By LINDA G. RASTELLI
A recent string of burglaries and shootings in Red Bank evoked mixed reactions at a West Side Community Group neighborhood watch meeting last night, with some residents praising police efforts and others saying they feel unsafe.
“I was born and raised here. I never felt vulnerable before,” said Connie Festa Aparicio, owner of Salon 340 on Shrewsbury Avenue, who said her Catherine Street home was burglarized this week. “I don’t know how to protect my home and business.”
“My block has turned into a tenement situation,” she said. “I was gone for two hours and I was hit. It took them 10 minutes. The neighbors called (police), but he jumped off the roof (before they got there). It’s scary.”
Others among the roughly 25 residents in attendance complained about loitering, public urination and drinking on the West Side.
Dieter Bornemann, owner of The Little Kraut restaurant, asked Police Chief Mark Fitzgerald what could be done about people loitering and “having sex” on Bridge Avenue near the train station, and in the parking lots at his restaurant and at St. Anthony’s church.
“It’s been going on for years and it’s getting worse. People look the other way. Who should be contacted?” he asked.
“You just did,” Fitzgerald replied.
Community activist John Tyler and his neighbor John Ross, both outspoken Leighton Avenue residents, said the stepped-up police presence was helpful, but that a police substation was needed on the West Side.
“Buckets of pee are being dumped out windows,” said Tyler, who recently ran unsuccessfully on the Republican ticket for a council seat. He and Ross suggested that landlords were advising tenants living in overcrowded conditions to use air mattresses and other strategies to evade housing law.
Ross joked that the Best Liquors store, a frequent flashpoint for residents’ anger, would be a good place for a substation. (Best Liquors’ owner Sunny Sharma is now appealing the revocation by the borough council of the store’s liquor license; a hearing before the state Alcoholic Beverage Control division is scheduled for next Wednesday in Mercerville.)
Best is still operating pending its appeal. Meanwhile, police have cracked down on loitering there, which has resulted in increased loitering at the Catherine Street and Shrewsbury Avenue intersection, residents said.
West Side Community Group leader Amy Goldsmith and councilwoman Sharon Lee suggested that the police try to track landlords who hide behind limited liability corporations while knowingly renting to larger number of tenants than allowed by ordinance. Publishing their addresses may deter these landlords from having repeated violations, said Lee, who also suggested finding a way to discourage people from negotiating with day laborers at the train station.
“If people are encouraged to think twice before picking someone up,” she said, it may stop.
Lee said that her house had been robbed once.
“You must know your neighbors,” she said. “I knock on doors. I’m the nosy neighbor.”
Republican Councilman John Curley was also present.
Fitzgerald thanked residents for their cooperation in helping to immediately identify 19-year-old Anthony Sims as the suspect in the shooting of two brothers at the Montgomery Terrace projects last month. (One of the victims, who have no been publicly identified, is out of the hospital and “the other has a longer road” to recovery, Fitzgerald said.) Though Sims is still at large and considered armed and dangerous, police were “able to solve that because of major cooperation from residents,” he said. “We still need your cooperation.”
The police chief also mentioned an unsuccessful Shrewsbury Avenue record store robbery attempt Monday by four Bronx residents, one of whom was a former employee and knew the owner and the layout of the store. An officer stationed at the train station arrested the suspects as they left in a cab. The same day a burglary “targeting Latino residents” was stopped, although the suspect gave chase and got away.
Fitzgerald said he met with Corzine administration representatives and other police chiefs over the weekend to discuss a new “toolkit” for fighting crime. Citing a $48.5 million state crime-fighting fund, Fitzgerald said,
“We’re applying for as much as we can.”
Goldsmith seemed to hit a nerve when she suggested that the approximately 100 “Latino parents who attend packed PTO meetings” be encouraged to join the neighborhood watch, “whether they’re legal or not.”
Without Hispanic residents, “How can we have these conversations about safety issues?” she asked.
The previously calm group tensed, and a few spoke out in anger. After telling Goldsmith that she was “out of order,” Bornemann walked out.
“That’s such a small group you’re talking about,” another resident said. “Latinos make up 70 percent of the community (but) maybe 10 percent want to be involved in the community. They may be part of the neighborhood, but they’re part of the crime statistic.”
Goldsmith said Latinos were not committing all the crimes in Red Bank, and that a substantial number were also concerned citizens.
Well done! The West Side has apparently found their critical mass.
That's the silver lining of the "Best Liquors," the "jerk with the bad earrings and a gun", the break-ins, etc. That is, the West Side was drawn together.
