Tuerk and Batts are on a honeymoon with the Morning Call. Although the Call covered Tuerk in Washington yesterday, they never mentioned the delegation to the island. When I linked my recent post about the junket on a local facebook group dedicated to Issues in Allentown, his supporters accused me of being a naysayer. That's an allegation I haven't heard since my complaints about Pawlowski, before he was indicted for corruption.
Although I find no corruption in the Tuerk administration, I do find a lot of delusion. Thinking that Batts and that Promise might do more good than a stronger police department is one of them.
If I wasn't becoming so skeptical of the administration, I'd probably have to scrutinize them anyway, because apparently the local press won't do it.
It looks like Allentown is once again going to try the same policies that have failed in our major cities, and haven't worked here in the past.
ReplyDeleteWhen will democrat politicians learn that putting a layer of private bureaucracy (Batts/Promise Neighborhoods) between the police and the people that need the help of police will only make the problem worse?
The police need to be using the same police model for ALL of Allentown. The police department needs to do the hard work of getting the word out to minority communities that they are there to help them and make those communities safe. The department needs to educate city residents how to help police by reporting crime as they see it happening, and that the cooperation can be anonymous. Building a large network of individuals willing to help the police makes much more sense than relying on an anti-cop felon to help.
But instead, our city leaders are going to teach those residents that in order to get proper police service, they need to go through someone who will "advocate" for them. This certainly does not build trust between the community and police force, and ultimately leads to those communities feeling that it's the police department's fault when Promise Neighborhoods isn't listening. It trains minority communities to believe that in order to get equal service from government (in any area), they need to have someone pushing the government to do so. That’s a false and dangerous lesson to teach.
This ultimately leads to minority groups believing that the POLICE don't care and that they are being intentionally underserved and, in truth, they are. But they're being underserved by POLICIES like this and those that promote such policies. It allows politicians to say they’re working with “the community”, while in reality those politicians are only working with Batts or similar groups.
This is merely a more subtle form of defunding the police and replacing them with social workers. It astounds me that City Council, some who served as police officers, will not speak out against this for fear of losing their elected positions.
anon@6:46AM, it's too bad that you couldn't refrain from writing "democrat politicians", because that's all there is likely to be in Allentown, so why turn so many people away from your otherwise informed opinion on the topic?
ReplyDeleteMM said: "Tuerk and Batts are on a honeymoon with the Morning Call."
ReplyDeleteSo do you know the difference between a real honeymoon and a political honeymoon between a politician and the press?
Political honeymoons are much longer, and the residents are the ones that get screwed!
MM said: "it's too bad that you couldn't refrain from writing "democrat politicians", because that's all there is likely to be in Allentown, so why turn so many people away from your otherwise informed opinion on the topic?"
ReplyDeleteI understand your point, but I've watched the city deteriorate at the hands of well, democrat politicians and the policies they promote over the past two decades. During that time, I've written many posts making "informed" observations in the hopes that democrat VOTERS will see the correlation on their own between the policies (not people) they're voting for and the actual results.
That doesn't seem to be working, so I've decided to just state the obvious.
I don't know that this method will be any more successful, but I think it's certainly more honest on my part.
By the way, I don't feel democrats are bad people, or that republicans have a monopoly on good policies. I just know that the current crop of democrat politicians seems to be far more radical in the policies they promote - and their voters seem to blindly accept it regardless of the results.
"Democrat politicians Over the past 2 decades": Roy Afflerbach and Ed Pawlowski come to mind....Roy gave away the Police pensions that financially crippled the City then Fed Ed gave away the Water and Sewer systems to LCA. The 7 Democrats at ASD Board raise property taxes to the maximum extent allowable every single year for a failing system that no one wants to send their kids to. The City of Allentown and ASD are classic examples of inept, non-accountable, self-serving Democrat ruined entities that I can think of. I think its fair to call the Democrats out.
DeleteMike, Wake up and smell the coffee! The ruling party in the city is the Democratic Party. As such they are the responsible party. They own the damage, corruption, the promoting of bad people, ideas, legislation, and a failing school system. It is worth pointing this out to the people so as to perhaps encourage some reflection on their part. Your desire to appear non partisan may in other situations be seen as high minded or noble but in the case of Allentown it is at best misguided.
ReplyDeleteemotion and spin is the word today, no substance from most politicians.
ReplyDeleteanon@7:28 & scott@7:32: Under the current political reality and with a better Allentown as the objective, perhaps encouraging more Democrats right of center, would be more productive, than losing outright with Republicans.
ReplyDeletecompared to the rest of the field in the primary, Tuerk was a right of center Democrat. I was sure that Ce Ce Gerlach would win! Finding reasonable, non-far left Democrats to run for office in Allentown is the only answer at this point.
DeleteIsn't Nat Hyman a right of center Democrat? I've seen few people face more scorn and derision in Allentown - except perhaps you. That's how Allentown treats its moderate voices, sadly.
ReplyDeleteMike, For the record I have asked intelligent Democratic friends of mine to run for city office. Imagine the looks I receive in return? They understand, Allentown City government has become a clown show that they want no part of. They feel it would harm their own integrity/image/reputation to be part of that company of nit wits. I will however keep trying, frankly all any of us want is people of intelligence and integrity to run for public office here in the city. Is that asking too much? Is there a person in city government that you think demonstrates these qualities? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteYes, here we go again. The same old story, the same old strategies. What is the shared value that all our diverse partners can rally around? No one will capitulate; all seem to want what will serve them best regardless of the expense to others. HB has scammed the Lehigh Valley for years. I do not know why people in business and all the local trusts, who are purportedly so intelligent and successful in their arena, fall prey to this con job. Promise neighborhoods has been around "forever." What have they done? Many of the people they purportedly aim to help are the source of the problem. Once a drug dealer, always a drug dealer. Despite all these attempts to generate social and economic development and transformation, there has never been any real success in bringing the city together. Our refusal to recognize this is our collective social addiction. In an emergency, call the Promise Neighborhood Crisis Intervention team. Their response vehicles remind me of Ghostbusters.
ReplyDeleteanon@2:42, Although I share your doubts about Promise Neighborhood, I do not believe that HB is a drug dealer...his current position is far too lucrative to have any need for any illegal activity. Emphasis on Promise negates trust in the police, which is sorely needed. Their ghostbuster vehicles suggest that they have more funds from Harrisburg than they know what to do with.
DeleteAgreed. There are other objects that can be dealt with the same false promises. I.e. grants. Perhaps no one sees a better alternative. The only show in town.
ReplyDelete