Vidor on CNN

Date: Tue Dec 19 8:04 PM, 2006

RE: Yes, there is Racism In America

Date: Tue Dec 19 4:54 PM, 2006

RE: Vidor on CNN

Date: Tue Dec 19 12:48 PM, 2006

Mayor Hopkins did the right thing by pulling the plug on the CNN media circus in Vidor and it looked like the end of this story until Mayor Guy Goodson agreed to let them move the circus across the river to the Jefferson Theatre...if not for that move by Mayor Goodson this story would by dead.

Mayor Goodson still won't get my vote and I hope others follow suit.

Sheila Hebert

Date: Tue Dec 19 12:07 PM, 2006

Re: Vidor and Prejudice

I have lived in Vidor for 30 years and have seen more prejudice against Vidor than I have seen in Vidor. To have a bias against a person because of his/her skin color is wrong-period! To have a bias against a person because of where he/she lives is also wrong-period! Each person should be judged on an individual basis.

And shame on CNN for interviewing ill-educated, lower class people to push their point on TV. You do harm to a good community. I guess if they interviewed any of the thousands of decent people in Vidor, they wouldn't have their story nor get good ratings. And shame on them for using old footage of a klan rally from many years ago - if memory serves me, the klan wasn't from Vidor and almost all Vidorians didn't want them in our city.

In the end, we will all be judged, not by the color of our skin, but by the goodness in our heart. Rich Robinson

kareduc · Newbie

I grew up in Groves and racism was rampant in the 70`s. I never went to school with blacks because PN-G never had black students. I`ve always remembered the stories of Vidor inviting the KKK to their town. If things have changed, why don`t the residents and officials of Vidor participate in the CNN forum instead of hiding? I moved to SC 22 years ago and left any racism that I was brought up with in SE Texas.

Karen

Date: Tue Dec 19 8:58 AM, 2006

Anonymous wrote:

I agree. I say it is character and not color that counts.

This statement was intended as a reply to the person who wrote about visiting the church on hwy 12 in Vidor and their experience at Orange County Building materials with the black man.

Date: Tue Dec 19 8:49 AM, 2006

I agree. I say it is character and not color that counts.

Date: Tue Dec 19 8:49 AM, 2006

I am a 22 year old Afrian American male. I was taught not to hate white people but not to trust them. Growing up my grandmother would always tell me stories about whites beating on blacks in this area. I on the other hand wanted to give white people a chance in this area. I tried to the best of my ability to look at as people. There was a chat room on AOL called Beaumont Texas. When I would go into that room, I would see all these racial words being used. The Golden Triangle Area will not grow and always be left behind with racism still so strong here. There is racism in big cities, but it's not really an issue because major cities are so diverse. Some white people move to Lumberton because they don't want blacks around them, vidor is known and still is proud of their history of hating blacks. I know some people in Vidor don't look at color but the majority does. Silsbee, Bridge city, Sour Lake will not make it because they don't want to change in a changing world. People who keeping moving forward don't wait for people staying behind. Lake Charles already get a lot of business because of the the issue here. My family and I went to Lake Charles' mall and a beautiful white young woman was flirting with my younger brother. That would have never happened in the Golden Triangle area. Lake Charles is growing everyday. I came here from Houston to expand my business and I have been talking to white people about an earning potential many in Houston are having, but because I'm black they look at me as if I'm some bum from off the streets. At least that's what I'm guessing. Don't take my word for it. Look around you. Vidor, Lumberton, and other small towns are the same towns with the poor white people just as the south and north side of Beaumont has poor black people. White or black if ya'll don't change ya'll mindset this area won't make it.

Date: Tue Dec 19 8:33 AM, 2006

Mayor Goodson has no direct influence on CNN or the circus being in town. If the good people of Beaumont and Vidor want to affect change, they will expose these liberal "newsmakers" for what they are. Please let someone talk about how our community came to the aid of Katrina victims and opened our doors to those folks. Thank you, Mayor Hopkins, for deciding not to grace that charade put on by CNN.

Date: Mon Dec 18 11:22 PM, 2006

So the CNN Circus is coming to Beaumont tomorrow.

