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Thread: The East Side

  1. #1
    Member Trolls_r_us's Avatar
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    The East Side

    I decided to take a drive through the East Side last weekend, just for the heck of it.

    I had heard it all "STAY OUT" of there, ect, ect.

    But, being still fairly new to the 716, I had never seen it. How bad could it REALLY be?

    All I have to say is HOLY S###!

    Busted out windows, GARBAGE EVERYWHERE, vacant buildings, boarded up doors, groups of kids standing around LOOKING for trouble, the FEW stores actually OPEN had BARS over the windows....

    In the span of an hour or two I spent there, I saw a group of kids throw rocks at an (apparantly) abandoned home, a group of 10-15 youths jawing away (looking ready to fight) in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station, and literally GANGS of roving teenagers/early 20 somethings EVERYWHERE

    It was an eye opening experience. I grew up surrounded by corn in the middle of nowhere.

    Seeing the reality of the people in these neighborhoods, I amdit, tugged at my TrollisH heartstrings a little

    Sure, there are some VERY BAD folks there, who probably would have enjoyed bashing my trollish head off the hood of my car, just for the pure entertainment value....

    But of course MOSt people there are trapped by economic (or other) cirsumstances (otherwise NOBODY would live there except gangsters and other troublemakers)

    I guess EVERY city has areas like that. But WOW

    BTW, I think this is wehre Buffalo gets its bad rap. Think about it, the East Side is the FIRST THING most people see of "Buffalo"

    If you're a businessman, vistor, ect, and you land at the airport in Cheektowaga, you see on your map that you can just cruise down Walden to get right into Buffalo....

    "let's check out the sights" becomes "WTF?!" really fast if you do that... They're driving right through the crappiest part of town and its the FIRSt impression they get of our fair city.....

    and you never get a second chance to make a FIRST impression.... PErception is ALSO reality in this case....

    THUS, people trash Buffalo for being a dump (which that PART of the city is)

    Anyway, that's my report from my (final) East Side trip for quite a while....

    I wish it wasn't true, but while nowhere NEAr everyone there is "bad" it also cANNOT be denied that there is a concentration of "bad" people there and thus a greater risk of being assulted

    I saw in another thread somebody talking about people being to scared and not having the guts to "walk those streets"

    I think that's common sense... You wouldn't let a rattlesnake loose in your house, either

    Yeah, maybe the first pack of bored youths you walk past leave you alone....

    but the NEXT?

    chances are, you WILL be messed with

    as a final (sad) note, why are MOSt of these troublemakers 14-22 years old?
    The truth from a troll is still the truth.

  2. #2
    Member Trolls_r_us's Avatar
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    my overwhelming memory:

    the GARBAGE!

    TRASH EVERYWHERE

    that's what I remember MOST

    it literally looked like someone cut open trash bags and dumped them all over the streets

    and for some reason, LOTS and LOTS of clear, plastic cups
    The truth from a troll is still the truth.

  3. #3
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    Which neighborhoods and streets did you go down? Some of the neiborhoods aren't that bad like kensington, schiller park, lovejoy, kaisertown, and a few others. Some streets are actually pretty nice, go check out the area by canisuses.. Some areas are downright scary though and i've been uncomfortable at during the night. Filmore near main for example.

    Here's a decent map of buffalo neighborhoods for reference.


    I saw in another thread somebody talking about people being to scared and not having the guts to "walk those streets"

    I think that's common sense... You wouldn't let a rattlesnake loose in your house, either
    I've never had any trouble walking around anywhere in the city during the daytime, including parts of the east side.

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    Kaisertown is closer to S Buff not East Side.
    The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.-Utah Phillips

  5. #5
    Member citymouse's Avatar
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    Re: The East Side

    Originally posted by Trolls_r_us



    as a final (sad) note, why are MOSt of these troublemakers 14-22 years old? [/B]
    Because the older ones are either dead from drugs and violence, or in Jail.
    The condition on the East side hits home to the older city residents more so because we can remember what those neighborhoods were like in the late fifties and early sixties.
    The same with the lower west side.
    I live in the city. Drive down Mckinley Park Way and you wouldn't think you were on the same planet, let alone same city.
    I think the situation became and continues to become worse as time passes because nothing is being done to address it.
    All the aid and development money that other municipalities across the country used to turn things around has been dolled out based on politics to connected developers and directed by a business community that is only concerned with it's own short term profit growth than long term community development.
    That, and the practice of giving control of the little money that goes to the community in the hands of preachers who act like little kings and are only concearned with keeping their prestige in their own little church communities has created a recipe for developmental disaster that continues to spiral downward.
    Simply put, the money isn't going where it should.
    "If you want to know what God thinks of money just look at the people he gave it to."

    By the way, what happened to biker? I miss the old coot.

  6. #6
    Member Trolls_r_us's Avatar
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    no kidding....

    for having recieved over a BILLION dollars in HUD money the past 50 years, we sure don't have much to show for it....

