Statistics that crime is down are meaningless. We have never had this many shootings and stabbings. The consequences of the center city demographic shifts have come home to roost in Allentown. The changes were fueled about ten years ago by several organizations who would pay the first month rent and security deposit for the unemployed by choice, who flocked here from New York and New Jersey for those incentives. Some of the new residents were actually set up twice, after they were evicted the first time.
In 2005, as an independent candidate for mayor, I spoke up and out about what the consequences of this change would be for Allentown. We could now be living in the end times of a former livable city.
Perhaps, with the proper leadership, we could begin to restore some balance between productive citizens and the predators. At best, it will take a decade of hard decisions, unencumbered by political correctness.
Nat Hyman had a letter in the paper this weekend outlining his proposals to reduce crime, if he were elected mayor. Let us hope that the residents of Allentown decide to fight back, and that he prevails in November.
Allentown's leadership has completely turned its back on the neighborhoods and housing issues.Every year the poverty rate continues to climb. Time to clean house in city hall.
ReplyDeletePawlowski for years has been touting the annual FBI crime statistics and the overall trend, [downward], as a true rating of his public safety agenda. However, if you look at these, Allentown's rating is not low compared to the Commonwealth's and the Lehigh Valley's totals. He has proposed no new policing programs, detrimentally relied on young and inexperienced police commanders, brought in a diverse black police chief who used Allentown as a stepping stone, and kept the force complement under the 1993 levels for 11 out of 12 years. He hammers at former Mayor Roy Afflerbach for his pension debacle in 2005, while his police DROP pension plan cost over 3 million and enriched his police administration equally with the Afflerbach pension grab. This program cut upward mobility for young officers and has caused similar damage in police administration and management.
ReplyDeleteMr Molovinski
ReplyDeleteEmma Tropiano was correct.
jamie@8:45, Emma was miscast as a racist, because of her outspokenness. in truth, because she owned a store on 9th street and met many people, she realized that some of the new residents were not productive people, and would make no positive contributions to allentown.
ReplyDeletethe misconceptions about her are unfortunately even still held by some conservative hispanics, based on myth and not personal experience. those here long enough to have actually interacted with her, know better.
On Emma: I once sat in a school assembly when Emma came to speak and she said that 99% of the crime was committed by Puerto Rican's. Maybe she meant Latinos. Regardless, it was still a ridiculous claim easily disputed by looking at the police blotter printed in the Morning Call. Another time she was on the radio pushing English Only legislation and, making another ridiculous claim, stated it (English) was what our boys went to war and died for. A caller asked if she meant our Puerto Rican, Panamanian, Dominican, and Mexican boys that went to fight often not knowing any English such as the 65th Infantry Regiment. http://www.borinqueneers.org Her response was that she didn't know about that. In other occasions she complained about signs that were also in Spanish: danger signs at the Tilghman St bridge (very different from the current foolish proposal to have street name signs in Spanish) and was offended by promotional signs at Home Depot. She showed her ignorance of Puerto Rican's and Latinos enough times that decade to make an informed opinion of her.
ReplyDeleteAs to crime I have not read any reports that Allentown murders surpassed the high ten years ago of 21 murders. Every shooting, stabbing, and murder is a double tragedy for Allentown, 1 for the people involved, and 2 because it solidifies the reputation that it is a dangerous city. What can we do? We can bring back neighborhood policing and foot patrols. Since I was a teenager, 25 years ago, neighborhood groups have been asking for foot patrols and the return of neighborhood police. The city government has refused. Let us not forget to place the blame for the crime where it belongs; on individuals committing the crime. They and they alone are to blame.
Now, as to poverty, yes, that is a problem, was then, and is still today. Allentown's main industry seems to be the promotion of socialist programs people can sign up for which keeps them in poverty. That will not change until the federal, state, and municipal government's begin to downsize these programs, limit regulation, and create an environment where industry can return to cities like Allentown and flourish. Government gets what it incentivizes and it's been incentivizing poverty for at least 50 years.
The litter, the loud music, and the loitering is annoying. I for one wish more people had pride in their neighborhood to keep it clean and consideration for their neighbors to not be a disturbance. There are many doing their part to change that attitude. For many others, passing more laws is the answer; rather than just passing laws and making every issue a police issue, get to know your neighbors and teach them the ways of Allentown.
There is a group putting Allentown at risk. They are the political, social, and business interests dominated by non-Latino's making a 1 billion dollar financial gamble, tearing down our historic buildings, neglecting our historic parks and using them as a revenue generator for conservation groups, they betrayed Allentown water users, illegally raised the income tax (twice) in violation of our charter, refuse to enforce many of our laws with exception to Emma's nuisance laws, perform no meaningful audits, all the while with a rubber stamp city council which recently admitted they vote for the budget not really knowing what's in the budget.
steven@5:03, emma may have been culturally insensitive, but as someone who sat at her dining room table, and in dinner booths with her, I know that she was not a racist. actually, numerous hispanics benefitted from her personal generosity. some people have speculated that I might be a racist because of my bluntness, but hopefully those that know me, know better.
ReplyDeleteMM 5:25 is absolutely correct. Forgive Emma's lack of PC sensitivities. Her points, however 'inartful' (a favorite term of the Clinton-Obama years) were right on. As a refugee from a larger city I saw in Allentown what many of us fled 30-40 years ago. It doesn't take an egghead academic criminologist to know what leads to the conditions we see today. Fatherless households, 15-year-old girls parading in malls proudly showing off their two or three kids and a welfare system that enables more of it. Notice I said nothing about race or ethnicity as this is endemic throughout our national culture.
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