Thanks Mayor Goodson, you won't get my vote in the next city election.

Sheila Hebert

Date: Mon Dec 18 12:16 PM, 2006

Are there white people in this area who hate black people, yes. Are there white people who hate white people who live in Vidor yes. Seems like equal opportunity to me. Isn't that what the black community wants is equality?? How can someone be a racist when they dislike black people and white people????

Date: Sun Dec 17 11:33 PM, 2006

You won't find a "toothless black person" anywhere around HERE, because they're all on welfare & get free doctors & dentists benefits!! 'Guess the next time I need dental work I could attach somes weaves to my head & paint my face black & get it for free,......hmmmmm, 'think that would work at the food stanp office too.....NAHHHHH, I'm WHITE- I have PRIDE, OOPS- I forgot- White + pride = racism, how STUPID of me to be WHITE AND be PROUD TOO.

Date: Sun Dec 17 11:11 PM, 2006

Yea, Whites are supposed to say anything about being discriminated against, & when we do- we're called "KKK members", or White "Supremacists". We, the White people are the minority in Beaumont. They've changed David Crockett middle school to "Martin Luther King", French High school to some other black name, - all of the schools that used to be named after white people have had the names changed to a black persons' name, NOW- if they were originally named after a black person & changed to a white persons' name,... Yes, you got it; all of the blacks would be hosting a riot. They have the Black History week, we don't have a WHITE history week, Blacks have come up with "The Blacks Pages Telephone Book", they have a black college- We don't have a WHITE college, ever heard of Ebony magazine or Jet?- Those are BLACK magazines, we don't have any WHITE magazines. If the white people came out with a magazine called "IVORY"....., YEP- you guessed it- another riot by the blacks. White people aren't separating the blacks away from the whites, The black people are separating THEMSELVES away from the white people. They've separated themselves by having their own black colleges, black phone books, black magazines, black music, black film festivals, BET- black entertainment television, the NAACP, Soul train- you name it, it goes on & on, - black people, they separate themselves & wonder why they are treated differently...........but when WHITE people do that- we're racist. When white people are proud to be white- we're racist, when we want to live with our own race and live in a nice peaceful community- we're racist, I think a lot the black people who are calling a lot of the white people 'racist'- need to take a long look in the mirror & figure out who is the "pot" & who is the "kettle", THANK YOU.

Date: Sun Dec 17 11:09 PM, 2006

I beg to differ that Crocket Street just caters to white people. I was there Friday night and I saw several white women out there. That should be attractant enough for young blacks males, isn't it? And to the guy that is complaining about not having sidewalks and covered bus stops. Does anyone realize that sidewalks and covered bus stops cost money. Who pays for all that? I am sick and tired of all these people that don't shell out the money for anything but want the same perks. I would venture to say that the West End residents pay triple the taxes that the rest of Beaumont contributes. Plus have you ever seen a new sidewalk poured in an old subdivision? Another question the I have always wanted to know. Why is it always someone else's fault. Maybe if black americans as a whole would concentrate on making themselves better, not relying on whites to quit holding them down. The problem will never go away until you help yourselves and quit claiming it is someone else's fault.

Date: Sun Dec 17 10:36 PM, 2006

My job reqiures me to drive around Beaumont everyday, & I haven't seen any signs that say;'No Blacks, Hispanics or Asians allowed' ANYWHERE- that includes Beaumont AND Vidor. What I DO encounter are; groups of black people walking in the middle of the street that refuse to let me pass, Blacks hanging out in store fronts selling drugs, Blacks hanging out on the streets selling drugs, I don't see this going on with the other races- If they're doing it- at least they're hiding it. As far as Crockett Street goes {catering to whites}- Well, let's see: The Platinum Club caters to Blacks,{that's downtown}, Mays on Irving Street caters to Blacks, Rubys' on Franklin caters to Blacks, & there's also a little place on Crockett Street {headed west} close to 4th Street that catered to Blacks before it burned down, And there is a place on 11th Street next to Sunrise that caters to Blacks- & that's only the few that I can think of right off-hand. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Stop crying about yourself because you're black, & If you want to move to Vidor- Pack up your crap & move there. Black Black Black, I'm so sick of hearing that - this happened because I'm black, Stop making such an issue of being black & maybe everyone else will too.