That's a huge first step: Communication and cooperation.
Wisdom suggests that if that even if there is a minor issue–call the police. That's their purpose.
Overcrowded home? Call codes enforcement 732-530-2760.
Crappy landlord? Call codes enforcement 732-530-2760.
Someone shady loitering? Peeing on the street corner? Call the non-emergency number for the police. 732-530-2700.
The West Side must construct an environment where people are afraid to do something on the fringes.
Call often. Hold the city accountable. Ask for names. And ask them for a commitment date. You're not trying make friends. You're trying to get the city to work for your interests.
You get sassy bullshit from someone in City Hall? Call the City Administrator. He's well paid. He can be reached at 732-530-2748.
Stanley brushes you off? Call the mayor. 732-530-2740 and ask for The Honorable Pasquale Menna.
Treat the city like you are their customer. You ARE their customer.
Mr. Ameika is right on. It IS up to us, each of us individually, acting in concert, to watch out for our neighborhoods and demand appropriate responses from the borough officials (elected and appointed). We also need to demand appropriate responses from our NEIGHBORS. You can't let a chosen few slide. If you see wrong-doing, report it, no matter who the perp is.
I was at last evening's meeting and it was an excellent first step. Only one disagreement with Mr. Ameika . . . the officials of Red Bank must be made to work for you because THEY DO! It isn't their town; it's yours. You're not their customer; you are their BOSS. Red Bank is YOUR BUSINESS, not theirs. So be a good boss . . . fair, of course, but firm in your expectations. And if they fail you, fire them next election and try someone new.
Mr. Ameika is right on. It IS up to us, each of us individually, acting in concert, to watch out for our neighborhoods and demand appropriate responses from the borough officials (elected and appointed). We also need to demand appropriate responses from our NEIGHBORS. You can't let a chosen few slide. If you see wrong-doing, report it, no matter who the perp is.
I was at last evening's meeting and it was an excellent first step. Only one disagreement with Mr. Ameika . . . the officials of Red Bank must be made to work for you because THEY DO! It isn't their town; it's yours. You're not their customer; you are their BOSS. Red Bank is YOUR BUSINESS, not theirs. So be a good boss . . . fair, of course, but firm in your expectations. And if they fail you, fire them next election and try someone new.
Despite the quote from the anonymous person quoted in the story above, there are plenty of Latinos who want to get involved. In fact, some of them were at the meeting last night. They include my wife, who came home pretty upset by some the anti-Latino rhetoric. Unity? I'm not so sure. The tenor of the meeting has left us a tad more rattled than the crime problem itself.
In modern day America,, issues are too often not discussed meaningfully for fear of upsetting or offending some person or group. While I am sympathetic to Mr. Donohue's reaction (I am very protective of anyone hurting my loved ones), there is a huge difference between being "anti-Latino" and discussing quality of life issues (overcrowding, urinating out of windows, the legal status of the perpetrators, etc.) which right now in Red Bank involves Latinos more than any other group. Until everyone in the community acknowledges what is factual about any problem and uniformly works for improvement, no solutions are possible.
So, a thought to the Donohue family: don't be rattled; don't look for the minute percentage in any group who have a prejudiced agenda; get out in front of the issues and become a positive voice for change which will make everyone's quality of life better. Your wife being Latino, in fact, might just give her a lot more of a credible voice should she decide to stand up those of her ancestry who are behaving poorly. Great leadership comes through visible example.
The 4 guys that robbed the record store aren;t latino, the robber on the loose isn't latino, the shooter on Catherine Street isn't latino. I don't see how this is the same issue. It appears some people have bias against the Latino community and choose to blame them for things they have noting to do with.
iTS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME WHERE IT WILL BE LATINO TRUST ME WITHIN 5 YEARS IT'S GOING TO BE BAD
Joe:
You either were not at the meeting or, if you were, have a hearing problem. It is a response like yours, alleging BIAS as a knee jerk reaction, which becomes an impediment to any meaningful discussions.
While the crimes you mention were touched on in passing, the primary emphasis last night was code enforcement, overcrowding, loitering and trespass, and the quality of life issues like urine being dumped from windows and defecation in public areas.
If you see that as Latino bias, maybe the distorted vision is yours.
