecology theory, says
that organizations exist within a population or field of similar organizations, and that the
organizations which survive are those that respond appropriately to their environment. That can
be the external environment outside the field, or the internal environment of the other
organizations within the field, or both. Newer members of the field initially survive by copying
the fields dominant or successful organizations not only because those organizations
strategies obviously work, but also because if the new organization acts like the dominant
organizations, it will likely be perceived as more legitimate and thus be able to gain the resources
it needs (McQuarrie, 2012).
After reading countless webpages of Lapeer, as well as thinking back into my memories
of Lapeer, I believe it to be a city with a continuous pattern and not much change, committing to
what has worked in the past instead of adapting or accepting a new age. The manufacturing and
agriculture industries are leading work forces, as well as daily living for most residents. As I
clearly remember Lapeer, much of its space and land area was agriculture. Bus stops were at the
corner of corn fields and dairy farms, with neighboring houses a car ride away. Though there was

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

a dense suburban community downtown Lapeer, the land area was substantially smaller than the
remaining areas of Lapeer. Downtown Lapeer related to the phrase if you blink, you will miss
it. There was, and continues to be a strip of machine plants not far from downtown Lapeer, and
surrounding cities such as Imlay City, Flint, Davison, and Attica are also manufacturing
communities. Lapeer would represent a city function of a decentralized organizational structure.
Lapeer would represent a city function of concentration. I do not believe Lapeer to
compete with others or have any knowledge of how to create change within their economy.
Lapeer cooperates with the demands of manufacturing and agriculture distribution goals, and
continue to produce or supply just enough to make ends meet. The ongoing compliance with
rules, values and norms make it difficult to implement change in production or land space within
the community. Lapeer does not struggle with overproduction, and surely does not need to
outsource labor. The individuals inside the city work diligently to keep a profiting manufacturing
market.
Choosing Lapeer between the two opposing views of segregation versus integration, I
would agree that Lapeer needs integration. Within the word integrate is the
word integer which, in Mathematics, is a term that means something that is whole; a whole
number. The reason you call a whole number an integer is because that which is now whole
at one time was a fraction; so when you bring a fraction into a whole number, you have brought
it from a part to a whole and you call that whole an integer. The word integrate or
integration conveys a similar meaning: People who are separate, we want to make
them whole, so we develop a policy that will bring them together. While in Mathematics it is the
process of finding the least common denominator to bring a fraction into a whole number,

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

10

in politics you evolve a policywhich is really a strategyto bring dissimilar things together
into a whole ( (Farrakhan, 2014)
Lapeer does not struggle with following the leader, or cycle of succession. I believe
Lapeer to need an intervention to change their status quo. In other words, Lapeer needs a rebirth.
There is nothing exciting in Lapeer, population is decreasing, graduation rates are dropping,
crime rates are increasing, and annual income levels are mediocre. Lapeer needs a collaboration,
a comprehensive leadership development plan that will intentionally help the community to
advance for their common good.
Individual Reflection
Lapeer has contributed to who I am because that is where I was raised. I have a deeper
appreciation for small towns, and though I would never move back, I am thankful for my
experience in that city. I have no desire to farm, live an isolated lifestyle or be surrounded by
fields of plants and dirt. As a social worker, I feel that this community has made an impact on me
to help small communities that fall within the cracks. I can empathize with a potential client who
has no resources because of the community size and lack of support around them. Lapeer has
given me the background of country living, finding something to do from nothing and having a
very high tolerance for boredom.
Researching many different aspects of Lapeer has made me grateful for my experience in Lapeer,
but even more thankful to be out of the community. I feel that if I had stayed in Lapeer, I would
end up in the same cycle as many of the other residents. Since there is not much to offer in
Lapeer, I do not think I would have pushed myself to become the person I am today, living
outside of the community.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMMUNITY

11