    Right now, I live in North Buffalo, but I have also lived fairly near the east side (linwood ave)

    I moved because the landlord was an ass who didn;t think much of paying his water bill, and the second time I had to call in sick for work because I couldn;t take a shower, I said "enough is enough"

    I was right by Gates Circle hospital.... nice building (I thought) but a street or two over was pretty rough

    I noticed that as you go down linwood and delaware toward downtown, it gets nicer
    The truth from a troll is still the truth.

  7. #7
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    a billion dollars and how many jobs did they create. most of that money went to administration and hand outs it should have been used to create jobs.
    most of the people in the east side cant afford cars so suburban jobs wont help them, they need jobs in the city that they can ride a bus to or walk. all that hud money is gone now if it was spent on jobs it would still be here being earned over and over.
    hand out never realy solve a problem they just delay it. for fifty years money has been spent with nothing to show for it. and dont point out the new homes we lost ten houses for every new one hud built
    lower the taxes so jobs can survive.
    use the hud money as seed money to create jobs
    If you look closely you will notuice some people do care. the east side is not all bad look past the gangs and the trash allong the streets most of it is worth saving if you just give them a way to support themselves
    One good thing about growing old is your secrets are safe with your friends they can't remember them either

  8. #8
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    When people own their own homes, most of them will take more care to keep them neat and repaired. Absentee landlords are the cause of a lot of neglect, but there seem to be a lot of reasons for the condition of "those streets".
    Some residents try very hard to keep their neighborhood clean and inviting, but others drive through and dump their garbage. There has been more trouble with this since people have to pay for garbage removal.
    I would like to see the vacant homes torn down and replaced with parking for the people who live there, and if there's room, small playgrounds, gardens and even baskeball courts where it won't bother the neighbors. The quality of life is very low in some parts of the east side. It takes a lot of work and money to change it to a family place again, where children can safely play and families sit on their front porches, and the burden is mostly on the neighborhoods themselves. Noone else can do it.

  9. #9
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    Originally posted by speaker
    When people own their own homes, most of them will take more care to keep them neat and repaired. Absentee landlords are the cause of a lot of neglect, but there seem to be a lot of reasons for the condition of "those streets".
    Some residents try very hard to keep their neighborhood clean and inviting, but others drive through and dump their garbage. There has been more trouble with this since people have to pay for garbage removal.
    I would like to see the vacant homes torn down and replaced with parking for the people who live there, and if there's room, small playgrounds, gardens and even baskeball courts where it won't bother the neighbors. The quality of life is very low in some parts of the east side. It takes a lot of work and money to change it to a family place again, where children can safely play and families sit on their front porches, and the burden is mostly on the neighborhoods themselves. Noone else can do it.
    can't the same be said of cedargrove?

  10. #10
    Member Trolls_r_us's Avatar
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    people seem (rightfully) scared

    you want to be the one to lead the charge?

    because that just makes YOU the target of a little.... "payback"

    you can't be on guard 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week

    some nondescript tuesday afternoon at the gas station or in your driveway, they'll get you

    better to lay low and NOT attract their (gangs) attention
    The truth from a troll is still the truth.

  11. #11
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    I admit to not having visited many parts of the City- but what I find appalling on the east side is the physical condition of the streets and the housing. Do you think the city could get away with almost-dirt road like streets in North Buffalo? Try driving down Adams, Madison and other streets. These even have new homes on them- wonder what they think about their investment. They're investing in the neighborhood and the city doesn't do the same. Shameful. And the existing housing- most is in horrible condition. We can rattle off all the reasons why, but the truth is, many of these homes are beyond repair. Where is the plan to replace them? Do they all need to burn or fall into their basements before something is done? Its a vicisous cycle the east side finds itself in. Drugs, gangs, unemployment, broken families, kids not finishing school, no role models, etc. etc. Yet to hear the politicians, everything is peachy!

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    Any recovery in the East Side rests on fixing things up on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. People should conentrate on saving the ones that have potential to be saved.

    Some areas are so far deteriorated that nothing short of massive investment will bring those places back. And we all know that massive investment will not come anytime soon. In the worst neighborhoods the #1 priority should be tearing down every abandoned propety that is unrepairable.

    However in those area that show promise, infill housing an increasing home ownership is the way too go. Area like the fruitbelt show promise because of close proximity to economic activity. Most of the gang activity has been expelled from the neighborhood in the past few years because residents became sick and tired of that crap and decided to take it upon themselves to drive out the gang activity by burning down crackhouses. Some condos and new apartment bldgs on Michigan right next to the Medical campus would go a long way at sparking hope for a full recovery.

  13. #13
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Anyone here want to play photographer with me and take some photos of the east side and the worse areas? Areas that need the help? It might be good to show everyone what a marvalous job that areas representatives have done.

  14. #14
    Member Trolls_r_us's Avatar
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    WNY resident,

    I will ABSOLUTELY do it!

    Give me a week or two to get my digital camera back from the shop, and I'll take another drive over
    The truth from a troll is still the truth.

  15. #15
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    Originally posted by WNYresident
    Anyone here want to play photographer with me and take some photos of the east side and the worse areas? Areas that need the help? .
    Anyone want to come back with a broken camera and 2 flat tires?

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