Westside community meeting last night was well attended, even Sharon Lee attended. My thoughts are that the last time she was there was when she was trolling for votes, this time she was there with a couple of good ideas, one is to get the borough to publish the names of the people behind the LLC's after they receive citations or fines. That would be quite interesting to see if there are upper level government officials or councilpersons that are slum lords, her other idea would be to publish names and photos of the 'johns' that attempt to pick up hookers (although this is not a new idea, it is certainly a step in the right direction). So to all you shocked readers this morning I SAY "GOOD JOB" to Sharon, and hope that this is the first step of many towards her getting re attached to and involved again with the West Side. We haven't moved, just been waiting. I think John Tylers strong showing may have prompted this, .. Mr. D. has gotten upset with the `Latino' Bias, but for the most part, the main quality of life issues (public urination, prostitution, Drunken disorderly,sexual assaults), are by them ( people with no legal status), Yes I know that the shooting (last one), was not, and the attempted robbery on Shrewsbury ave were not committed by them, but the fact is that this getting out of control. Its a federal Issue that we actually can force our town to act upon, by calling constantly, be a pest, make them spend the property tax increase that they took on you, by continually calling when something is wrong. Its your right, your their boss and they, at borough hall work FOR YOU!, not the big developer. Make each and everyone accountable for their failures to protect your rights. Show up in force at council meetings, don't piss and moan just here, get involved show them its enough at the meetings. They listen to numbers..
I believe that the vast majority of the illegal's are quite fine, I do not agree with their coming here the way that they did, but that's me, It doesn't make them all bad, but there is a fringe element here that need to be shown that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior. This is our town, and if you wish to live here you must abide by the rules and the Law.
Padrone,
Your point is well taken. I'm not thin skinned, nor is my wife. But it is hard to take a statement like this direct quote from an attendee:
"Latinos make up 70 percent of the community (but) maybe 10 percent want to be involved in the community."
and see it as part of a "meaningful discussion" you describe. I look at that statement upside town and sideways and still find it hard to see it as anything but at least mildly anti-Latino. If nothing else, it's nonsensical and harmful to the effort to get everyone behind this effort.
Padrone, you implore me to dismiss the "minute percentage" of people in a group with prejudiced views. I will do so. No problem.
In return, I respectfully ask that you kindly reconsider your statement that quality of life crimes (and urinating out the window) "involves Latinos more than any other group." Do they really? What I see in my neighborhood is knuckleheads of all ethnicities engaging in knuckleheaded behavior in equal proportion to their representation in the overall population.
So I will dismiss the "minute percentage" of people at last night's meeting with prejudiced views. But in turn, I ask that you please do not interpret the equally minute percentage of Latinos who piss through windows as representative of the larger population.(Has anyone done a census of high altitude golden shower practitioners to determine the ethnic makeup of this population? This strikes me as an oddly funny and weird point to have come up here, anyway)
People who urinate out windows and commit other crimes should be singled out as felons and idiots, not Latinos, white, black, or anything else. That is the difference here. That is the difference between a "meaningful discussion" and malarky.
When an entire ethnicity is described as being guilty of the sins of a small number of its members - that is where the rhetoric crosses the line. And this discussion seems to have crossed it last night and again here.
Lastly, Padrone calls for a "meaningful discussion" on these issues.
Any discussion that excludes or offends 60 percent of the population; or any discussion that starts with a description of that 60 percent as the problem itself and not part of the potential solution, well, that's not a meaningful discussion at all. If you alienate 60 percent of the population with this kind of rhetoric, this whole effort is bound to fail.
Amy Goldsmith was right and should not have been shouted down. This effort needs Latinos.
In my original post, I was pointing out that last night's statements actually offended some Latinos. And that is one giant step in the wrong direction. You might get some satisfaction in what you misguidedly interpret as truth telling, but it's not going to bring down crime on Bank Street. Rather, we all run the risk of a divided community and an entirely new set of problems.
This is about uniting Red Bank and the West Side in particular. If so, we need everyone on board. Everyone.
I was not at the meeting, I simply read the article above. I guess the article is misleading, I assumed by the title of the article, the meeting was about the recent armed robery, attempted murder etc, crime in the area. Obviously these crimes are not being comitted by the latino community. I am surprised that overcrowding is such an issue in with all of the other crimes in the area in the last few months. Overcrowding has been a dirty secret in Red Bank for years I assume it will get swept under the rug again like it always does.
sorry Mr. D, but my neighbors that had been urinating out of the windows, in the back yard bushes and also in the front yard when children were coming home were indeed Latinos, and were also of Mexican origin. So in reply to your survey of high altitude golden showers I have seen three, unfortunately they were Hispanic. That would make it on my street, 100%.
But I do also have to agree with the fact that we need everyone on board, everyone.
