Mota's Version Of Confrontation

Cynthia Mota lodged a public complaint with the Parking Authority on Wednesday.  In her description the officer talked down to her because of her race, and imagine, asked to see her driver's license.  Joining her in the complaint was Hasshan Batts,  that would be Dr. Hasshan Batts to us.

While the Morning Call article on the complaint creates credibility for Mota and Batts,  I'm more convinced than ever that these two don't bode well for Allentown's future.  Let us not forget that Mota voted eleven times for Batts to be appointed mayor, without divulging that she worked for him.

In Batts' tape, Mota is heard saying that the incident shows why more people of color are needed to work for the city. Batts demanded to know where the officer lives.

I was at the city council meeting when Mota keep nominating Batts for mayor. Neither one of them acknowledged their arrangement.  While Mota and Batts want to see reform within the Parking Authority,  I believe that a greater concern is Mota and Batts' propensity for cronyism.

Allentown's Disability

I saw a reference in facebook to Allentown having the highest rent to income ratio in the United States. After a few searches, I discovered that the reference went back to a report from January of 2017, and was based on the number of evictions.

The source of the article was a report on Redfin. I believe that the conclusions are misleading, and I base this report on my own experience as a rental agent. The issue in center city Allentown isn't  the rents being so high, but rather the income being so low. Thousands of people in center city are living on disability payments. Recently, when I questioned the legitimacy of these disability claims, I was told that unless I'm a physician, I'm not qualified to make such a statement. So, let me instead say that over the years I've seen many disabled people carrying refrigerators into apartments. Instead, let me say that recently I saw hundreds of people on 7th Street, in the middle of day, jeering the police. So, although I'm not a physician, somehow so many strong looking people can somehow afford to mill, and even run, around center city during the daytime.

As for the evictions, although they claim that don't have the money to pay their current landlord, they always have it to pay the next one, until they decide to repeat the cycle.

Years ago I saw that Allentown was becoming a magnet for bad apples. Now we're officially hard core, reduced to funding programs called Promise Them What They Want To Hear.

Allentown Postcards

I have often used old postcards of Allentown on this blog. Most of the cards have a similar coloration, and were photographed by Harold Becraft in the early 1950's. Becraft was a photographer from Suffern N.Y., who produced many of the images used in the postcards of Allentown's parks. These cards were produced locally by E.H. Scholl Co. In addition to Becraft's name on the front, they're also marked Kodachrome. Although Becraft did many park scenes for Schall, the image shown above is one of his few cityscapes.

Growing Up Allentown

Life in Allentown during the 1950's was pretty easy, compared to now a days. Whether you were white or blue collar, there were plenty of jobs. Whether you lived in the west end or center city, all the neighborhoods were clean, well maintained and relatively crime free. The school system was the envy of the county, and people finagled to get their children enrolled in it. Allentown High School had championship teams in multiple sports, and the football stadium was one of the most lavish high school stadiums in the country. The park system was the subject of numerous picture postcards. Likewise, downtown was widely known, with Hess's being a destination. All the above attributes would stay in place throughout the 1960's, into the early 70's.

I bill this blog as the intersection of politics and history in Allentown, and the greater Lehigh Valley. Although I will continue to speak out on current events of concern, I suspect that this page will turn more and more to history. Perhaps nostalgia is so appealing because the current reality is so disillusioning. 

Although my archive of older Allentown pictures is extensive, I invited Ozzie and Harriet Nelson to illustrate this post.

reprinted from July of 2016

Dr.Batts and My Tax Dollar

In a video which surfaced on Saturday, Hassan Batts is seen berating a Parking Authority officer for issuing tickets or a warning at a public event.  Although I believe that a ticket can be inappropriate, Batt's behavior is of much more concern to me.  In the video,  Batt's is accusing the officer of harassing people and disrespecting them. When officers do their job, be they police or parking, they are not harassing people. If their action or ticket was inappropriate, there is proper recourse. If you don't get satisfaction at the Parking Authority office, you can always make your case in parking court. When the officer, presuming calling in for backup, describes Batts as a black male with a gray beard, Batts really gets agitated.  Although I would expect to be described as a older white male with gray hair, Batts cannot believe that this officer doesn't know who he is. Not only does he want to be referred to as Hassan Batts,  but Dr. Hassan Batts.

What's beyond disappointing about Batt's attitude is that he is executive director of Promise Neighborhoods.  Promise Neighborhoods receives taxfunded grants to improve neighborhoods, including relations with police.  After the shooting at Deja Vu,  his organization was headlined as how to deal with the gang/gun problem.   How can he teach respect for the police with a chip on his own shoulder?

Mr. Batts, and Phyllis Alexander, defended his behavior because of micro aggression, or a cumulation of slights.  After the shootings at Deja Vu,  state representative Pete Schweyer called Batts and asked "What do you need?",  referring to how much of my tax dollars.  I need Schweyer to watch the tape first, before handing out that money.

 video link

Political Correctness Degrading Allentown

PART 1
It was deja vu at Deja Vu nightclub.  This time ten people got shot outside the Hamilton Street bar early Thursday morning.  Over the years I have seen several so called nuisance businesses closed down in Allentown. Perhaps because Deja Vu is a minority owned business, frequented by minorities, authorities tip toed around the problems there. This is no Happy Days soda fountain,  the clientele is patted down for weapons before entering. While the local NAACP  turns loose a bull horn against local police departments,  they never seem to protest against street violence.

Besides this blog, don't expect to read about such realities in Allentown...Such frankness results in accusations of racism.  Authorities will say that people have nothing to worry about,  it's gang related, not random violence.  Politicians will say that the solution is gun control.

Meanwhile, as usual, nobody cooperates with the police. Allentown cannot revitalize until it cracks down on the current bad actors overwhelming it.

