Firing The South Whitehall Police Officer

The officer involved in the fatal shooting at Dorney Park has been fired by South Whitehall.  He was a rookie, still in the evaluation period.  While that status makes his dismissal a non issue from a legal or union point of view,  it doesn't rest well with me.  Those supporting it cite the fact that he didn't first attempt using less lethal options,  such as his taser or baton.  I think that view somewhat dismisses the circumstance....  the victim had been just earlier on the hood of his patrol car pounding the windshield with his fists.  Tasers have a reputation of not stopping drug induced rage,  which seemed to be in play on that day.

The Morning Call article announcing the firing states that the decision was made by the leadership of South Whitehall.  While the announcement mentions Chief Dorney,  it is not clear who made the decision.  In South Whitehall the leadership is the township commissioners.  New commissioner Mark Pinsley was actively supporting the protestors and local NAACP,  who viewed the incident as racial.

I cannot imagine that the decision to terminate the patrolman does much for force morale.  While I do not outright condemn the decision,  it certainly illustrates what a hard job these officers have.

New Graveside Tears At Fairview In Allentown

In August of 08, after about a year of blogging on conditions at Fairview, The Morning Call ran the story shown above. I did manage to organize a small meeting between the cemetery operators and the public later that fall. Yesterday I received the following comment, submitted to a posting from that period.

Patti from California has left a new comment on your post "New Graveside Tears":

My family is buried at Fairview and 2 weeks ago I visited and was appalled at the horrible conditions and total lack of maintenance throughout the cemetery. I have been trying to reach Loretta or David most of the summer and was told they had taken an extended trip out of the country. (business must be good) They seem to be back now - but still no way to actually talk to them.

My mother is 97 - plans to be buried there with her parents and my Dad. I could cry at the thought ....

I googled Fairview and was led to your blog. Loretta told me in May I could get our plot maintained if I invested in their endowment for $1000. After seeing the total lack of care there, I feel like I would be throwing the money away. What do other people think or do about this appalling condition?

I feel sorry for this family, Fairview may have been a well maintained place when the father was buried there many years ago. I believe the cemetery is in better condition than it was two years ago, but that's not saying very much. I will occasionally revisit this topic, to at least continue a small noise on behalf of these families.

reprinted from September of 2009

Allentown's Fairview Cemetery

About ten years ago, I began searching for the grave of a young Jewish woman, who died around 1900. Among several Jewish cemeteries no longer in use, I searched Mt. Sinai, a small section of the sprawling Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, just west of the 8th Street Bridge. The cemetery is the history of Allentown past, including the graves of Harry Trexler, John Leh, and Jack Mack. As one proceeded deeper into the cemetery, away from sight on Lehigh Street, conditions worsened. As is the case with many old cemeteries, fees paid for perpetual care, 100 years ago, were long gone. Complicating the situation, the current private operator wasn't particularly assessable. In addition to extended family members upset about conditions, the situation was compounded by his refusal, with few exceptions, to allow private upkeep. My early posts on the situation drew response and phone calls from people with no interest in local political blogs; They were just exasperated relatives, with a family member buried long ago at Fairview. After beginning a series of posts, and letters to the editor, I prevailed upon The Morning Call to write a story one year later. The Call's story appeared on August 11, 2008. Within two weeks, the cemetery operator agreed to a public meeting I had organized at a local church. Arrangements were made between the operator and several parties. As with several of Allentown's older cemeteries, the issue of maintenance will be ongoing. This would be a worthwhile project for City Hall.

I have reprinted this post because of some inquiries about the conditions at Fairview. 
  
ADDENDUM: The current operator of Fairview, in addition to operating an on-site crematorium, is actively having new burials in the cemetery. It appears as if some of these new burials might be on old large family plots, which haven't been used or even visited in decades. In other cases they appear to be along the internal roadways, which were previously not considered proper burial places. 

molovinsky on allentown is normally published Monday thru Friday. Comments are accepted using your name or by establishing a pseudonym. Pseudonym identities remain unknown to both myself and other readers. Your readership is appreciated.

photocredit: Lightnin Bug

Ray O'Connell's New Allentown

When I sat down with Ray O'Connell in his office a couple months ago to discuss the park system, I was struck by an offhand comment he made. He had always told himself that if he was ever fortunate enough to become mayor,  he would make every decision in as righteous a fashion as he could.  There was no audience or even a vote to win,  just one gray haired guy talking to another.

On yesterday's post I was struck by a Scott Armstrong comment expressing some optimism about city hall.  O'Connell and some staff members attended a West Park Neighborhood Association meeting, and managed to at least cautiously impress Scott.

A current law suit filed against the city alleges that a police officer was essentially demoted for condoning another officer running for mayor in Pawlowskiville.  Under Pawlowski's too long tenure, city hall became a place of influence, not merit.

When two habitual critics like Armstrong and Molovinsky think that things might be improving.......

photocredit:The Morning Call

As Allentown Turns

The big news this week is that Ed Pawlowski's sentencing has once again been postponed, now until October 23th.  While the judicial reasons for delay has been pretty much explained,  it begs the closure issue for Allentown.  However,  that issue only resides in those of us who are local political junkies,  aka blog readers.

Although I didn't attend the fair this year,  it was supposedly marginal by every account.  At one time the fairgrounds was a valuable parcel,  only remaining mostly intact because control was diluted among so many of Allentown's blue bloods.  Although that breed is dying off, the attractiveness of the real estate has also diminished.  There is however a real estate wild card in the works... with the NIZ.

This blog has noted over the years that the NIZ is written in pencil,...adjusting to the benefit of a small connected circle.  The latest stretch of the law is trading out certain parcels contained within the original boundaries,  for those outside of it. This new machination acknowledges that center city seems to have some obstacles that defy gentrification, so why not harvest the tax benefit somewhere else?

On the subject of state laws such as the NIZ,  I see the probability of the upcoming election making any changes at about zero percent.   Although people remain frenzied for and against Donald Trump, they have no focus on the local scene, whatsoever.



molovinsky on allentown is normally published Monday thru Friday.  Comments are accepted using your name or by establishing a pseudonym.  Pseudonym identities remain unknown to both myself and other readers.  Your readership is appreciated.

Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair

A Third Choice For The 7th Congressional District

Come November, some local voters may notice that they have a third choice for their United States Congressman,  Libertarian Tim Silfies.  I say may notice, because too many people vote straight party, like good trained zombies.

This particular election will even be tougher for those on the third ticket, because the election is being billed as a referendum on Donald Trump.  Needless to say that the only valid basis for decision should be the differences between Nothstein, Wild and Silfies on the issues.  However, with all the outside money going into this election, that basis will be more obscure than usual.  Single issue groups,  such as Emily's List, will be heavy influencers.  Emily's List financially  supports pro-choice Democratic women for office.... not even pro-choice Democratic men.  They were a big factor in Wild's primary victory over Morganelli, and may again be a big factor in November.

Regardless of the outcome,  I commend Silfies for giving the voters another option.

South Whitehall Answers NAACP

The local NAACP announced a travel advisory for people of color in regard to both South Whitehall and Dorney Park.  Although I understand that their mission is to combat racism,  I think that their advisory was unwarranted under the circumstances of the recent lethal encounter.

I understand that they're not going to issue a warning against taking drugs and menacing motorists, and then jumping on police cars and pounding windshields.

South Whitehall took the unusual step of issuing a counter statement,  denying that their police department engages in racial discrimination in enforcing the law.  I applaud the township for not being intimidated.