Nat Hyman filed a legal action against the city in regard to the homeless encampment by one of his buildings. I do not find his action inappropriate. The city then asked Hyman if he would take in some of the homeless....That request I do find inappropriate. They would not have asked Reilly to put up the homeless in a Strata building.
Years ago, Pawlowski took a local developer off the hook, purchasing two parcels we did not need for parks. One on Basin St., and the other the old fertilizer plant on Martin Luther King. We didn't need them then and we don't need them now.
Although I'm a self-proclaimed park expert, I must admit I have not been to the Jordan Meadows parkway along the Jordan Creek. I will refrain from opining if the park was advisable, but since we created it, we must maintain it. Comments on yesterday's post on the homeless maintain that the city has adopted a too woke attitude tolerating homelessness. Rather than rehash that discussion, let's say that all sections of the city deserve the same treatment. Would that encampment be tolerated in the Rose Garden?
above reprinted from April 8, 2025
SPECIAL EDITION **AN OUTSIDER RUMOR CLAIMS THAT THE CITY WILL MOVE THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT BY AUGUST 25TH, TO AN AS OF YET UNDETERMINED LOCATION.**(IT WON'T BE THE ROSE GARDENS :) )
Using the homeless as a political tool, by the current administration, is about as low as you can go.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nat Hyman for standing up for the citizens of Allentown!
ReplyDeleteIf the rumor is true, I am happy that the situation is being resolved for Mr. Hyman. While it’s sad that it took a lawsuit for City Hall to protect a property owner, he was totally correct to file his lawsuit and shame the city into action.
ReplyDeleteBut as usual, the real problem continues to lie with the misguided policies of Allentown City Hall.
Merely moving the homeless to another location is not a solution. It simply moves the problem to another neighborhood or onto another person’s property.
Homelessness should not be tolerated or accepted in the city. Period. Full stop.
The homeless should not be allowed to set up camp in parks, and certainly not allowed to linger in our neighborhoods. Continuing to allow this is not good for the city or safe for the homeless.
Should we help the homeless? Absolutely! Most of the homeless have underlying issues (addiction, mental health issues, etc.), and the standard should be getting the homeless the help that they need - QUICKLY! This help should be at licensed (and state regulated) facilities located outside of residential areas in the city.
Moving the homeless to continue to live on their own is not compassion, it’s cruelty. For City Hall to continue to accept or normalize their condition is not a solution, it’s neglect.
The key words in this special edition post is OUTSIDER RUMOR. The "tip" has enough credibility that I decided to publish it, even though it's news to Hyman himself. In this business sometimes the egg gets on your face.
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DeleteAnon 7:29 here again. I certainly understand that what you’re reporting is a rumor. That said, it’s also in City Hall’s best interest to quickly resolve the issue.
The case is an easy loser for the city, and the court case would only bring to light that the city is failing to protect property owners in the city. It’s not the only area that the current administration is failing its property owners (and neighborhoods), and for a mayor facing re-election in November that can’t be helpful.
If the rumor about moving the homeless from Mr Hyman’s area ends up not being true, the egg will end up on the Mayor’s face, not yours.
anon@7:29: I disagree. Cities across the country have been throwing money and expertise at this problem forever, to no avail. I would move the encampment to Union and Basin Street, which the city should have never purchased for a future park. There I would make services and referrals available from the health department to those "homeless" willing to take advantage of such.
ReplyDeleteThe Jordan Creek Greenway is a new park recently developed . Yet Tuerk felt it was appropriate to use this new park as a full out homeless city! If Mr. Hyman had not stood up to Tuerk, he would have left them there forever.
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