People piss out of windows?!?!
Thats brilliant.
Ahhhh pissin' outta windows… that brings back great memories… Well, I can tell you this. I'm not Latino. But I did grow up on the third floor of a house in Rumson and there was nothin' finer than pissin' out the window on a hot summer's night.
Ahhhh pissin' outta windows… that brings back great memories… Well, I can tell you this. I'm not Latino. But I did grow up on the third floor of a house in Rumson and there was nothin' finer than pissin' out the window on a hot summer's night.
Gary,
When you saw the "Mexicans" pissing out the window, how could you tell they were Mexicans? What distictive characteristic on the offending person were you able to see and identify that differentiated the "Mexicans" from the El Salvadorian or Equadorian window pissers. If you could identify them to that degree, did you call the police and sign a complaint?
And although you seemed pleased with Sharon Lee's ideas and said so, who are you to accuse the life long resident Sharon Lee of being "disconnected" from the Westside? For the most part, the posts regarding last night's meeting were some of the best reading this site has had in many months. But the best comments are comments about the issues, not attacks about others not based in fact. Let's keeping going in the possitive and fair direction! You got facts, fine.
NWP asks: "What distictive characteristic on the offending person were you able to see and identify that differentiated the "Mexicans" from the El Salvadorian or Equadorian window pissers."
Actually, it makes little difference. Mestizo culture is vastly different from what we're used to in N. America.
This demographic group is associated with higher incarceration rates, lower academic achievement (plateaus by the third generation at lower than the national average), higher out of wedlock births, and greater welfare dependence. These uncomfortable facts are part of the public and historical record (google it if you don't believe me).
So as this demographic increases at faster rate than other groups, expect these special qualities to become more prevalent.
Like many others I am against crime, low academic achievement, illegitimacy, and welfare dependence. If that places me against our latest arrivals then so be it.
Cultures which do not clash with ours (e.g., east asian work/school ethic) don't receive anywhere near the opposition. There's a reason.
Well put, Brian!
To BLB - what next, you're going to cite the Nazi studies about the superiority of the Aryan race?!
What's the common thread? I'll bet all the people who are urinating out windows are men. Standing outside WaWa hoping to get some work for the day? All men. Stabbings, shootings, robberies? All men. Men are associated with higher incarceration rates and lower academic achievement. Men haven't figured out how to have babies out of wedlock, but that will come soon enough. Once they're able to have babies out of wedlock, they'll be able to increase their welfare dependence.
[End of sarcasm.]
Crime, poor academics, welfare, etc. are caused by poverty. Latinos in this country have higher poverty rates, so they suffer from the other problems at higher rates, too. If you take income levels into account, latinos are no more likely to commit crimes, have academic troubles or go on welfare. The problems are not the result of "mestizo culture" or any other euphemism that racists might use.
If you're anti-crime, pro-school, anti-welfare and anti-unwed-birth, then you should be anti-povery, not anti-latino. Blame poverty, not ethnicity.
No, I believe I would blame illegal immigration and an I don't give a shit attitude.
Throw that on top of an overcrowded home and a greedy landlord and you have THE REDBANK WESTSIDE!
Nitwoitpolice, Yes I called the police, and yes they answered in a timely fashion (as they did to the hooker that was performing oral treats in the driveway of that house in the front seat of a Red Subaru), How did I know that they were from Mexico, Because of the flag that they were using as curtain, and because I had asked them before, when trying to get to know my neighbor (as Sharon has now suggested), where they were from. The reason they were pissing out of the window and in the bushes had to do with the plumbing, it was backed up into the basement and the landlord hadn't fixed it. My call to the police I think may have helped.
And as for who am I to criticize her or to accuse her, your ass! I can criticize when ever I want for what I think is not correct behavior, and so you tell me NOITWIT, when was the last time she attended the community meeting(s), or indeed walked the streets during troubled times (like now), to talk to her constitutions? That is what I meant by being distanced, take the plug of thanks and gratitude for at least saying and doing something and move on, I would hate to think that my postings or John Tylers continual diligence towards the Westsides right to a have a higher quality of life prompted her actions. (Look out for him in 2009). Your now becoming a bore with your defensive posture, there have no actions taken that you can brag about other than the last meeting, so once again hurry on would you. And by the way, I never accused you of being Sharon either, you jumped to that conclusion all by yourself, rather quickly also I may add.
Gary,
Nice post!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZbvi6Tj6E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf-Q2rDd6Tw
anddddddddddddddd?