Date: Sun Dec 17 6:16 PM, 2006

Anonymous wrote:

I live in Beaumont and I am a 31 year old black male. The whole golden triangle area is racists, not just Vidor. The fact of the matter is it is not as bad as it was in the 60's or 70's, but the problem still exsist. Everyone wants to down play the problem, that's why it will never go away. I'm originally from Houston, Texas and the problems of racism are there but people have a much broader views on interacial relationships and other issues. Small town people are usually stuck in a small town frame of mind, and don't want to accept change. Beaumont is no better than Vidor, just look at Crockett Street in Beaumont. Crockett Street caters to white people only, there is nothing that caters to Hispanics, Blacks, or Asians. If Vidor is not the way it use to be, why is it not diverse? Why are blacks and other races not living in Vidor? The golden triangle as a whole is in poor shape, and way behind. Until we stop hiding this racisim issue, the golden triangle as a whole will never advance as a community!

I agree hidden racisim is bad in Beaumont and all the golden triangle. I recently patronized Madison's on Dowlen and over heard a racial joke that was offensive and it was only God that made me not act a fool. Its the same way at Crockett Street and when I hear this I automatically think their from Vidor (I know thats wrong but Vidor need to work on that) I just moved back to Beaumont from Atlanta 2 years ago and not much changed from when i left, everything west of I10 and 69 North is "nicer" its like the City of Beaumont actually enforces ordinances there and leave the other side of the city to rot...then business starts to decline because the city (leaders) neglected its urban core and it trickles down from there. Which is why Dowlen Rd gets illuminated street signs and now a "quite zone" so trains wont disturb the good people who choose to live near a major East West rail line while you constantly have to dodge CHILDREN walking in the streets of South Park cause there are no side walks, single moms wait in rain to catch a city bus to go to a crummy job while covered benches are mostly in the west end of Beaumont. There is a Bigger and Better Beaumont out there however we will not uncover it untill we do a better job of handling racism and classism? GOAL FOR VIDOR/BEAUMONT: 5-10 years from now have our cities and communities ready for when CNN/ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX/BET and every other major television network have a slow news week then they can do show on how we now embrace other cultures and differences and the only color we know is Green

Date: Sun Dec 17 4:31 PM, 2006

Beautifully said!!!

Date: Sun Dec 17 11:33 AM, 2006

Where is the news reporting about black racists in Beaumont? One example - The white and hispanic kids who attend Ozen usually drop out or transfer despite having higher standardized test scores than their black classmates. The few white kids who attend Ozen usually setle for GEDs. Check out the BISDs stats. They're in the Lamar library. Whites move to Vidor, Lumberton, etc. to protect their children. Some have been the victims of assaults in Beaumont schools (often more than one attacker). The enterprise reported last year about a black boy stabbing an Indian girl. He almost killed her. Those propogandists at CNN don't care about the truth.

Date: Sun Dec 17 12:10 AM, 2006

I would like to make my comments about the situation in Vidor. I have visited a church on Highway 12 in Vidor and met a nice black family that has been attending that church for several years and their children attend the Christian Academy located on the Freeway also in Vidor. They seem to be happy with this situation. Also I had a pleasant experiance at Orange County Building Materials, when I went to have my truck loaded, a fine young black man waited on me. He had a very pleasant attitude and the people I observed seemed to respect him for who he was and not because of the color of his skin. I occasionally see people of color shopping in our town without incident. I have lived in the Vidor area for over 50 years and I have observed when we start having good relations with people of other races, the news people show up and puts fear in people that might be willing to move in and enjoy the benifits of living in this great place. This bad publicity only makes things worse and hinders industries and others from investing here. We have been seeing growth since the freeway has started the improvements and motels are looking our way. There is lots of potential in this area if the media will promote the good and the possibilities that exist instead of trying to hunt out the people that would make any city look bad. Every city has them. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

