A Renaissance...with Guns!


By DIA, Section News
Posted on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 05:07:11 AM EST

Someone didn't take her happy pills after the election. Perhaps if you want to enjoy inheriting the dream you should stop by at Jillians and choke down the dream with a couple of pints. Today's TU's letter:
In the capital city, there is very little to hold the thousands of government -- and other -- workers in the city, either during their lunch hours or after work. Downtown Albany is hardly bustling. Downtown Albany is a ghost town after 5 p.m

..it looks like vacant storefronts are far more abundant than live businesses. Downtown Albany is a very shabby sight.

The costs of renovating and creating new office space isn't really the issue: It's the lack of vision for the rest of the downtown area that is troubling. What part of the Albany Plan includes activities other than bars for those thousands of us who work downtown?

Wouldn't it be worth it to see the capital city become a hive of business and cultural activity within walking distance of offices? Wouldn't that keep people in this city instead of relocating and doing their business, shopping and dining elsewhere? Aren't the residents and guests in Albany worth it?
Also in your latest Renaissance Update, another 14 year old was shot on the street. Its not up on the website but it happened on Sunday at the Ida Yarbrough homes. Police Spokespuppet Miller said that there was no reason for concern. He said Albany was "super safe" compared to other cities and he then claimed two kids got shot in the Bronx on Saturday and there were 3 stabbings in Brooklyn on Sunday proving that Albany is "really a great safe place".

The Albany Plan. Indeed. I can't wait for that new amphitheatre to open.

< Part 2 of McNulty Interview | Today's Letter >

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A Renaissance...with Guns! | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 hidden)
Yes, everything is fine in Albany... (none / 0) (#1)
by Cookie Guggleman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 05:46:37 AM EST
FINE!

Why is it DIA (none / 0) (#2)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 06:51:31 AM EST
That you always seem to not include the most important parts of a letter?

A line in the rest of the letter:

High rents are a likely culprit, as is the cost of renovating old buildings. But high rents are worthless if there are no tenants.

High rents are caused by high taxes, most of the renovations, while costly, are carried by the tenant. Rents, however, are a tagged to taxes.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

Ok then ... (none / 0) (#3)
by 1894 on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 06:58:15 AM EST

Pity the poor suburbanite who comes to Albany for a nice paycheck, uses city services without paying for them, hogs our residential parking spaces, and badmouths the city at every turn ...

Albany just isn't doing enough for the Burbeoise.

hate to say this (none / 0) (#4)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 07:07:38 AM EST
but there have always been a lot of office jobs within walking distance of North Pearl but all the little stores that used to be there have closed, with the exception of Lodges.

Suburbanities go screw. They wont use public transportation which is why there are so few busses.   If there was more use then they would have more busses.

Lets be honest here, people will travel to Albany to go to a bar or restaurant or see a play at the Palace. Will they go out on North Pearl to buy some shoes?  No.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

its not about the suburbanites (none / 0) (#5)
by DIA on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 07:20:12 AM EST
imagine a downtown albany more along the lines of a North Hampton Mass.  Sure, the suburbanites would want to come and spend their money but the main advantage to a downtown Albany that isn't a ghost town after 5 pm is that people will want to live in that kind of downtown albany or at least within a 15 minute walk of there.   We all seem to agree that home ownership is the key to most of our problems, right?  And what is Jennings proposing?  A convention center.  Cue tumbleweeds....No one wants to live next to or even near a convention center.

[ Parent ]
Cue the dead horse (none / 0) (#8)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 08:32:17 AM EST
The Washington Avenue Armorey was the final nail in the convention center.  Now the election is over the Mayor can focus on something else.

I could imagine a downtown like North Hampton. With the demographics of North Hampton.  I can not imagine a downtown like North Hampton with the democraphics of Albany.

