Let me start by stating I am a BAP. It stands for “Black American Princess.” I grew up on the mean streets of the “Gold Coast” of Washington, D.C. I am not street savvy and I do not have an ounce of “street cred.” I was raised like any true card-carrying prep in a gated community, riding horses, lunching at the country club and summering on some exotic beach.
I chose the University of Miami because the campus looks like home. With its lazy palm trees, well-manicured lawns, fountain-laden lake, Starbucks and all the accoutrements of a well-appointed resort, for us preppies, it has a familiarity.
But recently, somewhere between Mummy and Daddy coming to visit and a day trip to Merrick Park, something went horribly wrong.
When did Coral Gables turn into a scene from “Bad Boys”? First it was the genius who got the idea to rob the Starbucks on campus, then some random morons decided to do a drive-by with a BB gun. But two weeks ago was the coup de gra, the cherry on this whole messed up sundae of crime. Someone decided to rob the Bank of America, across from campus.
Here I was all these years listening to rappers opine about how rough the streets are. Well eff the streets; apparently the ‘burbs (as I’ve chosen to call them due to their newly credited roughness) are now the new hard streets. Pretty soon, gone will be people trying to look like rejects from cellblock 10. That’s right, pretty soon everyone will be trading white tees for argyle sweaters, and baggy jeans and Tims for topsiders and chinos.
So I guess all this poppin’ off in Coral Gables means that I may have street cred after all. So I’ll say it loud and proud…Suburbs stand up! I’m from the ‘burbs b*****s, and what!
MacKenzie Green is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism and sport administration. She may be contacted at mgreene@themiamihurricane.com.