wether she is "playing lawyer" or not, her point is essentially correct. Whether or not toddlers enjoy the asphalt, the fact is that a road financed by my tax dollars is not available for my use- a "public" road has essentially been appropriated for the "private" use of tenants of that particular set of buildings in Paulus Hook.

I don't have any direct interest in the matter, as I live close enough to walk to the park, and don't own a car anyway (my wife does). But, on principle, I hate when special interests screw the public and then wave their toddlers as a distraction, whcih si what is happening here.

The city should sell the street to the local residents for a nominal fee, and then they can pay for their private bicycle training ground.

"In another testimony, police officer Ilias Voutsas said he saw Benjamin Gavina swinging a four-foot lead pipe into the back of Infantes? head on the driveway of the Gavina home, the Jersey Journal reported."

This action, taken against an outnumbered and unarmed individual, is not consistent with self defence. It is consistent with trying to kill someone.

I guess we will all have to think twice before we say something to someone who parks illegally in handicapped spaces, or throws trash on the ground, or throws fireworks onto your property.

There were a bunch of guys with long white shirts on in front of the Mosque on Grove Street. Are these the same guys? They also had beards. You knwo what that means.



I tested out the bad music theory by whistling "copacabana" but they ignored me. If they can resist even manilow, I think they won't fall for that "body on the street with ketchup" trick. These guys look pretty crafty.

Perhaps they can be repelled by pink button down oxfords.

Quote:


Great, so the looney wing of the democratic party has Jersey City in its pocket? That?s nice.

When I live up North, I always vote republican because the Democrats here are basically communists and/or race baiters with zero ability to think about economic theory that requires simple functions like addition and subtraction and the recognition that resources are finite.

When I am down south, I vote demcorat, because the republicans are appalling ignorami of low breeding and ostentatious yet false piety. Very similar to Jersey Democrats, except for average skin tone.

[/quote]

wha? As opposed to representing the Republican wing of the Democratic Party?
[/quote]


When someone claims to represent "the democratic wing of the democratic party" that's a code word for "I am almost totally unelectable, and if I do somehow manage to get elected, I will be absolutely marginalized and innefectual"

Think "Niel Kinnock"

[quote]
DanL wrote:
Yes, I believe that this article resulted from the local press coverage of Fulop's call for the chief's resignation. I do not think that the deli robbery and the mugging of Council President Vega's wife would have resonated so loudly and crime in general have gotten so much media coverage without it.

What can a councilman do? Be an advocate for change, for maximizing public safety resources, for embracing new techologies and methods, for bringing in outside experience to our police department....

[quote]

The evil Steven Fulop is so powerful as to be able to set the agenda of the New York Times? Wow. How come he isn't mayor already?

Fulop has numbers- an 11% increase in crime.

Troy's response? Name calling.

wonderful that this man is in charge of our security.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. What JC needs are beat cops and a well developed community policing system. Unfortunately this takes work, that apparently is better spent helping your wife with their private security firm. How much easier to throw money at the problem, particularly when it is not your money.

I love Healy's quote in the artice about Trenton. Great. That's why I plan to vote for him, because we are not as bad as Trenton. After it gets a little worse, we won't be as bad as Camden. Then we won't be as bad as Mexico City. Good Times.

Back in the say I paid $280 per foot, and I thought I was getting ripped. Then again, my neighborhood isn't as tony as Paulus Hook, but it's located close to Ibby's, so that's a plus.

On a different note, that's a nice place. I wish I had the scratch for it.

Leelou, I think you might want to cool off and reconsider your post. I found the information interesting as one who tracks prices in this area (being an owner), and it looks to me like that's all that injcsince81 was doing.

Tracking pricing when considering any market is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I certainly did it before I bought, I am sure that you guys did as well.


It isn't really a question of wether its fair to publicize the history of a property without the reasoning of the seller, its a simple fact that the reasoning of the seller doesn't matter. At least, not to the buyer. I didn't ask, comment, speculate, or even think about the social or emotional life of the people that I bought my place from. I'm sure no such thoughts were devoted to your situation either. It's a price, in a market. That's all.

I don't fualt the HPNA for the fact that the city hasn't spent money on the park. The city can't seem to find money to fix basic infrastructural problems like recurrent flooding, or to address social problems like crime. I'm not holding my breath waiting for parks to become a priority of theirs. If the parks of this city are going to get fixed, it will have to be the citizenry that does it. The various PA's are supposed the support and coordinate those efforts.

Van Vorst Park looks good now because the community contributes time and effort to maintaining it. The VVPA supports that community effort.

My beef with the HPNA has to do with their their leadership style and attitude.

Their leadership style is underhanded and authoritarian. They are more concerned with maintaining their authority than in beautifying the park- this is made clear by their reaction to the "wildcat" plantings, which (by the way) make HP a much nicer place. It was this incident which first brought the HPNA and their skullduggery to my attention. Also the fact that they trashed my park (Van Vorst) and essentially said that the volunteers there had messed the place up. That pissed me off. First, because a lot of people put in alot of effort, made the park look good, and built community spirit (one of whom was me). Second, because the HPNA has apparently done precious little but criticize other neighborhoods, even when they are clearly outperforming HP.

