On Sunday the Morning Call reported that there was a shooting near Birney Crum Stadium, Muhlenberg College Stadium and 24th & Liberty. Those of us more familiar with Allentown know that the Crum Stadium and the Muhlenberg field are not that close to each other, so we're left with 24th & Liberty. The Campus Shop is actually at 23rd St., and hasn't had that name for decades. But, when it did have that name a shooting in that neighborhood was unheard of. Police chief Roca, as usual, tells us that the incident doesn't present any threat to the public. That implies it was one thug shooting another thug. Then much later we always learn that the victim was the one who was turning his life around.
In the short term we usually don't hear much more about these weekend shootings. Everybody moves on except the blogger that the Morning Call once described as dour and misguided... they were referring to me, thank you. We have a city administration that wallows in DEI instead of public safety. We have school system which wallows in DEI instead of education. Hopefully the college isn't mired in that nonsense.
Although it may not mean much to the Morning Call or Roca, a shooting at 24th & Liberty is costly. It costs the peace of mind for the college students and their parents. It's also very mentality expensive for residents of a once safe neighborhood.
I did not straighten out the postcard of Muhlenberg shown above, because unless the college pushes back hard against the forces connected with this shooting, it will go downhill quickly.
The violece that dominates the area east of the Jordan Creek to the Lehigh river is spreading to the west end. Not surpising really given the gang culture of William Allen High School is influencing the West Park area. Perhaps all of the west end liberals who support the progressive canidates on city council will begin thinking twice when the gang tags start to appear on Arch Street and College Heights Blvd
ReplyDeleteThe media man professor teaching how to change the label on a Cambells soup can is part of the problem. That particular family was selling pawlowski as better than sliced bread and look were he is begging for forgiveness with no remorse. Allentown swirl down the toilet is the design of these profiter claiming to be the fix.
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ReplyDeleteFirst, crime is down in Allentown. Our progressive leaders in City Hall have said so. Thus, it is.
Second, liberals never hold their politicians accountable, so they never make the connection between the progressive candidates they vote into office and actual results on the ground.
As things devolve, they simply move from their formerly-isolated areas and take their support for those failed policies to the suburbs.
Perhaps the shooting in their neighborhood will wake up the cozy west enders to what we have been told to tolerate for years now. In West Park the city had to be shamed into removing homeless campers from the park. During any school day drug use is common in the park and at night the homeless sleep on the bandshell or on the ground. Evidence of their alcohol addictions could be seen in the morning by the empty bottles left behind. The city makes no effort to curb any of this. I don't blame the police, I blame the mayor. Because he is woke he sees nothing wrong with the homeless sleeping in our parks. He clearly doesn't want nuisance crimes enforced and claims he lacks the police to enforce traffic laws. Meanwhile he spends big time on new, expensive administrators to handle all the pressing DEI issues that he must believe are front burner for the residents. Hey Matt! What we see outside our front doors and on our streets is our main concern. Get a clue. And you west enders may want to take notice and do a rethink or soon, you to may be seeing what we see outside our front doors.
ReplyDelete“Police chief Roca, as usual, tells us that the incident doesn't present any threat to the public.”
ReplyDeleteThis comment might be laughable coming from a politician, but coming from a police chief it’s damning.
Did the incident present a threat to anyone in the area, who could have been struck by a stray bullet? Did the incident present a threat to anyone’s sleeping child or annyone else inside their own homes, as stray bullets have been known to penetrate walls? Did the sound of gunfire alter residents’ feelings about the safety of their neighborhood and their quality of life?
I couldn’t disagree with Roca more, and if that’s the drivel he’s going to put out he should resign immediately.
Need to keep in mind this happened on a night, in an area, where hundreds of kids and their families were walking for Trick or Treat.
ReplyDeleteWhat many people in the Muhlenberg College neighborhood want to know is whether the shooting was in any way related to the Executive Education Charter School football game that was occurring at the time of the shooting. Muhlenberg College has decided to host these Friday night games providing zero degree of reasonable security or oversight to protect residents and students in the neighborhood surrounding the stadium. I'm not saying they are connected, but the EECS football games do create some safety and security issues to the neighborhood that cannot be ignored by the college in the future.