Date: Sat Dec 16 8:14 PM, 2006

As a Beaumont Native I had long thought of the City of Vidor as a haven for Racism and Prejudice because of things I had seen 30 or so years ago. Five years ago I changed careers and became a teacher with my first job in the Vidor Independent School District. The next four years changed my opinion regarding the community. The city is a small community made up of a mix of mostly hard working , God honoring, family people. I learned a new respect for the people who live in Vidor. Sure , there are racists who are attracted to the city because of its reputation and the media tends to pepetuate the stereotype. Whenever there is a news story that happens in Vidor, the news brings up its racist past or the James Byrd incident. Vidor has come a long way in the past 50 years as has Beaumont , Texas and America. We are not the people or country we were in the past. Some things , including this subject , have changed for the better; some things , for the worse. Give the town a break and judge it by 2006 attitudes and not those of many years ago.

Date: Sat Dec 16 5:21 PM, 2006

I am from Vidor, but I work in Port Arthur. It has never been an issue between my co-workers and I that I am from that town, but last week, I found myself defending Vidor. I’m sure by now, everyone has seen or heard of the CNN report on “A town haunted by racism.” Apparently, with all the wars, controversies, pandemics, and other tragic, complicated issues facing our nation now, nothing is more important to show in primetime than a story about Vidor.

You may ask yourself, did something happen recently in Vidor? Was there a racial crime in Vidor? Did someone die or hurt someone else? In fact, no…none of those things happened in Vidor to warrant the recent defaming from CNN. As it turns out, CNN has a large dart board in their conference room with all the little towns in the United States highlighted on it. After their CEO gets through with his fourth martini of the day, he staggers to his feet and slings a dart toward the board to see which town they can embarrass that week. Last week, it was Vidor.

I was not offended though, by the story done on Vidor. After all, it’s not everyday that the poor hillbillies in Vidor get to see a shiny new news van, or one of them there ‘Yankees’. But the news reporting itself was shabby at best. The reporter went to Gary’s Coffee Shop to interview someone. Why not go to a place where people under seventy hang out? Also, from his report that I read on CNN’s website, I guess he only talked to one person in the whole town of 11,000. Ms. Fruge is probably the oldest and whitest woman in Vidor, so of course she’s going to say something inflammatory like that. The whole fact that she’s hanging out at Gary’s points to her lack of intelligence.

So, while I do have a radiator hanging between two trees in my yard…There’s 3 old cars in my driveway (none made after 1989)…And my sister is my aunt and my daddy is my brother, I definitely not a racist! And I don’t believe that a significant number of my fellow townspeople are either.

Date: Sat Dec 16 2:02 PM, 2006

Oh and here's some more cud for you to chew on:

Where was Ms. Zahn and CNN after Hurricane Rita?

Sheila Hebert

Date: Sat Dec 16 1:42 PM, 2006

I wish one of you media people would ask Ms. Zahn and CNN why the sudden interest in Vidor. I haven't heard of any cross burnings, draggings or even a KKK rally there.

Are you not the least bit curious why the CNN circus came to town?

Instead you just mindlessly follow CNN's lead.

The local media, particularly Channel 12 have done a great disservice to Vidor and the entire region of Southeast Texas. To put this kind of story out there without due cause is unfair and I am very disappointed in the judgement of all media outlets involved.

CNN and the local should be ashamed of themselves.

Sheila Hebert

Date: Fri Dec 15 5:46 PM, 2006

I know serveral people from Vidor. No they are not cross burning hooded clansmen but they are still a little racist. Who cares, quit crawfishing, you are what you are. Nothing wrong with having a little "white pride". Nobody is saying that blacks can't move to Vidor just like nobody is saying that whites can't live around downtown Beaumont. People choose to live where they want to live. Just because there is not enough blacks in Vidor and Lumberton does that mean something is wrong? Is anyone upset that whites don't feel comfortable living off of Lucas street on the East side of 69, of course not. This is a slippery slope to having racial quotas on cities. Next thing you know each city will be required to have so many whites, so many blacks and so on. Bottomline, blacks seperate themselves from whites just as much as whites seperate from blacks. That is how it was and how it will always be. Get over it.