North Hamptom
 Irish - 17%
· English - 11%
· Polish - 10%
· German - 8%
· French (except Basque) - 8%
· Italian - 6%
· Hispanic or Latino - 5%
· French Canadian - 5%
· Asian - 3%
· Russian - 3%
· Scottish - 2%
· Black or African American - 2%
· Scotch-Irish - 2%
· Swedish - 1%
· European - 1%
· Dutch - 1%
· British - 1%
· Lithuanian - 1%
· Welsh - 1%
· Subsaharan African - 1%
· Ukrainian - 1%
· Hungarian - 1%
· Norwegian - 1%
· Austrian - 1%
· Eastern European - 1%

I bet the Austrians and Lithuanian have gangs. Just like here in Albany.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

A Variety of Factors (none / 0) (#6)
by nitevision on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 07:37:51 AM EST
  Property taxes and school taxes are forcing people into the suburbs.  A weak school district isn't appealing to parents.  Absentee Landlords are not reinvesting in their own properties.  People are voting with their feet and moving out of the city.
  Attracting uptowners and suburbanites to stroll our streets at night? - gimme a break.  There is a genuine fear about safety.  College students who are being robbed and assaulted are told by the police "spokespuppet" to attend a meeting. Drive by shootings abound. Now Hollywood Jim Miller tells us that there is nothing to worry about.  Maybe if he spent less time putting on make up for his TV shots, he would see what's really going on.  Maybe if the admitted liar police chief woke up and accepted what the rest of the world already knows, his total incompetence, would resign.  Maybe if we had a mayor who recognized that the safety of residents is the first major step to revitalizing this city, we could address all the other factors.  With Turley and Miller in place, nothing is going to change.
  A once proud city is in serious decline and our elected officials don't care.  Community leaders and concerned citizens are locked out. Maybe I should consider bolting out of here too.  

Downtown housing/retail/office plan ... (none / 0) (#7)
by 1894 on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 07:41:24 AM EST

Someone thinks downtown Albany is a good bet. Check out this ambitious plan for a mixed-use high-rise on Broadway:

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2005/11/07/daily41.html

Albany Vs Bronx & Queens Crime Stats (none / 0) (#9)
by Jim Travers on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 08:50:22 AM EST
Considering the huge differences in population, Albany's crime statistics are astounding.

Multiply our city's crime figures by 30 to get an accurate representative corelation to what the mentioned NY boroughs' should be experiencing.
(or divide NY's current figure by 30)

Please consider carefully the different areas' demographics, which I've listed below

From Wikipedia: (From 2000 Census)

Queens' population:  2,229,379.

Bronx's population:  1,363,198.

Albany's population: 95,658

Albany's population is less than 1/30th of the Bronx and Queens populations, combined.

Albany: The per capita income for the city is $18,281. 21.7% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 28.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Queens: The median income for a household in the county is $42,439, and the median income for a family is $48,608. Males have a median income of $35,576 versus $31,628 for females. The per capita income for the county is $19,222. 14.6% of the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

The Bronx: The per capita income for the borough is $13,959. 30.7% of the population and 28.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 41.5% of those under the age of 18 and 21.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany%2C_NY

I still have to wonder (none / 0) (#10)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 09:58:16 AM EST
how much of our problems are the result of home grown thugs vs imported from NYC.

Four years ago I had a conversation with someone at state Parole and she said that NYC was dumping parolees in Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery Counties.

I wonder if Albany keep stats about where the felons are from
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

Just from what I've noticed (none / 0) (#11)
by Cookie Guggleman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 12:24:23 PM EST
There seems to be a large number of school-age kids roaming the streets during school hours. The house next to ours was broken into by teens--though it was during the early evening.

The Albany poverty rate is dismaying, especially for those under 18.  

[ Parent ]

Not in my experience (none / 0) (#12)
by furshimmeled on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 01:14:45 PM EST
About 3 years ago I worked for an agency that provided transitional planning services to inmates leaving NYS Correctional Facilities, we served about 14 upstate NY correctional facilities. By far, the majority (95%)of inmates who leave state facilities transition back to their home community (NYC and the borroughs-because). The rest go to Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, etc...

I would like to see her claim backed up by stats from NYS DOCS.

[ Parent ]

Good subject of investigative report by TU (none / 0) (#13)
by Cookie Guggleman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 01:18:03 PM EST
Where's the crimewave in Albany coming from (out of town? other neighborhoods?). C'mon Rex, it's a local "communities" issue!

Has there been any followup to the Ilacqua murders? Haven't seen anything in a couple of weeks.

[ Parent ]

Furshimmelee (none / 0) (#14)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 02:13:32 PM EST
The topic came up not because they were being released to the upstate area, it came up because the NYC parole office was trying to get them transfered up here after they were out.

I was attempting to help get someones parole transfed (long story) up here from the city and the parole officer down there told me that they (NYC) were trying to get as many parolees out of the city and into "better environments" and away from the people they knew.

