908 Border Patrol: The Plainfield Series
“Slow down, we’re in Scotch Plains now.”
Those words are all too common to Plainfield residents driving away from the city. Plainfield is the poorest city in Union county, yet is surrounded by wealth at each border. The predominantly white towns of Scotch Plains/Fanwood, Piscataway, Berkeley Heights, Watchung, and South Plainfield are all among the wealthiest in their respective counties.
Plainfield, a predominately Black and Hispanic town, is plopped right in the middle of these white areas. So it comes to no surprise that there are usually police cars stationed at every border of Plainfield. Going up South Ave leaving Plainfield, a Scotch Plains police car is always at the gas station on Terrill Rd. Going down West 7th St, a South Plainfield cop is always at the border of Clinton Ave. Headed toward Route 22, you can bet there will be a North Plainfield squad car on Leland or Norwood Ave.
Plainfield is very different from these towns, and they don’t let us forget it. These police officers from neighboring towns scorn at cars leaving Plainfield into their towns. Most Plainfield residents have experienced the common angst as they cross the border into a new town.
New Jersey is known for being one of the most diverse states in the US, but unsurprisingly the state is also the most segregated. There are clear racial lines in New Jersey, illustrated by the map above. Plainfield, a sea of red and purple dots representing Black and Hispanic populations, is surrounded by a sea of blue dots which represent white populations. It’s hard not to believe the bordering police are there to keep Plainfield residents out of their towns.
In the early 1900’s Plainfield looked very different than it does today. Plainfield was much like the current surrounding towns, wealthy and predominantly White with Black residents cordoned off to one part of town, the West End. In the 60s, like many communities at the time, there were race riots provoked by mistreatment of blacks in the city. Many white businesses were looted, destroyed and set ablaze after. White people packed up their families, businesses, tax money, and left Plainfield. Following the riots many big employers left the city as well, crippling the economy and the people left behind. Plainfield still hasn’t really fully recovered but the people and businesses who left, built strong economic communities outside of Plainfield and made sure they put up a (hypothetical) wall.
To this day, when Plainfield natives try to enjoy a restaurant in Westfield or visit a Piscataway department store…the watching eyes are noticeable. Now I’m not saying that white people in these areas are thinking of the riots some 50+ years ago, but there is definitely a sense of mistrust in the air. Nine times out of ten, when you see Plainfield in the news it is something negative. There are barely any stories on the successes of the city or the people within it. This flaw in media coverage causes outsiders to believe they “know” Plainfield. No wonder the neighboring towns have border police at every exit.
Unfortunately, I have no fix. There is nothing that can really be done about the perceptions others have about our city. The most we can do however, is continue to shine a positive light in the clutter of destruction and collectively strive to bring out the best in Plainfield!
