Back In The News...

Connolly Properties, the owner of the venerable Livingston Building, in Allentown, whose renovations were the subject of recent reports on this blog and in The Morning Call, is back in the news. This time it's a little more serious than repairing a roof without a permit or installing fire doors. The Connolly organization is no longer dealing with the Allentown Zoning Dept., they're dealing with the Federal Court System of the United States.

According to allegations filed in a civil suit by Immigration Reform Law Institute, Connolly Properties, has rented so many apartments to illegal immigrants that they are guilty of "unlawful harboring" in their Plainfield, New Jersey properties. The suit goes on to allege that such harboring constitutes a "criminal enterprise that encourages illegal immigration".

If the name, "Immigration Reform Law Institute" rings a bell, it may be because they are the same group that backed the anti-illegal immigration ordinance in Hazelton, which was later ruled unconstitutional.

An excellent report in The Journal News indicates that tensions over illegal immigrants have been rising and that leaders in the city of Plainfield, New Jersey, are worried their city will become a battleground in the debate over immigration. Apparently, Plainfield, a city of 50,000 has seen a dramatic rise in undocumented residents in the last few years.

The strategy behind the civil suit in Federal Court, based on RICO, the anti-racketeering statute, is one of "attrition through enforcement"; putting pressure on illegal immigrants to leave the country by making it more difficult to find employment and housing in the U.S.

Connolly's website lists 15 rental properties in Allentown : none of the company's Pennsylvania properties are listed in the law suit. Should the Immigration Law Reform Institute be successful in pursuing this remedy, it seems likely that use of the "RICO strategy" will spread.

The debate over illegal immigration has been pushed to the back burner by oil prices and the election. It won't stay there forever. Eventually this country is going to have to deal with the issue.

We are the only developed nation in the world that allows thousands of people to illegally cross our borders every year without taking any meaningful steps to stop it.

The Political Color Wheel

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is into primary colors these days. No they're not redecorating their Washington headquarters; they're trying to turn red states, blue.

According to the DCCC's website, a new candidate qualifies for the coveted Red to Blue Program by "surpassing demanding fundraising goals and skillfully demonstrating to voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress."

Oh I get it, it's a beauty contest to see who can raise the most money by using the magic "CHANGE" word and promising things they probably can't deliver.

For those good boys and girls who learned all their lessons and did all their homework, the Red to Blue program rewards them by "offering them financial, communications, and strategic support", direct from the Mother Ship.

A recent press announcement from the headquarters of 15th District Congressional Candidate Siobhan Bennett, touted the recognition of her campaign as one of the DCCC's "Emerging Races". The announcement sounded like she had just won some grand prize. It said they were "pleased to receive this national recognition..., reaffirming that our call for change is resonating in the Lehigh Valley.”

The reality is that the "Emerging Races" category is for those who didn't make it in to the top tier. The DCCC's disclaimer under that list of races says, " As these campaigns continue to develop and demonstrate increasing strength, candidates will have an opportunity to qualify for the Red to Blue program.

In an item In The Morning Call, June 15, "Politics as Usual" column, Bennett acknowledges replacing her campaign manager with someone sent in from the national Democratic level because the Dem. leaders felt "it was important to have national experience at the helm". As most political observers know, changing campaign managers in the middle of the election stream is usually an indication of trouble and it hardly ever works. Hillary tried it and it couldn't save her.

It's still a long way to November, but my guess is we've seen the first crack in the facade of the Bennett campaign. The DCCC better get out their paint brushes because it's going to take a lot of purple to turn the 15th District from red to blue.

Weekend Wanderings - June 21, 08

The very best of Allentown, was on display today: "Art in the Park" is a wonderful convergence of the city's beautiful West Park, celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year; the amazingly talented people who live in the Lehigh Valley; the city's pride and joy, the Allentown Band; all blending together for the enjoyment by the many diverse people who call this place home. The absolutely glorious weather made the experience that much more perfect.

I love this event and attend every year. The quality and number of artists on display were the best I've ever seen. It was truly a feast for the senses to walk among all the beautiful drawings, paintings, and pieces of pottery. The entire experience was heightened when the sounds of the Allentown Band began to drift over the exhibits. It was particularly moving to see so many of the artists and attendees stand at attention when the Star Spangled Banner was played.