Date: Fri Dec 15 4:04 PM, 2006

Thank you so much for stating what noone else wants to. You can go to any city and find a racist person or area. That is just the world. But we are stuck with that impression and will never be able to out live it no matter what happens. It is sad people believe rumors that are that old.

Date: Fri Dec 15 3:59 PM, 2006

And again the point is that was 30 plus years ago. People evolve and change, but it seems that you cannot accept that!

Date: Fri Dec 15 11:06 AM, 2006

I cant believe they found a toothless white trash white woman in Vidor! And she smokes too? Imagine that.

Date: Fri Dec 15 11:03 AM, 2006

Racism is still alive in the United States, not just in small towns. Is it as bad as 30-50 years ago, I dont think so. Buth when the phrase racist comes up, it is always suggested towards a white person. Racism is being played by all colors of people. This story reports on Vidor but what about Beaumont there are places that you cannot go to because you are white, and this is due to the race factor. The media is in the game to make money, and they to are playing the race game. By the way I lived in Vidor for 25 years and was brought up not to see color in people and that is how I have brought my children up.

Date: Fri Dec 15 1:47 AM, 2006

I think this whole thing is blown out of proportion. Racism is out-dated and only the most ignorant people still think that whites are somehow naturally superior to blacks. CNN grabbed the most devoid citizens of the area and exploited them on national TV just to make a story. This area thinking that CNN concocted some conspiracy by censoring us from "pro-black" material is just making us look worse. The story is free on the internet and in no way out of any of our immediate grasp.

Date: Thu Dec 14 9:22 PM, 2006

Proud resident of Lumberton and you hit the nail right on the head. We don't want to live around blacks, thats why we are here. Why is that so bad? It is a free country and you have the freedom to live next to whomever you choose. I guess I am just ignorant white trash for thinking like that. One thing is for sure, I don't feel the need to have to lock my doors every night. The day I feel the need to I guess will be the day I move to Vidor.

Date: Thu Dec 14 8:55 PM, 2006

Lumberton and Vidor residents hate black people and everyone knows it. Afterall that is the reason people move to those areas to get away from blacks.

Date: Thu Dec 14 8:25 PM, 2006

I was raised in Port Arthur, Texas currently I live in Milwaukee, Wi and I am 54 years old. I was a 1970 graduate of Lincoln High School (which no longer exist). I was member of the drill team and we traveled with our football team to play the Vidor football team; in Vidor. When our schooll buses left Port Arthur we had a police escort. Upon arrival to the outskirts of the city of Vidor; a police escort from their city joined. The bus ride to the stadium was without incident and the first half of the game was uneventful; then it was halftime. When it was time for The Lincoln Drill Team to perform, toward the end of our routine all eyes were focusing at the end of the field; there stood a LARGE burning cross. After returning to our seats we were quite afraid and had many uneasy feelings. The game continued on and yes Lincoln did win. We were all told to make sure that we stayed together and for us to hurry and load the buses and to put our heads down and don't look out of the windows. I can remember my heart was pounding and I was so afraid of not getting home safe. I know that Guardian Angels were on our buses because we all got home safe. Growing up in the "60's" and "70's" we were told that a black person did not want to get caught in Vidor especially after dark.

Date: Thu Dec 14 3:41 PM, 2006

Last night I watched a news report on Channel Six and saw a very decent looking black man saying he had worked in Vidor for 10 years and had never been mistreated by anyone. I also noted that the reporter said that same man was interviewed by CNN when they were in town doing their "fact finding". So now I wonder why didn't I see that man last night on CNN when they ran the new story again? Another interesting thing I noted when I watched the CNN story was they picked a toothless, unkept white woman at Gary's coffee shop to interview as representing the average citizen of Vidor. This happens all the time. Fifty normal looking people can walk by a camera crew, but the one that looks like their mom and dad met at the family reunion is the one that shows up on the 6 o'clock news. Why Gary's coffee shop? I have lived in Vidor for almost 40 years and only been in that nasty smoke filled diner twice and not by choice. Why not meet the average citizen of Vidor at Casa Ole, Novrozsky's or the Cinnamon Patch in Vidor? Most likely because those restaurants are where the decent folks of Vidor go to eat and what news crew wants to interview NORMAL people? As for the town meeting CNN is planning, I hope they allow people who truly represent Vidor to attend.