ReplyDeleteThose God damn West end liberals are the problem! They're the ones riding around on dirt bikes. Sleeping in the parks. Shooting up the place. Taking drugs. Not paying the boatload of taxes. YEAH THEY'RE THE PROLEM. What the hell's the matter with you people?
ReplyDeleteLVCI - The point is they’re the ones that keep electing the politicians that put in place these risky and self-defeating policies. They think they’re insulated in the West End from the problems those policies cause. They’re not. It’s just taking longer for the effects to reach them.
DeleteGive me somebody to else to vote for.. (there isn't any conservative willing). People bitch about the leaders, bitch about the people downtown and bitch about the people in the West end. That leaves nobody left to bitch about. Finger pointing solves nothing.
Delete"They think they’re insulated " That's bullshit. I can't tell you how many times we're accused of being snobs just for trying to live in a decent area. I spent 33 years doing blue collar factory work to get me here and it appears you guys want to see my neighborhood get trashed. What great people you are.
FYI I live on less then $30,000 a year. So you people stop the damn stereo typing . I'm sick of trying to defend all this crap that's been said about us for years.
You are correct. Liberal American hates you because you did what you had to do to live in a nice neighborhood. We see that all the time with this hatred of 'white picket fence types where 'fled' to the suburbs.'
DeleteOne thing is certain, the residents in this area feel as if the immediate and subsequent reporting of this very serious crime was handled very poorly by APD and Muhlenberg College security. There are hundreds of students and property owners impacted and everyone is being left to speculate on what really happened and where it happened.
ReplyDeleteWeekend reports mention both Birney Crum and Muhlenberg stadium....about a mile apart. Subsequent reports state 24th & Liberty. Meanwhile, Mayor Tuerk is encouraging protesters to center city tomorrow night for the Trump rally in the arena....as if the Allentown Police won't already have enough to do.
DeleteThe mayor is inciting protestors and possibly a riot, oh isn't that great. I wouldn't be surprised if he referred to the supporters inside the arena as "Nazi Supporters" as well.
DeleteIn light of the Democrats incendiary rhetoric labeling Trump as a Fascist and other violence inducing labels, a responsible mayor would not be creating a situation that could grow ugly real fast. Clearly Matt is not acting as a responsible mayor here.
DeleteWhat could possibly be the positive of encouraging protesters at the Trump
Deleterally?
There is likely to be a capacity, if not overflow crowd coming to the city to see their preferred candidate speak. I would even venture to guess that many don’t come into the city often. Wouldn’t it be great to give them a positive impression of the city that would encourage them to visit again?
Maybe it’s time Tuerk realized that, like it on not, he’s supposed to be the Mayor of all people in Allentown and should make the city welcoming to all.
I live near the college and I have no idea if the shooting involved anyone there for that football game. I'll say this: The issue was not the school/parents or supporters watching the game in the stadium, the issues I noticed were the large groups of teens/adults congregating in the alleys, a lot of double parked cars in the alleys and a good amount of that stinky pot smoke that you smell in more urban parts of the City. The school even had their bus parked illegally in a no parking area at a fire hydrant blocking traffic views at a 2 way stop on Liberty Street. I agree with 10:18 that the college should have campus cops patrolling the neighborhood the next time they bring in this school for a game.
DeleteMost definitely reillyville will see the most ever in one night true genuine commerce. Mr Wall and the fine women that follow Trump's rallys may be dinning in one of the shitholes in reillyville before or after this HUGE event!
DeleteAfter checking the tureks account encouraging for protests we can only begin to understand were the finances come from that wreck havoc upon Allentown PA.
I remember the days when the only concern those of us in the Muhlenberg neighborhood had was video interference their radio station caused to the television reception of Ch 6 out from Philly. The college graciously paid for our cable tv in order to rectify the problem. Now, don't count on DEI'berg to do anything to alleviate the problem of thuggery at football games and parking in our alleys.
ReplyDeleteIf in fact it turns out that this shooting was associated with the football game, and they allow future games by this institution, Muhlenberg has indeed become less of a neighbor.
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