A shooting outside of an after hours club on Union Blvd. kept the emergency room busy. While one victim died, the other three survived. The newspaper tells us that this is the first homicide of 2025, after a recent low number in 2024. What we're not told about last year is the total number of shootings, and bullets fired. To this observer, those are the numbers that count.
The shooting isn't what brings us today's post, but rather the quote from Josh Siegel. “After-hour clubs like BKK Lounge undermine Allentown’s quality of life and our goal of building a safer city,... I believe in a vibrant and thriving nightlife, but not at the expense of safety and security"
Josh Siegel is the state rep from Allentown center city and aspiring to be county executive. If the current Morning Call reporters had more institutional memory, they would remember when not that many years ago Josh marched up Hamilton Street with the Defund The Police crowd. I'll spare Josh some of the chants shouted that day, but they surely will not appear in his campaign literature. If the APD had more boots on the ground, perhaps cars could be assigned to the clubs' parking lots. It's not the first shooting outside one of these places.
It should be remembered that in times past, this facility formerly was Buddy's Beefburgers, Gino's Pizza and an Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips store.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see how a city which formerly had wholesome buisnesses, that contributed to making Allentown a good place to live has degenerated into such seediness.
How long before the violence and the young men that perpetrate it spread out into LMT, already the third largest municipality in the Lehigh Valley? Whitehall has not been spared. Thoughtful civic leaders in those areas immediately surrounding Allentown must be having the occasional bad nights sleep.The idea that the State Representative from the ” F… the Police” posse could be the next Country Executive should terrify every sober citizen in Lehigh County and beyond.
ReplyDeletePut blame in the media of today influencing the young in America by glorifying the jailhouse mentality.
ReplyDeleteHey, remember when T.J. Rooney was advocating to ban rap music?
DeleteThose were the days.
Democrats remain stuck on stupid with candidates like Josh. There isn't a far left position Seigel hasn't embraced.
ReplyDeletePlease.
DeleteSiegel wouldn’t know Karl Marx from the Marx Brothers.
It matters not what he knows, only what he believes.
DeleteAllentown’s decline has been a long time process. Too many problems glossed over, lied about, selfishly ignored because that’s not in my neighborhood, not on my route of travel, etc. So, who is most to blame? Incompetent, lazy, sometimes lazy people elected into decision making positions while the rest of us were too ‘busy’ to notice.
ReplyDeleteI read yesterday that the mayor was again touting how quickly an arrest was made and that criminals know that if they commit a crime in Allentown they’ll be caught quickly.
ReplyDeleteTalk about out of touch!
Hey, Mayor PeeWee, the criminals obviously don’t give a rat’s behind about getting caught, and the homicide victim isn’t here to tell anyone how great that is!
If you’d be smart, you’d realize that what you’re doing isn’t working and you were lucky that poor marksmanship kept this from being a QUADRUPLE homicide.
Too bad Promise Neighborhoods wasn’t there to counsel the shooters and keep this from happening.
Promise Neighborhoods received a $mil from Shapiro. Even the Trexler Trust gave them $50K (they should pay more attention to the state of the parks, and less to the wokeness of their trustees) That $mil plus could have put some more officers in the APD.
DeleteWell of course. The Governor is running for president.
DeleteI just wrote the comment about the mayor trying to deflect the issue by touting a quick arrest and realized something.
ReplyDeleteThe mayor and other politicians have given up on telling Allentown residents the lie that they’re actually safe, and instead are pretending to tell the criminals that they’re going to be caught.
I say pretending because I don’t think the criminals have gotten the mayor’s memo or read the newspapers.
I think the mayor is instead trying create a fake message of safety by changing the story (when he can) from the obvious crime problem to apprehensions in some high profile cases.
Bingo!
DeleteThe Hipster Mayor is learning to control the narrative.
Mayor Peewee McPronouns, 4th degree blackbelt in virtue signaling, is a not at all good at leading. He'll make a wonderful candidate for state or national office. We need someone sensible like Ed Zucal to restore some dignity in City government. Ed's first order of business will be to offboard all of the identity-based hires and restore hiring based on things like capability and promotions based upon accomplishments that contribute to the core mission of the City. Instead of the "first Caribbean born gender fluid nonbinary" we need actual accomplishments that are not made up to lift the spirits of the unaccomplished and vocationally incapable. That old saying "birds of a feather" is in full force as Mayor PeeWee McPronouns has cultivated a team with resumes of virtuous accomplishments that in the real world are not noteworthy. They only matter in the make believe world. Unfortunately people are getting shot in the real world and the make believe world is laying blame on things like after hours clubs. I have a feeling that Josh and PeeWee talk often and closely share ideals. If Josh does get elected and PeeWee gets re-elected then the City and the County will be in total harmony. God help us.
ReplyDeleteThe message today is for all Lehigh County voters. It's all hands on deck for the next County Executive election. The democrats have Allentown politics dominated and now, if they nominate someone like Siegel, are working to expand their control beyond the City so they can dominant in County government to spread their success throughout the land. We all need to pay close attention to how this election develops and remember that you get what you vote for and if you don't vote you may wake up one day in a political subdivision you don't recognize.
