“Tom” asks who am I to judge the residents of 211 Passaic Street? Maybe I’m some snub guy with plenty of money living a perfect life in a half-acre estate on the hill. Nope, guess again. I’ve been down and out and nearly homeless. I lost my home and my investment property, and I rent a tiny one-bedroom apartment in central Hackensack. I’ve had more than my share of life’s problems. And as a “survivor”, I don’t have such a sympathetic view of people who drown their sorrows in alcohol and don’t respond to all those persons and agencies working to help them to turn their lives around. Alcoholism is a disease that is entirely curable. There’s lots of resources out there to help these people, and lots of dedicated activists (God bless them).
You, Tom, are speaking out of both sides of your mouth. You blast me as unsympathetic, but in your other post a few days ago, you attacked the citizens of the Anderson Street business district by calling their neighborhood “a slum”. Those are honest hardworking immigrants, mostly Latino, some African-American, and a few White, Asian and Middle-Eastern. Most of the families are two-parent households. Those are hard-working people that I respect. Why don’t you respect them? You owe an apology to the citizens of Anderson Street.
Tom, as much as you hate my poetry, I was being kind to select alcohol as the primary vice at 211 Passaic Street. That boarding house had a 2-way revolving door connected to the Bergen County Jail as well as the city’s homeless shelters. They must be in crisis mode down at the Jail because they lost their main place to put paroled criminals who don’t have family to take them in. 211 Passaic Street might as well be a half-way house. Alcohol isn’t the only problem at that address, there was drugs, prostitution, and crime of all types. And out of those 28 units, no doubt there were a few decent hardworking individuals and developmentally disabled folks just struggling to make ends meet. Certainly not the majority at that address. Not even close.
And to “Hope”, I had a close relative who died from alcoholism-related health problems, and I have two extremely close relatives who have developmental disabilities (one who is a victim of the autism epidemic, and another with cerebral palsy whose mind is as sharp as a pin, but he can’t walk or feed himself); don’t even go there by suggesting that I am unsympathetic to the developmentally disabled.
But how about a little SYMPATHY for the neighbors and the community in central Hackensack who have had to put up with 211 Passaic Street for over 50 years. How about some SYMPATHY for all the victims of crimes (violent crimes as well as burglary and property crimes) perpetuated by residents of 211 Passaic Street over the past 50 years. That’s definitely where my sympathies lie.
Do you two, or anyone out there in cyberspace, think that 211 Passaic Street should be rebuilt?