PART 2

When I was writing part 1 yesterday, I knew that the Deja Vu nightclub wouldn't have much of a future. The shooting made national news, and there is no way that state senator Pat Browne would allow someplace so close to the NIZ to impact negatively on it. But Browne and the NIZ's barron, J.B. Reilly, have a bigger problem. Yesterday afternoon there was a riot in the 100 block of N. 7th Street, visible from the windows in the new Strata Loft apartments. While police were trying to arrest a man for theft, he assaulted the officers. While trying to subdue the man, a large crowd of the unemployed gainfully unproductive gathered to jeer at the police. Videos were distributed on facebook showing the arrest, and of course not showing the resistance which preceded it. Those imbued with the victim mentality chanted police brutality. While Browne and Reilly can close the bar, those numerous chanters are Allentown's greater problem.

Securing Our Assets

During the World War we secured our assets with armed guards. The private police force at Bethlehem Steel outnumbered the City's police force. Last week, Wayne LaPierce, vice president of the NRA, outraged some liberal elements when he suggested policeman for our schools. The president of the Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, responded: Schools must be safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses. Anyone who would suggest otherwise doesn’t understand that our public schools must first and foremost be places where teachers can safely educate and nurture our students. An unintended consequence of this debate was the frenzy it created at gun stores across America. Although the figures have not yet been compiled, it may have resulted in the sale of an additional 30 million firearms, especially those of high capacity. Weingarten must consider that even if the sale of firearms were banned tomorrow, there will still be over 200 million guns in the United States. I believe that a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines does not infringe upon the Second Amendment. However, whatever changes are implemented in regard to the sale of firearms, it will take decades to affect the volume of weapons currently in private hands. In the meantime, I don't think that a friendly policeman at a school is a bad role model. We must guard our assets.

reprinted from December 2012

A CyberVisit To Allentown

The responses and comments to the political posts are usually within a day or two. The historical posts have a much longer shelf life. People using search engines find something of their youth often years after I wrote the post. I still occasionally get a comment from someone who worked at a Mohican Market, often somewhere in upstate New York. Yesterday, a former post on the 6th Ward received such a comment.

 Hello molovinsky, I found your blog today. I was born in the 6th ward in 1933. My grandfather, who died very young, long before I was born, was Emanuelle Markowitz and was, I believe, the first religious head of Aguda Achim. His wife was Ida Markowitz. We lived at 234 and then 244 Hamilton St. and went to Harrison Morton grade school before departing permanently to New York City. Arnold Fein (brother is Barry)

 My grandparents lived on Second Street in around 1900, and belonged to the Agudas Achim congregation. After Arnold and I exchanged a couple comments, I invited him to send me a note about Allentown via email.

  Yeah, Michael, I went back for a visit about 3 yrs. ago. All of lower Hamilton St,is part of a highway and the Jersey RR Station ,I was told, failed as a restaurant.The stores I remember on Hamilton between 2nd and 3rd were, Queenies Luncheonette, Bucky Boyle's Bar, Harry Gross Shoes,an A&P on the corner of 1st (Front?)and Hamilton, a "holy roller" storefront church, a travel agency with a large steamship model in the window,Taylors Plumbing Supply (now Weinstein's-I visited the place when I was there), a "Giant" supermarket on 5th and Hamilton across from the P.O., Francis the barber on the hill,the Colonial theatre,etc.Harrison Morton is still there and 2nd St.off Hamilton is still the same including the "A Treat" sign on the little store near HM, which I remember. Some friend's names from that time are: Stanley and Nancy Kulp (Culp?) who lived in an old wooden house next to the Lehigh Valley RR Freight terminal across from Taylor's. Michael Miller, Bobby Kressler, George Mevrides(sp?), Andrew Kent,Dickie Catalina(whom I'll never forget as the guy who came running out on Hamilton St. on 12/7/ shouting, "the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor"), the 4-5 Delaney kids,Dickie Gross who lived in a stone house on 2nd St.just off Hamilton where his father had his dental practice, Lucille Wiener, Phyllis Malatrott,Victoria Minner,Ronald DiLeo whose father was a Dr., (told me my first "off color" joke in the 1st grade while we were standing side by side at a HM urinal)), Marvin Karll, 2 HM footballers (who were not friends as such), Barney Garulla(sp?) and Albert Casium, whom I believe was Albanian.Other places were the slaughter house, Arbegast and Bastion (sp?). Couldn't miss that!, Riverfront Park, and a horse watering trough on the corner of Hamilton and Front(?)Lots of others. Something priceless about childhood, no matter where it's spent.

 Even in Allentown.

UPDATE: More memories from "Arnie" Fein
Also, my grand parents owned a store on 2nd St. around Tilghman, before I was born. My mother always remembered the few words she knew in Slavic because some of the customers spoke only "Slavisch".Another recollection was in 1943 when a lot of us went to the JerseyRR terminal to watch a train full of German POWs being transported west. Larry and Jimmy Whitman lived above the A&P on that picture you sent. Their name was anglicized from a Polish name their parents shortened.Harry and Jean Getz, friends of my mother, owned a small shoe store between 2nd and 3rd Sts.The name of the travel agency was, if I'm correct, something like Bortz. On Walnut St. around the corner from Weinstein's was the "Perkiomen Transfer Co." The local movie house was the Townie which I believe was in the 6th ward.Further up the hill were the Colonial, the Midway and the Transit.There was a trolley named the Liberty Bell which went from 8th St. to Philly and a trolley to Bethlehem along the "Bethlehem Minsi Trail". Other memories as they come from the distant past...

 photo supplied by Arnold Fein, showing him, brother and mother at Hamilton and the current American Parkway, next to the current Weinstein Supply Company.

reprinted from 2012, 2017