Accompanied by my dear friend, Charlie Versaggi, and his friend Brandon, who was so kind to take these photos, the afternoon was not only filled with art, it was filled with much camaraderie, laughter with old friends, and encouraging words about the future.

For all the negative blog posts, comments, and newspaper articles directed at the downside of living in Allentown; today was a day to celebrate all that is good about this place that so many of us love.

If you're looking for a very special treat, tomorrow, Sunday the 22nd, I highly recommend taking the West Park House Tour. where you will see some of the most beautiful homes in the city. If you have not purchased your tickets in advance, you can do so tomorrow for $12 at the Church of the Mediator, bordering the park at 1620 W. Turner St.

Whether you spent today at "Art in the Park" or plan to go on the house tour, or can't find the time to do either, I encourage you to visit West Park this summer; you may see Allentown in a whole new light.

Welcome To The Neighborhood

It's "official". According to a headline in today's Morning Call Local Section, "Allentown making shift to community policing" we're on our way to salvation, or at least we're on our knees praying for it.

After all the announcements surrounding the public meetings that were held to present the new community policing model to the citizens, along with my column of several weeks ago, there wasn't much news in today's story, There was however an important point made by well-known consultant Dr. George Kelling: "Kelling said strong partnerships need to be forged within the community, a crime analysis needs to be done by neighborhood, and authorities should be as tough as possible to keep suspects off the streets. Kelling, in his assessment, also noted that a cooperative interaction between police and the community has generally been only at the highest levels of the police department, and didn't filter down.

Kelling has worked with cities across the country; as Shakespeare would say, Kelling knows of whence he speaks. And aside from the new response patterns for emergency and non-emergency calls, it's that aspect of the new plan that worries me the most...the relationship between the community and the police. Yes, the public can be demanding, and ill-informed, but the police can also be rude and arrogant. Not a good formula for Kelling's "cooperative interaction".

Yesterday's post about the experience of a west end family who was robbed, had their report taken on the phone, then couldn't get a copy of the report for their insurance company except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., brought a lot of passionate responses and a couple of good stories.

Distilling the comments down, several key points emerge: Most citizens are looking for some level of customer service from their police department. This is not more complicated than politeness and concern and some amount of common sense.

"JR" pointed out that getting copies of police reports is primarily a function of the civilian employees of the APD whose hours are "8:00 - 4:00". Although that may explain the situation the family in question encountered, it's probably not too far "out there" to suggest than an adjustment or staggering of those civilian's hours might be in order to better serve the public.

But what was most disconcerting was the feeling by many posters that there is an adversarial relationship with the police. Community activist Scott Armstrong gave a specific example of what sounded like outright intimidation when he questioned the actions of an officer.

If community policing is going to work, it's going to require placing well trained, highly motivated officers into the neighborhoods, officers who want to be there, who believe in the concept of community policing, and are willing to invest the time and energy needed to build relationships. Until then, we're just whistling through the graveyard on our way to another year of record crime statistics. Oops, sorry, Allentown doesn't have record crime anymore; it's down 18%.

Where We Left Off....

Before I had to step back from posting for a few days, the readers of this blog were engaged in a lively and worthwhile discussion about the future of community policing and what the impact of the new plan, when implemented, might be on the citizens of Allentown.

While we're on this subject, TEMPO, the television magazine show on WLVT-39, ran a segment last week that focused on community policing in Allentown and Easton. If you missed it, it's available online at WLVT's website: this link takes you directly to the video. It's interesting and informative, especially the interview with Easton Police Chief Larry Palmer by a local freelance journalist. And oh yes, Mayor Pawlowski and Allentown Chief Roger MacLean are in there, too. If you've never heard their pitch, you might want to spend 10 minutes tuning in.

One of the stories that surfaced during the previous posting thread was about someone in the west end of Allentown who had a theft at their house. The recounting of how little time or interest was shown by the APD when taking the report of the theft over the phone, was discouraging to hear, but it pales in comparison to what happened when this citizen needed a copy of that report for his insurance company. Here it is, in his own words, which I've edited slightly for length....

