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Re: 3 shot at Newport - Pavonia PATH station
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Good grief. Where do you come up with this nonsense? I'm not saying the PAPD are the most awesomest transit police in the world. I'm pointing out that crime on the PATH trains is already very low, and proposing a huge wave of searches on PATH passengers is completely unjustified, unproductive, and unaffordable. It is also very likely to wind up being discriminatory, and will alienate huge swaths of riders. Quote: NYPD has used stop and frisk and it has lowered crime. Again, it has NOT lowered crime. Crime rates were falling for 10 YEARS before S&F was implemented, and there is ZERO evidence that it has actually reduced crime rates. Even Ray Kelly can't produce a single scrap of real evidence that it's lowered crime rates. Quote: Are you saying it would have impossible to pick out this moron from the average rider at that time, almost all in work uniform or club clothes? At 5:30 AM? Yes. Yes, it would have been extremely difficult for anyone to pick him out of a crowd of fellow drunks, and know that a) he was carrying a weapon, b) he did not have a permit for the weapon, and c) he was likely to fire it because of a stupid altercation. And again, if the guy didn't have a gun, he (or someone else) would have just used a knife, with similar results. Guns are certainly more damaging, but the reality is that you cannot possibly eliminate all violence from all society. Quote: How many incidents like this has the city had, especially in well to do, low crime areas like Newport? What, like the guy knew the train was in Newport? Please. Quote: One incident is too many. They already stop people with bags. They can't stop people to look for guns? Searching bags once every 3 months is mere security theater. It does nothing to keep anyone safe. And it is unjustifiable to turn the PATH train into a miniature police state, because one drunken idiot fired a gun during an argument. I mean, really. If it happened at the Newport Mall, would you demand that they search every single person who enters the Mall? What if it happened at the Grove Street Plaza, should the police set up checkpoints at every possible way to enter the Plaza? Demanding searches of PATH passengers is not a rational approach. It's letting fear take over.
Posted on: 2013/8/28 1:27
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Re: 3 shot at Newport - Pavonia PATH station
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You can't be serious. PATH's daily ridership is around 260,000 people. Are they going to search everyone, every time they get on the train? Or maybe they should just search people between the hours of 4:30 AM and 6:00 AM, since that's when this guy got on the train? Or, let me guess -- you're sure that you would not be in the "suspicious" category, so it's OK if they search someone else every single time they get on a train? Quote: In what world is it remotely acceptable for someone to be packing heat on a train? At that time how many people were inebriated? It's already illegal to conceal carry without a permit in NJ and NY. Quote: And this isn't the first time that people from outside JC altogether are bringing their thuggery in.... 1) Crime rates on PATH are quite low. 2) Lots of crimes in JC are committed by residents. 3) I'm sure some crimes are committed by JC residents in other cities. 4) You cannot possibly hermetically seal JC, let alone keep out what you imagine are "bad elements." Quote: Where is the PA? At home cashing their fat pensions? For all they are paid and the easy target that is the PATH, why not have real security? 1) They do already have PA police. 2) Again: The crime rate on PATH is low. It is highly irrational to point to one incident, and on that basis declare that the trains are now a high-crime zone. Quote: It's not metal detectors...it's looking for people that are up to no good... Yes, there's no way that could go wrong.
Posted on: 2013/8/27 11:44
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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Meaning what? You can justify any invasive policy, that erodes community relations, by pointing to a miserably low success rate?
Posted on: 2013/8/27 11:37
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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Leaving aside all racial issues: ? It doesn't work. On that basis alone, it should be stopped. ? 85% or more of those frisked were completely innocent. ? The S&F program finds almost no weapons (0.2%). And that's in high crime areas. ? Most of the arrests were misdemeanor pot arrests, which technically shouldn't have happened (long story). ? It alienates the police from the residents. ? It is a poor use of those officers, who could be doing something more beneficial. ? I for one have no interest in living in a police state. I don't want to be felt up by a PATH police officer who thinks that my putting away my cell phone qualifies as a "furtive movement."
