‘They do not provide us with the necessary resources to succeed’
Schulyer Davis is a third-year English major attending Rutgers University. Davis cares deeply about improving the community he grew up in, Plainfield, New Jersey.
This profile is part of the series, “The New Jersey 37” which focuses on residents making up 37 percent of households in the state that cannot afford basic needs such as health care, housing, food, childcare, and transportation.
Cheikh N’Diaye: Describe your family income.
Schulyer Davis: We are currently doing well financially, I cannot complain right now. The only conflict we have is paying for my college tuition. My mom has to take out a loan in order for me to attend college. Outside from financial aid and my mother’s loan, I have to work to help pay off my school’s tuition and the debt from my loans in the past semesters.
CND: How much of your lifestyle is dependent on public transportation?
SD: Not dependent at all, I walk to most of the stores around my school. I am in school for the majority of the year so I do not have to rely on it as much right now. Over the summer vacation when I am working, I use public transportation like Uber or Lyft more frequently because they work better for me than the buses or trains.
CND: Does your reliance on public transportation affect you applying to jobs that are farther from Plainfield? Would having a car change that?
SD: Yes, I had a few experiences where I had to decline a job offer because I did not have a car. I thought about taking a train but that was still too much money. I believe having a car will lead to more opportunities, although you can get to where you need to go without one. It is still difficult to find a way without a reliable way of traveling.
CND: Do you believe there is a correlation between high poverty rates and poor public transportation in Plainfield?
SD: Yes, I knew many people when I was younger that relied on taxicabs. They would either use taxis, Uber, Lyft, or walk to places because they did not have a car. Being an adult now, you realize the struggle others had to go through to go to their jobs on a daily basis. When you do not have a car, the odds are stacked against you to get to work. It is as if the city is preventing growth from happening because they do not provide us with the necessary resources to succeed.
CND: Do you think this is a common theme in urban communities?
SD: Yes I do. It definitely is not a coincidence that you see people on the streets begging for food, money, clothes, shelter, etc. It is a cycle. If people cannot find a way to earn a decent living, they will end up becoming homeless. Poor transportation can be a huge factor in contributing to this. In addition, it contributes to incarceration rates as people who cannot work will result to crime to earn a quick dollar. With minorities making up the majority within urban communities, we end up seeing them become a part of a larger statistic. I believe improving resources such as transportation are small details that can fix a larger problem.
CND: What are ways we can improve public transportation to make it more efficient in Plainfield?
SD: I believe we can improve the quality of the taxis and screen the drivers. The taxicabs in Plainfield aren’t the best cars available in my opinion. I am certain the city can provide us with better transportation.
CND: Do you think it is more expensive to have a car or use public transportation for a whole year?
SD: I think it is more expensive to use public transportation because it definitely adds up eventually. Currently, I am in school right now so I do not have to worry about the burden of paying for public transportation. Right now during school, I pay at least $20 every three to four months. It increases by a lot though over the summer when I when to travel to get to my job.