I show up at the police desk after work at about 5:30. I was the third person in line, and had to wait about twenty minutes while the people in front of me were taken care of. The wait was no big deal, even though there were four other officers behind the desk, who saw me waiting and were not busy, as they were joking around with one another.

The two people in front of me in line were cited for various offenses and were trying to negotiate with the officer behind the desk.

When my turn came, I asked the officer if he could get me a copy of a report. He very professionally told me to come back between the hours of 8 and 4 as they don’t give reports out at the desk. I told him I was a crime victim, and I work during the day, I asked if they could fax a report to me during the day. He told me they don’t fax reports. I asked if perhaps a report can be printed out, put in an envelope and I could swing by after work the next day to pick it up. They told me they don’t do that either.

Flabbergasted, I told the officer he just spent 20 minutes dealing with people who were cited for various offenses, and he won’t spend two minutes to go print out a report for a crime victim. I honestly thought I was on Candid Camera.

So this morning I called the station, and a very polite clerk told me to get a copy of a report would cost me $15, and I would have to come down between 8 and 4 and show ID. I told her I work during the day and will just have the insurance company deal with getting the report.

So I call the insurance company to put the claim in and was told my homeowners rates would probably go up about 5% if I put the claim in, on top of my deductible.

Having read your blogs on the ‘new community policing model’, I have serious doubts if an officer would even come if I caught a thief in the act of stealing something from my property and called 911.

Thankfully, I have seldom had to interact with the APD from the perspective of a crime victim; the last time was years ago. On those rare occasions, I've found the officers and detectives involved to be polite, concerned, and professional. But it sounds like the attitude and the level of customer service has changed. No doubt the reduction in manpower and increase of violent crime has a lot to do with that...schmoozing takes a backseat to safety. But if this new community policing model is going to work, it has to be embraced and accepted by the people it is meant to protect and serve. That simply won't happen if stories like the one told here are the way people are going to be treated by their own police department.

Let's hope this was an anomaly and not the new order of the day.

Someone Else's War

After a ten day "family leave" that was necessitated by the ongoing medical issues of an elderly relative, I am glad to be returning to this blog. There are many stories about which I could write this "first post"; from the media's horrendous and bias treatment of John McCain to my first experience at an Iron Pigs game. Those topics will have to wait, because tonight there is no subject more worthy, or about which I am more passionate, than the recent incidents in Afghanistan.

For those Americans who are serving in or have a loved one in the military, or are connected to Afghanistan in some other way, as I am, these stories are more than "someone else's war in someone else's country", these stories, like the death of four heroic Amercian Marines that occurred on Saturday, are gut-wrenching personal issues that take your breath away.

As widely reported in the MSM, a daring raid was conducted on Friday on a jail in Kandahar, a city and province that has become an Al Qaeda stronghold. The report on CNN.com tells of a coordinated effort that the head of Kandahar's town council compared to the attack on the World Trade Center; well-planned and successful...trucks filled with explosives blew the jail wide open. Taliban and Al Qaeda criminals escaped on foot and on motorcycles.

News of the Kandahar explosion caused fear within the Business Council for Peace (Bpeace) family. One of our own, Rangina, (no last names) lives there. She runs a business that employs Afghan widows in the sewing and embroidery of clothing and home goods. Rangina travels to promote the work of her women and the cause of Afghan freedom. (She and I are seen here during a meeting in Washington this past winter.) She continues to live in Kandahar, when she could live anywhere, because she believes in the future of her country. That belief was sorely tested Friday night. To follow is Rangina's first-hand account of the terror of what it was like to be near the bombing of the jail and how disconcerting the aftermath of having hundreds of criminals on the loose, has been.

Dearest Friends -

I have had my worst experience last night in Kandahar and I have never felt this scared in the past 5 years being here.

I decided to visit one of my family yesterday - they are in the city but not in the safest area of town A baby was born in this house and I wanted to pay my respect and congratulations to her with a gift for the baby and some cookies and candies...

Around 9:00 pm as I was about to call my driver to come pick me up we heard a BIG blast -the loudest since the past 5 years! Immediately following were gun shots and then rocket fire. My distant cousins - the youngest being 11 years of age ran across the compound crying and screaming and their mother and I ran after them to take them to a safe area in the house...we had no idea what is going on! Most of the windows fell and broke; we were afraid of stepping on the broken glass.