Posted on: 2013/8/26 16:01
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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Crime was falling steadily for 12 years before S&F started. Crime rates are also falling in many other cities, which don't have a S&F policy. Quote: Mandatory sentences for, say, illegal gun possession is a great tool-it puts the criminals behind bars, unable to shoot innocent victims. New York State has a mandatory minimum of 3.5 years for illegal possession of a firearm; NJ is 3-5 years. For aggravated assault, it's probably another 5 years. The man who has been charged (Turpin) is almost certainly looking at jail time, and it didn't deter him from opening fire on a train. And again, crime is already very low on the various commuter trains in the area. We don't need to turn the trains into miniature police states because of one unfortunate shooting.
Posted on: 2013/8/26 12:58
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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It lets them see whether the doors are clear. Because, y'know, that's their job. Conductors are not police officers. How is an unarmed and untrained train conductor supposed to stop a gunfight? It's also quite clear that these types of incidents are thankfully rare. We don't need to put metal detectors at PATH train entrances because of one unfortunate and violent incident.
Posted on: 2013/8/26 12:36
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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The NYPD has had a multi-year program of S&F based on pretty thin reasons -- e.g. "furtive movements." It's rarely in response to a reported crime. Quote: When they find someone matching the description they stop and frisk. Sometimes, in the course of this, they find drugs or weapons that have nothing to do with the crime they are investigating. Again, they almost never find guns. Most of the "drugs" they find are small amounts of pot. Y'know, the drug that may be legalized, for recreational use, in a few years.... There is really no indication that a wide-spread S&F policy does anything to improve safety. We need police. We don't need a police state.
Posted on: 2013/8/25 20:10
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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That seems very unlikely. I haven't seen any evidence that they are finding fewer guns now than when wide-spread S&F started. Quote: I for one am not alienated from the police. If they were searching you, and your friends, and your younger relatives on a regular basis, I think you'd change your tune. Quote: I am alienated from the people in our society who settle disagreements, arguments and insults violently. If the guy didn't have a gun, he would have taken some other violent action. I will say that a gun is more harmful, and likely to harm bystanders, than something like a knife. But the reality is that if you're going to live in a society that values freedom, there will always be people who abuse that freedom. Treating everyone like a suspect isn't going to stop that.
Posted on: 2013/8/25 20:02
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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NYPD only found guns in 0.2% of stop-and-frisk searches. Quote: Two people in one PATH car both carrying (what I'm sure) are illegal guns, carried illegally is the problem... Regardless of anyone's beliefs on that particular matter, the fact is that unless we're going to flood the PATH trains with cops, some crimes simply cannot be prevented. Even if we turned the PATH trains into a miniature police state, something like this could still happen. Quote: Gee, have you not seen the murder rate drop in NYC over the years of stop and frisk? The evidence is quite clear that stop-and-frisk has very little to do with the drops in NYC's crime rate. At the risk of being far too brief: 1) Crime rates were falling long before S&F became a city-wide program. 2) There is no correlation between the massive increases in searches, and the small drops in crime. 3) The S&F program has resulted in a shockingly low number of arrests. 4) It's fairly clear that NYC's S&F program is discriminatory, and alienates the police from the public.
Posted on: 2013/8/25 17:17
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Re: 3 shot at Pavonia PATH station: report By Margaret Schmidt/The Jersey Journal
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"Stop and frisk" would not have prevented this situation -- unless you advocate frisking every single person who rides PATH.
Posted on: 2013/8/25 13:09
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Re: Wall Street Journal: Tax Shift in Jersey City -- New Mayor Aims to Attract Development to Less...
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JC can't possibly afford it. Heck, the entire state of New Jersey can't afford it. A new tunnel would require federal funding. And they aren't going to pay to build a tunnel that basically connects Greenville to Manhattan. And legally, JC can't set up transport to NYC.
Posted on: 2013/8/22 3:12
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Re: Wall Street Journal: Tax Shift in Jersey City -- New Mayor Aims to Attract Development to Less...
