Trans(actions) : Trans(acciones)

image by standardpixel: borrowed from creative commons

Several weeks ago, while visiting some of my friends in Jamaica Plain, I saw a Census worker sitting in a small restaurant. He had a pile of forms besides him and looked tired. I tried to imagine what his day was like but came up empty since it’s hard to picture all the different people he visits and all the answers he gets while on duty. Yesterday, while walking through the narrow streets of Old San Juan, I saw the wall adjacent to a building entrance filled with big sticky notes that read: Census Bureau. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the federal workers had been knocking at that old door for weeks in an attempt to get an accurate headcount. Compared to the Jamaica Plain enumerators, the San Juan crew has a lot of terrain to cover. According to the Census Take 10 Map, mail-in participation rates for households in some JP areas stood at 76%. In San Juan, half of all households did not mail their Census forms.

For folks like me, who study cities, policies and plans, the Census is a very big deal. I won’t bore you with the details, so let’s just say that it provides a wealth of information that we can sort, analyze and deconstruct to come up with interesting arguments and perhaps some theories. Thus, I see the Census worker as a friend, someone who makes my academic life much easier.

The SNL folks came up with a sketch that helps with figuring out what my pals face when they’re out there collecting data (see the video below—it’s classic SNL, both humorous and somewhat offensive). I’d love to hear some stories from folks who’ve been in the Census front lines. I’m sure there’s always some humor—and some pain—to relive.