The parole transfer was stopped by a Albany based parole officer and when I asked her why she told me that NYC was shipping up as many as possible to get their crime numbers down and that she would not allow the transfer.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

Downstate influence (none / 0) (#16)
by 1894 on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 04:16:28 PM EST

Read the T-U crime coverage, such as it is, and there's plenty of anecdotal information to suggest that local crime is influenced by an influx of riff-raff from downstate. How many times do we read that the alleged perpetrator of a serious crime in Albany is from Brooklyn or the Bronx?

[ Parent ]

Gotcha (none / 0) (#17)
by furshimmeled on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 05:42:30 PM EST
Gotcha Alfred...my bad, misread your post. There is a big difference when talking about parole and people coming right from NYS DOCS facilities.

Anyone read Mumms latest? Mumms is right on regarding crime and poverty.

www.albanychatter.com


[ Parent ]

Mumms (none / 0) (#18)
by alfrednewman on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 06:12:58 PM EST
I really love her writing but in this I think she is wrong.  She sites excuses that historically does not prove to be correct. If poverty, the availability of guns and oppression were the true causes then every immigrant "ghetto" that was ever formed would have been just as violent as certain areas are now.

Wouldn't you expect that the Irish, Italians, Polish and all the other poor immigrants that arrived here with nothing, that lived in real squaller and faced very real discrimination would be even more violent than todays garbage. Especially when you consider that these immigrants had ready access to legal guns and the then legal drugs like coke?

We have problems because we have developed a culture of accepting unacceptable behavior. We have problems because we accept easy excuses instead of hard reasons.  

Mumms, poverty does not cause crime.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

Dissenting opinion with Alfred (none / 0) (#19)
by The Future of Albany on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 10:27:37 PM EST
Alfred, let me know of some contradicting statistics regarding the comparative crime levels of the late 19th Century/early 20th Century crime and modern day crime in the city of Albany.  Were there even records back then?  Were you alive at that point in time?

Poverty does not breed crime?  Not to be anti-Islamic or anything, but have you paid attention to the Gaza Strip/West Bank in recent years?

Abject poverty and refugee camps have been the prime areas for suicide bombings and Jihad.  The people live in such a hopeless manner that they explode bombs in nightclubs and hotels to advance to the next level of wealth.  These refugee camps can be compared to the projects of Albany.  

In France, abject poverty and discrimination has led to rampant rioting.

Check out the macro events regarding poverty and crime.  Please understand that it is not the lack of care by elected officials for the occurence of  crime in the Capital City.

Alfred:  If you were below the poverty line and basically had nothing to lose, you would not at least consider a crime in the hopes of advancing in society?  The least that could happen is that you will be sent to jail where you are at least guaranteed of shelter, heat in the winter, and a meal at all times...

The city of Albany and its elected officials cannot handle all the crime travel from the boroughs of New York City.  What, are we going to send police to every Greyhound bus that pulls up on Hamilton Street and Amtrak train arrives in Renselaer and is not even in the jurisdiction of the Albany Police Department?

Can we control every gun that arrives from beyond the borders of Albany?  Such is impossible with limited resources.  

Obviously, there needs to be a war against poverty.  But is the City of Albany responsible for such?  Poverty is a national event and cannot be contained to one city.  It is up to the federal government to decrease the level of poverty in this nation.  But yet we are at war...

Thank you for your time.

[ Parent ]

Future (none / 0) (#20)
by alfrednewman on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 05:36:11 AM EST
I love the whole "were you alive back then" part of your opening statement.  Shows that you are one of those special people who really understands that history really means nothing and that only what each and every one of us personally experiences is important.  

Personally I think those four little children that went in the state museum to damage the exibits have the right idea.  I didn't use those fire trucks and I didn't see them used, therefore they have no value.

Same implied argument that you use when you ask if I was in Albany in the 1890s and early 20th century.

To answer your question, the information is in the Hall of Records in the old Huck Finns building. Am I going to go look it up for you? No. I dont think you would find it relevent as I would only be reading it and was not there to witness or partake in it.  

Your examples are invalid. You are compairing completely different cultures. The Islamics recruit from the middle class and from colleges and then they go blow themselves to hell for religion. While equally worthless, lets not compair these savages to the garbage who died looting tvs in New Orleans.

You are also really trying to compair Gaza Strip to Ida Yarboro?

"Abject poverty and refugee camps have been the prime areas for suicide bombings and Jihad.  The people live in such a hopeless manner that they explode bombs in nightclubs and hotels to advance to the next level of wealth.  These refugee camps can be compared to the projects of Albany."  