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1) The MTA only operates in NYC. They don't have the authority or legal right to operate public transportation in New Jersey. 2) The idea that the MTA is so fantastic that they would improve PATH is laughable. They're better in some respects. But their budgeting is often a black hole, their maintenance schedule can be a nightmare, the G train is a bad joke... Quote: I don't believe the PA has built a major new surface transportation project in over half a century ? Secaucus Transfer Station ? Rebuilding WTC (obviously) ? New PATH trains ? Ongoing signal modernization for PATH They were also a key player in the ARC tunnel, which was cancelled by Christie. Quote: A subway is utterly impractical, but we should consider a light rail on the west side of town.... 1) That's expensive, much more than adding bus capacity. The city would have to buy huge swaths of land, repair crews, train storage.... JC cannot possibly afford it. 2) HBLR was built and is operated by NJ Transit, not by municipalities 3) A new rail line won't relieve PATH congestion 4) Have you already forgotten about the intense opposition to the HBLR prior to construction? Or did you just not live in JC then? ;)
Posted on: 2013/8/22 3:01
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Re: Embankment- Update Thread
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They HAVE been working on it. They cut a deal, they were going to pay $7 million for most of the Embankment and let the developer put up a couple of buildings, but Conrail dropped the ball. Quote: the PowerHouse 1) It's a historic landmark. Options are limited. 2) It was half-owned by Port Authority until 2011. 3) It's deteriorating, and they are already working to keep it from completely falling apart. As it is, parts of it cannot be salvaged. Quote: cancelled a planned tunnel to Manhattan 1) That wasn't going to be anywhere near JC. It was going to run from Secaucus to Penn Station. 2) Chris Christie killed it. Local politicians had very little influence on the matter, and certainly didn't want it cancelled. In fact, most pols wanted the tunnel, and are still working on a similar project.
Posted on: 2013/8/20 21:52
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Re: Embankment- Update Thread
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IIRC the problem isn't that Jersey City is "sleeping" or "backward thinking" or mired in "debates." The problem is that the ownership is disputed. Steve Hyman bought it from Conrail, the City asserted that the sale was invalid. They struck a deal, but Conrail balked, so they're all going to court. The laws involved are very complex, and the situation is very messy. We shouldn't be surprised that untangling it will take a long, long time.
Posted on: 2013/8/20 19:40
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Re: Australians investors buying up Jersey City housing
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There isn't Quote: I personally believe government on a local level has a huge role to play in preserving the needs of a community that is equitable to all... Are you talking about requirements for low-income housing? Or are you talking about illegally restricting property ownership, based on the prospective owner's nationality? Quote: The option for those that feel otherwise always have the choice to live in a gated community. Uh, yeah, that has pretty much nothing to do with Dixon. They bought up a bunch of properties, and are renting them out while waiting for home values to improve. This has nothing to do with affordable housing, nor is Dixon repsonsible for preserving your ideas about "the needs of the community." Their responsibility is to treat their tenants fairly, to take care of the properties they own, to obey the law and pay their real estate taxes.
Posted on: 2013/8/15 4:38
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Re: Australians investors buying up Jersey City housing
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Here's a slightly older article about Dixon. No subscription required.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001 ... 04578314380251939580.html Note how the plan is to rent while waiting for home values to appreciate, and then sell them, presumably to all the widows and orphans -- oh, sorry, "young families with kids" -- who will want to live in JC in a few years. ;)
Posted on: 2013/8/14 13:06
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Re: Australians investors buying up Jersey City housing
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As I remarked back in January: There are, roughly speaking, 80,000 housing units in Jersey City. About 56,000 units are rentals. 70% of all the housing in Jersey City are already rentals. In January, Dixon owned around 230 units. That's about 0.3% of all units, or 0.4% of all rentals. There is no way they will be able to "monopolize" the rental market. And compared to the Lefrak family, they're a flea. Quote: Their audience is transient renters and not people who would make a long term commitment. 70% of JC apartments are rentals. If you object to renters, you live in the wrong city. In the NYC area, real estate is very expensive; so lots of renters stick around for a long time. Or, they rent for a few years, and then buy. Quote: The young families are outbid time and time again. Yes, that's how life works. Renters need places to live, too. Should we also object to singles who buy apartments? How about married couples that don't want children, should we run them out of town? And no, it's not bad for schools. Real estate taxes are collected regardless of whether the unit is owner-occupied or a rental. The quality of the schools depends on how well they are managed and funded, the administration, and the teachers, as well as the socioeconomic conditions of the city. None of this is changed because a company is buying a few more rental units.