Their attitude is innapropriate for this commnity, that is to say, it is the antithesis of everything that metropolitan american society ought to stand for. It is an attitude of demanding defernce (not only from the constituents of HP to the "leadership", but from other neighborhoods as well.) It is an attitude of "do what you are told." It is an attitude of "let's negotiate and coerce behnd closed doors, rather than debate in the public square." It is an attitude that is more appropriate for ruling subjects than for governing free men and women. It is an attiude that is more suited to applying clout for personal benefit, rather than synthesizing and representing the interests of those it claims to represent.

In the past it could be that the HPNA was in the vanguard of community organziations in Downtown JC. But in the past, downtown JC was a very different place. It was fractious, poor, disorganized, and lacking social capital and social cohesion. Now it is younger, brasher, more professional, more competent, and (importantly) more confident. The people of Downtown JC are no longer the sort of folks that are used to fearing, avoiding, or obeying authority. They are used to participating in it, and dealing with it as equals. they are used to constituting and voluntarily cooperating with the private associations of their communities.

Other neighborhood organizations seemd to have kept current with this changing demographic. the HPNA has not. I don't care how long they have lived here, I live here now. So its my city, and my community. So if anyone tells me to defer to them, I have an interesting but anatomically impossible counterproposal to make.

You are done here because you got nothin'. So don't try and pretend you are walking away because you're "above it."

Do you have a response for this?:

""[the bylaws] were conceived of in a cabalistic manner, implemented stealthily, and used to stifle and control debate."

That's right. I didn't think so.

BTW, when is anyone from the HPNA going to address this:

"[the bylaws] were concieved of in a cabalistic manner, implemented stealthily, and used to stifle and control debate."

Truth hurts, huh?

Guess what darenot, I don't live in HP. I live in Van Vorst, so what? The fact that the HPNA board members who post here don't live in VVP didn't stop them from trashing my park, and our renovation projects. IF you can't take it, don't dish it out.

and as for "You all think HPNA has such mystical powers. "

Not at all. If you had mystical powers you would have magically uncrappified the park long ago. Actually, you have very little real power, as you are not (thank god) an arm of the government. As the community comes to value your opinions less and less (the more obviously dictatorial you become, the faster this process is) the more your power will slip away.

I am not personally affected by you in any way.

I just don't like bullies. I really don't like people who live in America, but think that their "station" demands deference. Take that crap back to Europe, it ain't gonna play here. IF you insult my park (VVP), insult my friend (Minnie), or insult my intelligence, you can expect me to come out swinging. So bite your lip and carry on, or get out of the ring.

BTW, when is the next plenary session of the supreme soviet of Hamilton Park? Have you airbrushed minnie's photos out of past documents yet?

The city is broke? That's why HP looks like it does? Van Vorst doesn't look like that. Do we live in different cities?
Are the sections of the park that FoHP fixed up not part of JC? Did they get some special funding fromt he city that the HPNA was denied?

I don't indict the community, it was the community that came out and planted flowers and trees in HP. An act that the HPNA typified as "vandalism."

Totally unrelated, but comparing me to the joker or penguin is pretty weak. You need to go back to school and develop some skillz son.

Many years ago, in the fresh bloom of my youth, I had the opportunity to live in an ex-communist central european country for a few years.

This whole Hamilton park affair looks eerily familiar.

The more these HPNAholes talk, the more obvious their vanity, self-importance, and arrogance become. It would be irritating, but acceptable, to endure their overwheening pride if they had actually produced results; when it comes to government (public or private) I prefer competence over virtue if forced to choose between the two. But let's face it. The HPNA not only reek of pomposity, they suck at theur job.


Take a look at the park itself. A true paradise for the new socialist man, it is very reminiscent (minus the bits improved by the FoHP) of the park that used to moulder in front of my Czech prefab apartment block. Lots of (cracked) cement. A little weedy, got that "threadbare, not looked after appearance and awful neobrutalist "improvements" with a few decaying bits of prewar goodness here and there. All you need to do is put a statue of Lukashenko in place of the Gazebo, and you could be in Minsk.



Not surprising really. The park is, after all, looked after by the HPNA. One cannot produce gold from dung, after all. The park reflects the ossified and stalinistic gleichshaltung principles of the HPNA leadership.

Are Darenot and the others bothered by the fact that minnie "harps on" about the by-laws? That she discusses the by-laws when such discussion is not relevant?

Such discussion is ALWAYS relevant because the amendment of the bylaws is rotten to the core, and putrifies everything that the HPNA does and is. They were concieved of in a cabalistic manner, implemented stealthily, and used to stifle and control debate. Thus your whole organization is a sham, having shut out the very community it claims to represent. Claims which have been made in a manner that stinks of divine right or f-ed up vanguardism. The by-laws ought be be the main point of discussion at each and every meeting. All of them, all the time. The board members ought to be canned and publicly shamed, forced to wear a giant red A (for authoritarian) on their chests for the rest of their lives. Sometimes I lament the fact that we abolished the stockade, I guess we will have to settle for public ridicule. Fortunately, the HPNA furnishes an abundance of material for us.

