James R. Mapp speaks at Jubilee Day 2013 in this file photo.
Elenora WoodsWhere a child lives should not be a factor in determining his success, but it is, said Dr. Ken Chilton, president of the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies.
And it’s easy to see, he told neighbors at a unified community meeting Thursday hosted by the Alton Park Development Corp.
Chilton showed a map illustrating that most lower-paying service jobs are held by people living in the inner city, while people with higher-paying management jobs and occupations in the arts and sciences live in North Chattanooga, the city’s suburbs or outside town.
Chilton was one of several speakers at the meeting of neighborhood leaders in City Council Districts 7, 8, and 9.
The districts represent high-poverty, high-crime areas such as East Chattanooga, the Westside and East Lake Courts. They are the most in need of better-performing schools and jobs, but they get the least money to help them, said Dr. Elenora Woods, executive director of the development corporation.