ReplyDeleteDon’t forget to also send a strong message to Tuerk when at the polling place. Buh-bye!
DeleteAfter hour clubs in themselves is nothing new. Allentown had the Republican Club, Italian Club, Ukrainian Club and several others. All after hours, with no shootings on the parking lots.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and one after hours club that not only had a shooting inside and one outside but also hosted dog fighting, right on a major intersection of Hamilton St.
DeleteAfter hours clubs have been around since I can remember back to the 1950s. It is the clientel which has changed. Reflective of the people that live in Allentown now vs then.
DeleteI just saw a flyer for a fundraiser Zucal is having at Ringer's Roost. Holy Crap! I can't wait to go. WOW!
ReplyDeleteGood news! We need Zucal to win. He needs to step up his campaign against Tuerk and show that he is the right candidate for Allentown.
DeleteSend Tuerk slithering back to where he came from and he can try his social experiments there.
The Hooka Lounge was shut down after multiple incidents culminating in a fatal stabbing and it took several injunctions from Judge Ford and at least two other Judges to close the infamous Down Low club, noted for bringing after hours nightlife mayhem to Allentown.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on MM in your narrative. Let's talk about the shootings. We can't talk about real crime data now, can we? Let's sugarcoat the facts about crime in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteLets hope that the first order of business for the Allentown Latino-American Advisory Council will be a bit of self-examination and discussions on how to reduce violence, gangster behavior, absentee parenting, teen pregnancy, drop-out rates and other similar social problems inherent with young Latinos in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteThe Italian Club, the Ukrainian Club and the Hungarian Club, all belong to a bygone era in the former Queen City, never to be seen again.
ReplyDeleteAnon.11:03 Wait to you see who Zucal has coming to the fundraiser. Going to blow your mind. He definitely has connections. I've been talking with him. I believe he's doing what he needs to. Just has a different style. Doesn't show his hand.
ReplyDeleteZucal, from his showing at council, has shown himself to be out of touch with issues of today's Allentown. His bring it back to the supposedly yesteryear glory days is simplistic and he lacks the skills to showcase Allentown's strengths because he is too fixated on the past. He can't grasp the complexity and interwoven issues of the city. Keeping taxes down is his answer to everything. How far did he advance in his career as a police officer? What does that tell you?
Deleteanon@6:20: He advanced far enough that he uses and signs his name, ran for city council and now mayor. With shootings at after hour clubs, a step back to older values might resonate with more people than you think.
Delete@6:20. You mention Zucal’s career and seem to allude to him being a lackluster police officer. Was he lackluster or is he just an against the grain type guy among weak and pushovers for leaders? If the current and ongoing issues with the APD tell me anything it’s that you don’t want to be “go with the flow” type person in the department. You want integrity, grit and high moral character. The police department seems to be deficient on quality leadership. I see those qualities in Ed Zucal.
DeleteAnonymous at 6:20 - it tells me you really know how to sling the bullshit.
DeleteAll his candidates that supported him for mayor were soundly defeated in the Queen City FOP Lodge 10 vote tonight including former President Benner who was defeated by over 60 Votes. Should listen to people that said the Lodge never actually supported Zucal when his FOP Candidate Benner was defeated worse than Kamala Harris tonight! Floor votes versus full body votes are a big difference.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:07. Am I to understand Benner pushed through the floor vote to endorse Zucal and then following that, Benner lost the reelection of his presidency? I know Mike doesn't like questions but maybe we can have someone clarify.
DeleteI'm tired of hearing the bullshit with Zucal. He was kicked out of the FOP when he was president for going against the body with important issues. He's not allowed to testify in open court because he perjured himself on the stand by claiming he's in expert when he's actually not. Ask the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office. He's a fraud and always has been. People just forget these things as time Passes.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't respond to those who spread lies but since I'm running for Mayor that's the only reason
ReplyDeleteFirst, I am a LIFE Long Member in good standing with the F.O.P. Second, no need to ask the D.A.'s Office anything. I investgated several high profile accidents. COMMONWEALTH Cases I could reveal but won't. I was certified as an expert witness in a Civil Case resulting in a very high dollar settlement. In another my accident calculations resulted in the D.A.'s Office getting a conviction. The ADA was Renee Smith in both cases. Claiming that someone perjured themselves is a pretty serious allegation against a police officer. Not surprised you didn't sign your name.
I received another anonymous accusatory comment from anon 12:12. Since Zucal answered the first, I will not host additional ones. If they have any merit, I'm sure Tuerk would be happy to report such.
ReplyDeleteAnon Feb 4, 2:43. Curb your disappointment about the fundraiser. Looks like Mr Zucal was premature in his announcement that Larry Holmes would be at his fundraiser. Oops. Offering autographs. I heard Mr Holmes did not approve his picture being on the flyer either. Double Oops.
ReplyDeletewow, someone is really working hard to upset Mr. Zucal's apple cart. did Tuerk ask Panto to detour Larry?
DeleteI work in City Hall. Tuerk went into full panic mode when he saw this. No surprise here that he would stoop that low.
ReplyDelete