My name is Myeedah Leslie and I live in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. I have lived here for about 12 years, since my family moved out of Crown Heights. People describe my neighborhood as being ghetto and dysfunctional. Well, in a lot of ways it is, but it is also very spirited and actually a good place to grow up. A lot of prominent entertainers like Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Eddie Murphy grew up here. And now, because the neighborhood it is being renovated, I am seeing a more diverse population starting to move in.

I feel secure and comfortable in my neighborhood to an extent, although a lot of silly teenagers and young boys who live around here can be very obnoxious when they want to be. For the most part, though, they are pretty cool and fun to hang out with. I like to chill out in my neighborhood with my cousin, who lives around the corner from me. If we're not chilling outside my house, we're sitting in her basement with our friends.