Posted on: 2013/8/14 11:18
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Re: Save the Food Trucks of Jersey City
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I'm not objecting to regulation. I'm objecting to the specific idea that the government should pick winners and losers. Abatements don't pick winners. In that case, the city is giving a tax break in order to encourage development -- and yes, small buildings also got abatements. If they aren't assigned fairly, the problem isn't in the idea of an abatement, it's in how they are managed. Quote: The food trucks dig their own graves by swamping business districts and taking desperately needed parking away from others businesses too. Whatever dude. I'm not aware of any indication that the trucks are violating any parking laws. Nor do I care if a restaurant that isn't up to snuff loses a few bucks because the competition is right down the street. If you don't like the idea of competition, don't run a restaurant.
Posted on: 2013/8/9 19:53
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Re: Save the Food Trucks of Jersey City
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What does that have to do with anything? Quote: I still believe the city should step in and create a level playing field..... 1) Food trucks are already regulated. 2) It's not the job of government to interfere in this way. 3) Food trucks are at disadvantages, since their kitchens are much more limited, and they offer no seating. Quote: Parking is time restricted for all stakeholders of an area... If you've got a city parking permit, you can stay in a spot for days in a row. Quote: image if I was a competitor to YOUR business and parked my vehicle (be it 4 or 5 trucks) for a period of time that directly impacted YOUR high transaction customer turnover period Then I'd better step up, and offer something the trucks don't. Face it, you cannot eradicate competition, and it's not the job of government to protect one commercial interest over another. Business is business. If you don't like it, find another line of work.
Posted on: 2013/8/9 11:35
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Re: Save the Food Trucks of Jersey City
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1) Food trucks are small businesses. 2) It is not "fair play" to use the law to favor one group of businesses over another. 3) There's nothing wrong with competition. 4) If I open a cheap take-out restaurant next to two other more expensive restaurants, am I an "opportunity" who "creates victims?" Quote: I don't mind food trucks so long as they don't affect other businesses in the immediate area. We live in a society that allows competition. It's not the job of the government to micro-manage the types of competition businesses can face. Should Home Depot have been denied a permit because of the smaller hardware stores in the area? Have those stores all been put out of business? Should we shut down the ShopRite in Newport, because it potentially affects other businesses in the area? Quote: I like the idea of a food truck association being developed for JC that buys land and sets-up a location off street.... I.e. you want the vans to open miniature restaurants? You really aren't clear on the concept, are you? Quote: At the moment JC needs to control an unbalanced playing field as they have and done in many other cities across the US and abroad.... No, they don't. It's not the job of the city to pick winners and losers in commercial endeavors. Their job is to make sure the vans are clean, and don't become a nuisance. Quote: How often do JClister whine about restaurants closing dt.... Given how much JCListers like to whine? Not much. No one blamed the closure of It's Greek to Me on food trucks. People are apparently quite happy about new restaurants like Roman Nose, Orale, Thirty Acres etc, all of which compete with existing restaurants, and according to your standards, are thus "creating victims."
Posted on: 2013/8/8 13:23
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Re: Save the Food Trucks of Jersey City
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This is not about "priority." It's about writing rational laws that fit the situation, as well as recognizing that restaurants should not "win" because they use the law to eliminate a competitor. Quote: I see food vans as nothing more then 'hit and run' opportunists.... Many of these vans stick around for years. If it were possible, they'd stay in the same spots indefinitely -- they can be quite territorial. Quote: that add nothing to the community and only exist to benefit their own needs.... Obviously that's not the case, otherwise no one would patronize them. Or, on the flip side, restaurants aren't charities. Restaurant owners want to profit just as much as the van owners. Quote: you will also discover that SOME don't even reside in JC or even NJ And I'm sure there are several JC restaurant owners who don't reside in JC or NJ. So what? Are we really going to be so parochial that we don't want anyone who doesn't live here to be able to do business here? That's just absurd. It doesn't matter where you live. What matters is that you provide clean food that your customers enjoy. And while the law can be used to ensure that those restaurants and vans are clean and orderly, it shouldn't be used to kill off the competition.
Posted on: 2013/8/7 11:27
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
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And if you actually look at pipeline stats, and recognize that they will be inspecting the line, and you realize that hauling fuel via trucks is both less safe and more expensive, and you understand that people are actually pretty bad at evaluating risk, then you have an informed argument. Quote: Theres no reason that Spectra couldn't route the pipeline under the Hudson directly from Bayonne. I'm guessing there is, since they did re-route into the water in Bayonne. I can't imagine Bayonne has more pull than JC. Quote: Hopefully JC doesn't become an industrial wasteland like it was during the coal era of railroad-dominance.... Good news! That's not going to happen. Quote: Embrace renewables ! Oh? The RITE project will install 30 turbines in the East River, and will generate... a whopping 1MW. It's a good project, but it can't possibly replace LNG in a reasonable timeframe.