"the wisdom of the HPNA" Words like that make my temples throb. How amazing that such ridiculous gobshites such as the board can apparently talk, and think, about themselves, as if they were some sort of beings of superior intellect. Did all the flowers on mount Meru bloom in the hour of their births?

Where did you learn your ideas about community service, Burma?

Well, I guess you had better defend those bylaws to the last- because the moment that they are repealed, you folks are in deep trouble. You had better restrict voting rights to the smallest possible circle of your friends and relatives, because everyone else seems to think you are disgusting. I think that's a charitable description myself.

One more thing. Lay off the snide comments about minnie. A little reality check for you. A good many of us on the board know Minnie personally. Some of us planted flowers in HP with her. Others (such as myself) have played trivia with her, or been at the same parties as she has. So if you're wondering why your "she's an hysterical obsessed freak, and so are all her friends" smear tactics aren't working here, perhaps its because none of us have ever seen her hysterical. Or freakish. Or even drunk (maybe at my party, but I was too far gone to really judge). OR anything at all but well balanced.

Why don't you all just form a club, buy some fancy uniforms, and march around your backyards, where you can continue mutually satisfying each other, without any of it spilling onto the community.

You guys got a problem with Warren tryin' to regulate?

I had tacos and tamales for lunch yesterday. Outstanding. I really hope they can overcome the curse of the grove/grand corner. Please patronize them so they don't disappear the way everything else there has.

Also, its tasty and cheap. Go there instead of M&P's.

Even if what you claim about minnie is true, and that she is the trotsky to the HPNA Stalin, it doesn't alter the fact that this, "wait till everybod leaves, then call a snap vote" thing is totaly f-ed up and scumbaggy. Address that, please. Given the high handed and imperious way that the HPNA has behaved in the past, particularly on this board, you already have zero cred, so I would clean up your act or step up to the fact that you are authoritarians.

Brewster wrote:

"The current board recognized that while inclusiveness is good, so is a rational system of governance, a long overdue revision of the bylaws."

Is "rational system of governance" sort of like "guided democracy?" Interesting. And the way the HPNA went about instlling this reeks of North Korean hamhandedness.

I guess this believe in guided democracy is ubiquitous throughout the HPNA leadership. I recall how they didn't want their dirty laundry aired publicly vis a vis Minnie's planting project- though they didn't hesitate to publicly trash VVP's renovations.

What's the deal brewster, are you angling for the position of "dear leader" that they are about to create?


Thank god I live in VVP, so I am not directly affected by this pack of Jackasses. Still, as far as I am concerned a group not only this anti-democratic, but hapless and boneheaded pack of jackals should have no influence in city wide events. City hall ought to disband this organization, of it can, or (if not) then freeze it out.

what would Jesus do? Apparently kick people out of their houses.

This is absolutely disgusting. Even beyond the fact that using imminent domain to transfer from private holder to antoher private holder is a gross perversion of the original intent of eminent domain, the fact that a christian institution is using the power of the state to coerce a private citizen is a betrayel of every tenet that this institution is supposedly founded upon.

I try very hard to avoid catholic bashing (given that my better half is a papist), but its very obvious that "the church" has over the centuries earned a reputation for grasping materialism and the pursuit of power- something at odds with the church's ostensible mission. I would hope that the church would be concerned with that perception, as it seriously interferes with what ought to be its main goal, promoting love and fraternity amongst all people. Instead, I see a callous institution that wants to obliterate someone's house, remove a place of recreation for the community, and destroy a man's livilihood. All for 7 yards of extra football practice.

OK Jersey Dog, the behaviour of the water that you are describing is almost exactly like what happened to us when we moved to Grove Street 2 years back. I don't necessarily think a blockage is the roblem, although there may be a blockage, you may still have a problem evewn after you clear it.

Was you house a condo renovationd eal? If so then the scumbag contractor that built the place (is there any other kind?) probably saved himself $25 by putting in the cheapest sump pump available. We had a 1.5 hp that was rated to evacuate around 2500 gallons per hour. What happens in a heavy rain is that the city's infrastructure can't handle it, and the water table rises- this means that more than 2500 gallons per hour is coming in. We temporarily solved the problem by lterally bailing out the back "concrete cove" with giant snow shovels. Thsi woudl happen literally every heavy rain this time of year, like 4 or 5 times in 2 months. You will liekly have the same problem.

You can't stop the water coming in, so you have to remove it faster than the porosity of the ground and walls allows it to enter. We bought a much more powerful sump pump, rated at about 6500 gallons per hour. It is fast enought to win the race with the water, privded there is no power outage. The pump goes for about $140 at Home dept. It's a lot cheaper than installing a french drain, so I would start with this. Also, make sure that the check valve on the pump is installed in the right direction. The pinhead who was our contractor put it in reversed.