Mayor Tuerk is still putting out the tired correlation between Allentown's violence and lack of opportunity. Recently I stopped in at Perkins, and couldn't understand why the hostess told me that there would be a thirty minute wait for table when the restaurant was three quarters empty. She explained to me that she was the only waitress, doubling also as the hostess. I since learned that this problem isn't unique to Perkins.
Years ago I posted about all the fakers taking disability. Now it's one thing to have a city full of fakers with their hands out, but it's another thing to have pandering politicians and virtue signalers supplying the handouts.
When there is three separate shooting incidents in a week, there should be a chorus of protest from the public and fellow elected officials. The sycophants remain silent. Allentown will have to decide if it wants to be livable or not. Realize that someone got shot while the mayor was on a Peace Walk with Promise Neighborhoods just a few blocks away. Realize while there is yellow crime tape all over downtown, Tuerk wants bike lanes down Turner Street?
I don't blame Promise Neighborhoods for all the shootings this past week, but I blame Tuerk and Shapiro for thinking that sending $Millions Promises' way could possibly make a difference. That money has to go toward more police, nothing else. Let the virtue signalers support Promise with their personal private money, if that makes them feel good about themselves.
Tuerk shown above promising Promise.
ADDENDUM 6:00PM:I've been informed by comment that no funds went to Promise this year from Allentown. However, almost $1.6million came their way from Harrisburg.
Shapiro likely has much more to be blamed for than just the grants to Promise Neighborhoods here in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteIf there is money being thrown towards groups like Promise Neighborhoods here, imagine how much is being thrown at similar groups across the state, in places like Philadelphia.
It actually explains a lot.
I read in a recent WFMZ article that Hassan Batts is claiming that “…despite recent incidents, gun violence is down overall this year and youth homicides have decreased by 75%.”
ReplyDeleteThat begs a few questions:
1). Have those numbers been reported somewhere? It would be nice to see actual figures and know where they’re coming from.
2). What are the actual numbers Batts is using and what is the time period being looked at? Percentages and trends can be skewed. Without seeing the underlying data, such statements are virtually meaningless.
3) Is the APD reporting those numbers and, if so, are they being pressured to present them in a way that justifies Tuerk’s decision to direct millions of dollars to Promise Neighborhoods?
4). If the numbers are correct, are the changes actually attributable to Promise Neighborhoods or are they the result of additional efforts by the APD?
We should all know what figures (if any) are actually being used to evaluate the performance of Promise Neighborhoods. Those categories and figures should be known up front by everyone. That way, it’s much less likely that supporters of the group will be able to manipulate the figures or cherry pick favorable numbers and ignore the unfavorable.
That’s called transparency and accountability, two things that have been missing in Allentown City Hall for a very long time.
3:53 - You seem to be more inquisitive than the "journalists" doing the "reporting."
DeleteHassan Batts, J.B. Reilly, and Susan Wild are all part of an even larger Morning Call Protected Class. WFMZ-TV participates dutifully.
DeleteDoes City Council pass appropriations for "Promise Neighborhoods" or is it funded solely by Turek?
ReplyDeleteI do know that the city has a point system to evaluate applications from various non-profits, used annually with Community Block funding. I do know that council recently decided to give up some left over Covid funds for such allocations, supposedly previously promised, instead of applying them to city infrastructure.
Deletenon-profit funding was weaponized by Pawlowski for political purpose. It now seems to be an established part of city hall, with non-profits practically demanding their allocations.
Delete"promise neighborhoods" is ineffective in performing its stated goals for funding, as the APD history appears to demonstrate. It is simply tax dollars being sent down a hole with no benefit to the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it also appears that nothing will stop this waste of money on this nonprofit until there is a change of administration that wisely spends our tax dollars.
That is not going to happen with the current philosophy in control of city government. And I do not foresee the status quo changing anytime in the future, given the current demographics of Allentown. If you look around the nations at other cities of similar size and also governed by similar philosophies, they all suffer from the same urban ills as Allentown does.
The residents of Allentown who want better, more efficient government and a safe environment to live in need to relocate to another jurisdiction it appears, since nothing will change in the future in Allentown except the current status quo becoming worse, and the city becoming less desireable to work and live in. Apparently many already have given the population increases in the suburban townships.
While our mayor, police and others across the nation claim crime is down the opposite is true. What is down is policing and victims reporting crimes. The combination of the left's vilification of the police and their defund the police movement has led to less police on the streets and the remaining police, policing less aggressively knowing the politicians no longer have their backs. All this is apparent to residents, they see low clearance rates, unresponsive police, and rampant violations of traffic and nuisance laws. All this provides little incentive for them to report crimes they see or committed upon themselves. In Allentown and other urban areas the situation is further impacted by the influx of illegal immigrants and homeless. Our city parks are now being impacted. Again, policies of the left have incentivized this. As well non profits who seek to help the homeless are springing up in the city. These act as magnets to the regions homeless. These magnets are supported by our once venerable trusts, (one in particular should instead be minding the parks). Their virtue signaling will turn our city parks and streets into the nightmare we see in Philly, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco,...