These refugee camps can be compared to projects in Albany only if you are trying to demonstrate how little you really understand about politics.

I would normally take the time to point out how wrong you are but I simply do not have the time.

You may think I am being a little harsh here.

I have a friend who immigrated here from a thrid world country and one day we were watching some group of overweight protesters screaming at the Capitol. When the little rally was over some of them went and got into cars and left. He turned to me and said

" Only in America would poor people be able to drive to a protest like this."
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

A couple more points (none / 0) (#21)
by alfrednewman on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 05:45:31 AM EST
Alfred:  If you were below the poverty line and basically had nothing to lose, you would not at least consider a crime in the hopes of advancing in society?  The least that could happen is that you will be sent to jail where you are at least guaranteed of shelter, heat in the winter, and a meal at all times...

1) I have lived below the poverty line. I have worked menial jobs that paid so badly that at times I had problems paying my share of the rent and buying food. I do know what it is like living on 25.00 a week after rent is paid. It was, however, a temporary condition for me.  

Would I consider crime? No.  If things ever got that bad I would have swollowed my pride and gone to the Albany County Department of Social Services and got help. The whole "Abject poverty" argument simply is garbage. There is no "abject poverty" except when it it self induced. Everyone knows what the programs are and how to get into the system.

And just what the hell do you mean by the advancing in society through crime bit?

"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]

advancing through crime (none / 0) (#22)
by Falze on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 07:26:34 AM EST
Well, I heard an interview on NPR where some ex-drug dealing rap producer related, at the interviewer's urging, how great all the business experience he got dealing drugs was and what a positive it was in his 'legitimate' business dealings.  Hey kids, NPR things dealing crack is the first step in a successful business career.

[ Parent ]
Crime and Albany (none / 0) (#23)
by Mumms du Right on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 04:28:15 PM EST
My attention has been grabbed by a writer who has suggested that my take on crime was not accurate. The writer, of whom I am a fan, went on to suggest that poverty and crime are not related (I am paraphrasing) and one only need to look at the Italian and Irish immigrant communities back in the past to illustrate this point. I don't see it this way. In fact I see crime, in most cases, as a rather ham-fisted way for the have-nots to become the haves. And this is about oppression and the lack of opportunity. And if one were to look back at the lives of those who came here from Ireland and Italy, it is also important to look at the violence that did occur in the immigrant ghettos of Boston and New York City.

Moreover, what we are really talking about here is violence in the black community, because the people who are coming out of prison are disproportionately black men, and so maybe we need to look at the opportunities afforded black men and women in our country. And this starts by not comparing a group of white people who wanted to come here to black people who were kidnapped and brought here. Furthermore, it is not as if we took people here for opportunity, but rather we took them from their homes to work for free in horrid squalor. And unlike second generation immigrants who have shed their parents accents and blended in, blacks in America were not allowed this opportunity. Let's not forget that the civil rights movement was not all that long ago and still there are many issues that do exist that challenge any person who is not white. We have people in our country who know people who were lynched. We are at best naive if we think that the playing field is equal. Crime is ugly. But there are reasons why people do criminal things, its best to take a critical look.


[ Parent ]

Mumms (none / 0) (#24)
by alfrednewman on Tue Nov 15, 2005 at 04:55:03 PM EST
I just wanted to let you know I have read your response.  I will try to explain myself better when I recover from my attempts to drown the flu virus. I am using the finest New York State dry red wines. This combination of New York State Finger Lakes wine and the flu is making me hazy.
"What? Me worry? " "whatmeworry.alfred@gmail.com"
[ Parent ]
You said it Mumms (none / 0) (#25)
by furshimmeled on Wed Nov 16, 2005 at 06:29:18 AM EST
Thank you Mumms, your commentary is much appreciated and the racial conversation must be factored in to this. And that makes everyone nervous. Poverty does cause crime as does oppression and other societal ills.

[ Parent ]
downtown (none / 0) (#15)
by kateb on Mon Nov 14, 2005 at 03:37:08 PM EST

Funny, every time I go to "downtown" Saratoga and Schenectady I wonder what there is to do there.  

On the positive side, I think "things to do" are scattered all over this region, and some don't get much notice.

A friend from Saratoga said there's no place to eat after an event at the Pepsi Arena.   I named five places within a mile, and said I guess you have to know a community.....

A Renaissance...with Guns! | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 hidden)
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