Date: Thu Dec 14 3:13 PM, 2006

I'm 35, raised in Beaumont, TX; currently reside outside of Washington, DC. As an African American kid growing up in Beaumont, I would hear all of the stories about Vidor as if it were some ghost town off limits to Blacks. Whenever my father would take me and my brother to Orange, TX or Lake Charles, LA, we would cross our fingers and pray that his jalopy would not break down in Vidor. In middle school and high school, I would go to Vidor for track or cross country meets. After the meets the coaches would promptly load us back on the bus to travel back to Beaumont to eat. The students never asked why. The only bad experience that I had in Vidor was during my senior year in high school. I worked at my father's contracting company waxing floors for buildings through Southeast TX. A health clinic in Vidor hired my father's company to service there floors. When we got there, the manager closed the blinds and locked us in the building. He came back at lunch and took me to a fast food restaurant to order food for the rest of the cleaning crew. As I walked in to the building, the restaurant became instantly quiet. Everyone stared at me the entire time I was there. As I waited for my order I wonder, how odd is it that an American can feel this uncomfortable in his own country. Certain areas of Beaumont weren't that much different from Vidor. That type of atmosphere is what drove me away from not only Beaumont but Texas as well. Southeast Texas has a lot to learn from other parts of the country. In Washington, DC the color is green and the culture is politics. I will take that over black and white issues any day.

Date: Thu Dec 14 3:07 PM, 2006

With the execption of that stupid lady,I didn't think the the segment was all that bad.I was born in Beaumont.I still remember the Klan hall next to City Hall in Vidor.I was part of a football team in high school with black teammates that had to go to Vidor to play.I remember the hell we caught.For a long time after,I would not associate with people from Vidor.Later ,after taking an early retirement,I moved back to Beaumont,met some younger people from Vidor through my son.I realized I was as wrong to blanket judge Vidorians as it is for some people to judge based on race.There are some very good people in Vidor and yes,it's nowhere near as bad as in the past.We all have to grow-it's a part of life.

Date: Thu Dec 14 10:25 AM, 2006

I live in Beaumont and I am a 31 year old black male. The whole golden triangle area is racists, not just Vidor. The fact of the matter is it is not as bad as it was in the 60's or 70's, but the problem still exsist. Everyone wants to down play the problem, that's why it will never go away. I'm originally from Houston, Texas and the problems of racism are there but people have a much broader views on interacial relationships and other issues. Small town people are usually stuck in a small town frame of mind, and don't want to accept change. Beaumont is no better than Vidor, just look at Crockett Street in Beaumont. Crockett Street caters to white people only, there is nothing that caters to Hispanics, Blacks, or Asians. If Vidor is not the way it use to be, why is it not diverse? Why are blacks and other races not living in Vidor? The golden triangle as a whole is in poor shape, and way behind. Until we stop hiding this racisim issue, the golden triangle as a whole will never advance as a community!

clambake · Newbie

I don't know if Vidor is as racist as in past years. However, I was not surprised and, in fact delighted, when I saw on CNN that Time-Warner Cable in Nederland exacerbated the controversy by their mistake. The local Time-Warner Cable operation in the Beaumont area has some of the most inept people working for it that I've ever seen. The major problem stems from the top down. The manager doesn't seem interested in a resident's customer service as shown by the recurring problems I had that were only patched and never fixed. The customer service people you talk to on the phone would just make things up rather than trying to find you a real answer. I will say that the majority of the technicians who come to the homes to fix problems whom I have encountered are nice and very competent people. But I think the operation overall could use new management and a new attitude.

Date: Thu Dec 14 7:00 AM, 2006

I LIVE IN BEAUMONT AND I HAVE A FEW WHITE FRIENDS FROM VIDOR AND THEY TOLD ME NOT TO GO TO GARYS RESTAURANT BECAUSE ITS A KNOWN SPOT OR HANGOUT FOR PEOPLE WITH SILLY VIEWS..SO I CAN SEE THAT COMMENT BEING MADE FROM THAT LOCATION

Date: Wed Dec 13 10:22 PM, 2006

Besides, who in their right mind would want to eat anything with that woman????