The fighting continued for about 30 minutes non-stop and while I was scared to my fullest capacity I had to pretend that nothing had happened to calm the children. Within an hour I learned that insurgents have attacked the local prison with suicide bombing and then with rockets to free their prisoners - the latest numbers being about 1200 prisoners now who are roaming the city freely!!!

I did not sleep the entire night with a child laying next to me and shivering the entire night of fear. I tried to calm him down with my own heart full of fear.

I write you this not to make you feel sorry for me or anything, but to beg you to please advocate on this poor country's behalf. Please put pressure on your government to quickly bring a policy shift to turn things around here... I have never been this close physically to war and all day today I am reminded of last night with even the slightest door slam. IT IS NOT FUN! I am fortunate to leave when I wish from this unfortunate place, but I feel for the thousands of citizens and mostly children who must live a life of fear and threat always! It is NOT fair and I think we as fortunate citizens have a responsibility to bring peace to the lives of so many who thirst for it.

Thank you and I am sorry that I must share this sad news with you -

In peace,

Rangina

If you are someone who believes in prayer, I hope you will remember Rangina and the people of Afghanistan the next time you seek a blessing. They are brave beyond anything most of us can imagine and they deserve our help and support.

Keep It Going...

There is a great thread and a very valuable discussion taking place regarding Community Policing in the City of Allentown. Some of you have even sent messages to my email address sharing stories from your neighborhoods. I regret I haven't been able to comment, moderate or respond: I'm up to my ears in alligators right now, so please keep the conversation going. I'll jump back in just as soon as I can.

And by the way, where are the comments from the APD? I know they read this blog. Let's hear from the members of the thin blue line that are going to be on the front line of these changes.

Another contingent not heard from, are the call center dispatchers: This new community policing plan is going to put them in the center of the new streamlined response system.

Last thought... for those of you who have been looking at this very negatively, please keep in mind that if the plan works, many of the small nuisance crimes that are no longer going to be responded to by a patrol car, will be handled, or perhaps even prevented, by the community officers on foot and on bikes in the neighborhood.

Yes, I know it's a long shot, but I'm determined to be an optimist about this new plan until proven otherwise.

Are You Willing To Trade?

As a general rule, a good quality of life requires discipline and the willingness to make trade-offs. If you have a good job; you most likely stayed in school and went to college. If you've achieved monetary success; you've probably worked hard and put in long hours...you get the idea.

As I understand the new Community Policing model that's being rolled out across Allentown, the citizens of the city are going to have make some trade-offs; less hand-holding and report-filing in return for the promise of reduced crime and fewer criminals on the streets.

This new "Allentown Community Policing Plan" is going to cause a seismic shift in the way the public reports and the APD responds to calls. Like any change, the adjustment may not be easy.

According to Dr. George Kelling, the well-known consultant hired by the city to help create the new strategy, "Policing is going through profound changes". The old model of policing, which started to fall apart in the 1970's, is now almost completely ineffective.

The "Five Point Plan" developed by Kelling, the city administration, and the APD leadership, is outlined in more detail in today's column. The biggest news is that if implemented as presented, the plan is going to hold APD's leadership accountable for what happens in their PSA's, (Police Service Areas). Accountability, accompanied by authority is a good thing. The trick will be getting the authority. How much autonomy the captains will really have to run their PSA's is yet to be seen, but in principle, it should work.

The other factor is the relative youth and inexperience of a majority of the force. When addressing the public meeting that I attended at the JCC, Mayor Pawlowski said that 2/3 of the current force has been with the APD less than several years. He called it a "new, young, force". Kelling felt this was an advantage that can be leveraged to fit the new Community Policing model. In other words, younger officers will be more willing to ride bikes, walk beats, and attend neighborhood community meetings...all of which are integral to the success of the new plan.

Where the rubber is going to meet the road, from the public's perspective, is how 911 calls will be handled under the new system. Kelling says "everyone will need to adjust". He went on to say that "In most cases, a patrol car will respond to a call only when life is threatened or a burglary is in progress". Alternate systems will be put in place to handle all other calls.