ReplyDeleteAs an A-town resident I agree with most of your post but I will always advocate for more cameras over police unless we have enough funds for an officer on every block. The deterrent for the criminal is getting caught. If more cameras are around like the ones that helped quickly catch the murderers at Fountain park criminals would learn to stay away from our town.
ReplyDelete7:21 - Allentown has more cameras than any city in the Valley and has more violent crime. The same goes for our major cities.
ReplyDeleteFor those doing the killing, getting caught is a distant afterthought. For those getting murdered, the cameras offer little help after the fact.
I would gladly scrap the entire camera system for a single police officer. The cameras are designed to make you FEEL safe, and keeping them only allows politicians to make claims about public safety that have no basis in truth.
MM, your post this morning is either intentionally biased or ignorantly penned. Your blatant accusation is that Tuerk is taking money that could be used to hire police officers and giving it to non profits. Surely you know that isn't how grants and funds are allocated. Council's slap about funding a new police headquarters was unmentioned by you, as was the union president remarks. I would bet those actions demoralize candidates from applying to COA and Bethlehem is a more attractive option.
ReplyDeleteBTW, if a restaurant worker has any decent skills, Perkins would be at the bottom of the heap to work.
As an independent like you, I read your daily blog to entertain novel thinking. Today's post did nothing to generate thought among your readership. They are salivating, as usual.
A city can use Community Block Funds for infrastructure, if it meets certain poverty guidelines.... we meet those guidelines and beyond. Those funds directed toward infrastructure would free up city budget allocations to allow more for public safety, and offer higher wages to attract more police candidates.
DeletePerkins may not be the first choice of those with a skillset. However, it is respectable work and there are lots of people in the City of Allentown who, due to poor education, poor choices and a need to start somewhere who could learn by starting at a Perkins. With any work ethic, reasonable social skills and a desire to improve they sure can move up. However, if all one aspires to is a social safety net and black market money making, not only is Perkins understaffed, the rest of society is overtaxed financially and socially.
DeleteHow many volunteers are associated with Promise neighborhoods? How about they show up along with their leader to the many community events to be the mentors they claim to be
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ReplyDeleteAllentown government is controlled by an anonymous, unelected, unaccountable few people or committees of people, whoever they are, who have financial and/or political vested interests in maintaining control.
As long as social experiment types are voted into office you'll continue to suffer. You'll get better results having the vested interests allow you to elect a practical, realistic, experienced type.
Some hope may lie in one of the retired policemen on council being elected mayor, if they are allowed to run, but no matter who you elect, they will have their hands tied because they will be a democrat answerable to the vested interests, whoever they are. There are better choices to be made who would also be acceptable to those who control you...whoever they are.
Tuerk and or Batts are incapable of addressing these issues. They cannot effectively deal with this level of crime. Both are politically compromised and lack the character to make a real difference. Get rid of "Promises" and put the money into police resources to fight crime. These trends are unlike anything that has happened in Allentown before. It is a small example of what will come if immigration policies do not change. Blaming criminal's actions on past traumas is B.S. They will be laughing as they walk out of the courthouse, a free man to kill again on another day. Local folk should wake up to the realities of what life in the U.S. is today and what it will be, especially relative to violent crime.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link disclosing some financials from Promise Neighborhoods thru 2023. Apparently both personnel from the Century Fund and Trexler Trust are on board.
ReplyDeletehttps://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/464977927
A comment received and not printed (along with numerous other comments) states that I misrepresented how much city money went to Promise. Although I have provided a web address(https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/464977927) leading to some Promise tax returns, and I suspect their 2024 revenue to be higher, I do not know the their sources of the revenue. (tax returns are not my strong suit). I do know that Tuerk endorses Promise by his actions, and that we would be better served by the APD.
ReplyDelete8:43 - Yes, grants have to be spent on certain things. But it doesn’t take a lot of creativity to find something in a city budget of hundreds of millions of dollars and fund something more needed than a government-funded protection racket like Promise Neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteBy using the grant money for some other need (we’ll call it Need #2) that still falls within the grant parameters, it then frees up the money that would have been used for Need #2. Eventually, you are able to (legally) switch the source of funding on enough things that it frees up cash from the general fund that can now be used for something like hiring more police.
If the Mayor and his Finance Director are unaware of this, they are wholly incompetent and need to resign immediately.
In any event, it does become a direct choice - if the political will to add more police is there.
I bet that if Dr. Batts went to the Rose Garden to offer input on maintenance of structures, he would be treated like a celebrity.
ReplyDelete