Date: Wed Dec 13 10:21 PM, 2006

I'm not really believing that Vidor is all as bad as they portray it to be alone, but if anyone interviewed anyone in this part of Texas would find that the same beliefs are everywhere. I remember once in a Port Neches Catholic church, a usher said some very racist and rude comments to my friends mother, who attended that church when I came to visit after returning from recruit training in the Navy. Vidor has a checkered past, but I know they are not alone in how some of our citizens actually feel about their neighbors.

Date: Wed Dec 13 6:05 PM, 2006

Speaking for this Vidorian only; I was raised on and off in Vidor. Being originally from Louisiana. I found that I learned more hatred for blacks in small town Louisiana than I did while going to high school in Vidor. I learned "pet" names for black people, that we had our place and they had theirs and they lived by looser standards than white people. I went with the flow but when moving to Vidor the focus was not on black/white, it was on upper and lower crust and what side of the tracks you was from.

Now that I am an adult. I have learned that hate is a seed when planted it will grow and choke your whole garden of everything good. It comsumes your life and you find more reasons to hate. I have learned that I can not build myself up at someone elses expense (meaning I can't shread other people down to feel better about myself). And, I have learned no matter if your white, black, upper or lower crust stand proud of who you are, you are the product of Gods hands, not man's.

Date: Wed Dec 13 5:45 PM, 2006

There are other similar towns across America like Vidor. Vidor as well as the rest of Southeast Texas need to push harder to attract all black americans not just with talk (advertising) but action like help sponsoring some type of community event in Port Arthur or Beaumont. Ultimately Vidor will always have this "stigma" until a national television network cant find a Vidorian willing to go on air saying what that lady said. This not only hurt Vidor it also hurt Beaumont as well. God Bless Vidor!

Date: Wed Dec 13 2:46 PM, 2006

I am currently a student at Vidor High School. I also have the pleasure of living in Beaumont,TX. I lived in Vidor from the time that I was 2 till I was about 14, and during that time I have learned one very important lesson, no matter who I talk to and no matter how nice I can be, I will always be branded by the past of our town. Today we are considered a modern society, so I was wondering if someone can please explain to me why news reporters from CNN no less are still stuck in the past. Our town has overcome so many obstacles, first the book Rough Beauty, and now this "lovely" depiction of our town aired on world wide television. No matter what anyone says about our so called "racist" town, I dont think you can fully have an opinion unless you have lived here for part of your life. I consider my self blessed to have people from this town in my life because they have taught me so much, and I assure you, none of what they taught me included hating someone because of the color of their skin. Now that I live in Beaumont, I see the true feeling that other races have towards me when I mention the fact that im from Vidor. I am trying to bridge that gap, and in the meantime have made many friends because of it. For anyone in this nation, and anyone on CNN, if they truely want to see the real side of our town, you might want to try and get to know the people BEFORE you judge them.------Highschool Senior

Date: Wed Dec 13 1:07 PM, 2006

I don't understand why people feel it necessary to always look at the worst side of a community. Our press deliberately goes after that. I know a great many people from the Vidor area and racist they are not. Vidor has tried long and hard to better their image and with reports like CNN's they haven't a chance.

Date: Wed Dec 13 11:01 AM, 2006

I have lived in Vidor for 28+ years now. Yes I have met people from this town AND surrounding areas that have racial tendencies. But I have also had the pleasure of meeting some very wonderful people from this area. If outside influences, such as this particular reporter, wish to help Vidor "escape its past". They should start by interviewing the positive role models that this town has had. It would be refreshing to see a story with a more positive tone to it about our town. -Tracie Constance

Date: Wed Dec 13 9:29 AM, 2006

I am from the SE Texas area, and my opinion is that the majority of the people are not racist. However, the ones who are, I see as "white trash" who, instead of trying to better themselves, need to blame some one else for their inferiority.

BeaumontEnterprise.com · Moderator

What did you think of the CNN segment about Vidor during the Paula Zahn Now show on Tuesday evening?

If your broadcast of the show was interrupted we'd like to hear about that too.

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