Change is never easy; it sounds like this one is going to take some getting used to.

A Little Something To Add...

Many of you who read this blog also read Bernie O'Hare's "Lehigh Valley Ramblings". If you are someone who does not read LVR, or have not done so in the past 24 hours, then I commend you to Bernie's post titled, "Justice Delayed and Denied to Allentown News Carrier", and the follow-up post, "Why Didn't Sam Bennett call 9-1-1?"

I won't rehash the whole story; Bernie O'Hare does a masterful job of laying out the incident in detail, including a heart-wrenching interview with the central character; the victim, an elderly Turkish man who was mugged while delivering newspapers. Expecting assistance from the occupants of the "Benner Mansion" he waited on the their front steps for help that never came, then went on to finish his paper route. (They don't make 'em like that anymore.)

In an interesting bit of synergy, I attended the Community Policing briefing yesterday at the Jewish Community Center. What I heard will be the subject of this Sunday's column and blog post. But also, what I heard may well be immediately relevant to the lack of care that Ali received after being attacked.

Turns out the new community policing model that's being rolled out across the city has a lot to do with retraining everyone involved with the call center and the APD as to how to respond to and prioritize calls. It was stated that the department is so understaffed and overwhelmed that citizens can no longer expect a patrol car to come to their house for what are deemed "non-emergencies".

Case in point: One of my neighbors who lives in the next block went in to his back yard Friday after work with the intent of kicking off the Memorial Day weekend by firing up his grill. He probably didn't need any matches: Looking at the back of his house, he realized that all the copper downspouts were gone, completely stripped away. And no one ever saw a thing. He did report the theft. Here's what he had to say: "I called the non-emergency number, they transferred me to the desk, they took my name, address, and what was stolen. The call lasted about 30 seconds. They don’t bother to send a car out…..which is odd, because if they truly have patrol cars in the West End, you’d think they could swing by and take a report for 5 minutes. So much for the community policing baloney you hear."

According to what I heard at yesterday's briefing, get ready for a lot more of this...police are not going to come to your house or perhaps even speak directly with you, unless you or your property are in eminent danger.

I try to be fair-minded about this: I know the police are busy and they don't have time to be acting like civil ombudsman, solving everyone's little issues. But if something has happened that is serious enough for me to call 911, I want to see police officer at my front door.

Looks like it may be a long wait.

Livingston Update & Historic Preservation...

The lovely building at 1411 Hamilton Street, known as the "The Livingston" is suffering the fate of so many of Allentown's historic and architecturally significant buildings; it's being modernized and bastardized, a victim of overzealous code enforcement, absentee landlords that know nothing of the city's history and care less, along with an appalling lack of historic preservation standards.

The building's beautiful bronze art deco front doors no longer welcome the Livingston's residents, home. They have been replaced by ugly, gray, regulation fire doors. How this level of bureaucracy overcomes common sense, I do not know.

Since this drama came to the public's attention on Friday, City Councilman, Michael Donovan, has been communicating with all parties involved, including the city administration, the Dept. of Code Enforcement, and today, with Connolly properties. Donovan seems confident that everyone will be willing to come together to discuss the plans for this beautiful and important building. I hope he's right.

On a totally separate matter, I had occasion today to speak with Pastor Bob Stevens of Zion's UCC, the Liberty Bell Church, in downtown Allentown. Pastor Bob and I agreed that a concerted effort is needed to make preservation a priority in the city. My own feeling is that the way this town has been torn down and ripped apart without any respect for the past or plan for the future, is a disgrace.

In a comment to a previous post about the situation at the Livingston, local activist and former West Park Association President, Scott Armstrong, stated that he frequently sees houses being stripped of their beveled glass windows and ornate doors, while the serious structural issues are left unattended. This is not only short-sighted from a public safety perspective, it is just bad business; houses stripped of their unique character are worth less.

Allentown is beautiful; the many variations in architectural styles seen across the city tell the story of America...Colonial, Georgian, Victorian, Queen Anne, Arts & Crafts...they're all here. They deserve our respect and our protection. Hopefully, we're not too late to help the venerable Livingston.