Posted on: 2013/7/31 20:57
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
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So it's just an illusion that the PATH trains to NYC are jammed in the morning. Got it. ;) JC's economy is closely linked to NYC. Besides, if we take that attitude, then why should Boonton's water wind up in Jersey City faucets? Quote: citations, please. Global fossil fuel subsidies, $523bn globa, p1 Global renewable, $88bn, p6 http://www.iea.org/publications/freep ... s/publication/English.pdf In the US in 2010: Fossil fuel generation subsidies: $1.8bn Renewable generation subsidies: $6.5bn Nuclear: $2.5bn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_the_United_States Quote: Not without investment in R&D, it won't. Maybe making it harder to frack and pipe fossil fuels will spur that along? Maybe, but probably not. ? If we don't produce NG domestically, and the demand is there, we'll buy it from somewhere else, or switch to another fossil fuel (coal, oil). ? Wind and solar are intermittent. The US will need fossil fuels for a long time. ? Taking NG out of the picture means more strain on the existing electrical grid. ? Even with increased R&D, it's going to take years for renewable to cost the same as fossil. We should be developing renewable resources, as well as reducing energy consumption. Ultimately that takes political and individual will, not reductions in supply.
Posted on: 2013/7/31 11:40
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
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And how many JC residents work in NYC...? Quote: also, if renewable energy got a fraction of the subsidies and kickbacks bestowed on our fossil fuel overlords, there would be solar panels on every rooftop for miles. Actually, it does. Renewable subsidies were roughly 1/6 the amount of fossil fuel subsidies in 2011. Sadly, renewables cannot provide all the US's energy needs. More investment in renewables won't change that.
Posted on: 2013/7/31 3:49
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
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The new pipeline transports natural gas, not oil. LNG is not toxic; it's an asphyxiant. Oil, in contrast, is toxic. Besides, the reservoirs within city limits were decommissioned in the 80s. Jersey City's water comes from Boonton.
Posted on: 2013/7/31 2:14
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Re: Journal Squared Project to Begin
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They won't fit in the tunnel. Quote: also, why doesn't nj transit run double decker buses - megabus does it They won't fit in Port Authority.
Posted on: 2013/7/30 2:33
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Re: Journal Squared Project to Begin
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If I was the tenant, sure, I'd be upset. Who wouldn't? However, that's part of life. Renting an apartment does not guarantee you will be able to live there forever, or that the neighborhood won't change. I don't see why it is impossible for those individuals to move somewhere nearby. As far as I know, rent and/or home prices in JSQ haven't skyrocketed beyond control over the past few years. Those residents should be able to find housing without too much trouble.
Posted on: 2013/7/24 11:04
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Re: Journal Squared Project to Begin
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They'll move to another apartment, neighborhood or town. You can't freeze a city in amber. Quote: Especially if they were here before the newcomers. Why does that matter?
Posted on: 2013/7/23 21:51
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Re: In New Jersey, a Battle Over a Fluoridation Bill - fluoride will be added to Jersey City water
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It's not aspirin. It's almost entirely harmless. You need to ingest ridiculous amounts of fluoridated water (or, tea with a high fluorine content) for years on end to have any serious health issues from it. And we're in New Jersey, no one here is terrified of "socialism."
Posted on: 2013/7/19 22:35
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Re: Jersey City Shootings
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What is? Are there actually more shootings this year than in recent years? (Answer: Barely.) Do you realize that violent crime rates have generally gone down over the last few years? Before 2005, the rate was typically above 600 violent incidents per year; between 2009 and 2011, it was closer to 425. Are you aware that in 2012, homicides fell to record low of 13? That this was the lowest rate since 1969? Are you aware that there have been only 7 homicides in JC so far this year? Of course, any homicide is bad. But that's fewer than in most years. So tell me, what is it that has gotten worse, in your estimation?
Posted on: 2013/7/18 0:52
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