06/13/06 10:50 - ID#32661

Matthew and Main Street

(e:matthew) and I got in a big fight about Main Street. I have a hard time discussing things with him because he yells and then I yell and then we start hating.

So here is my problem. I am scared of Main Street at night time (sometimes even in the day), should I pretend I am not? Should I pretend that when I go to the Utica subway stop that I am not harassed and that I don't freak out reading the emails I get about Canisius Students and Roswell workers getting robbed in broad daylight.

I feel like I should be interested in it's revival it but on the other hand I don't feel like it is my responsibility. I feel like I didn't create the problem, I have no degree in Urban Planning or Sociology and I am a middle class, athiest, white gay man. I seriously doubt that anyone who lives across Main Street even wants my opinion on the issue.

I really believe the only way neighborhoods can change is from the inside. Something that I feel religious groups and large scale investors (jobs, etc) can help with. However, outside of economic and spiritual investment in a community, both of which I am not able to offer as an individual - outisde change seem so forced to me.

If I go to someone else's neighborhood and start cleaning trash off the street, what am I saying about the people that live there. Maybe they want trash on their streets, maybe their live suck enough where trash isn't even really an issue. If it was me I would be offended. I mean how would you like it if someone just want to your neighborhood and changed it to conform to their standards.

I feel like the situation is out of my control. Everyone talks about the divide and that it exists. And everyone aggrees that it is wrong but what is the answer? At least I am buying a house in the city and contributing $5000 in taxes each year to the city instead of to some gated suburb.

What is the answer? Thinking about it all angers me so much. I guess that is why people move to the suburbs, lol.

shawnr writes at 09:21:54 06/15/06 - Comment #9001: Holy crap what a can of worms, Paul.

I never feel weird on Main Street. I mean, sometimes Pete's Sake is a little creepy, but I think that's because there's that bulletproof glass and it gets in my head.

I'm sorry, but I think that walking around "looking tough" is asking for a fight. I don't do that, and I've never had a problem except the small smattering of crazy people.

I think if we want to change Main St. we need to live there and use it. We need to stay in the city. The place is populated by the people who live there.

No, the real way to allay your fears is to pause and remember that even though it feels like you're hearing about a "lot" of bad things happening, it's actually rare to have a problem. If you're not afraid of being hit by a car, then don't be afraid of being hit by a person. It's like walking around in fear of lightning -- there's no need.

Rather, make a fun program where we can graph and chart on google maps everything that happens on main street and all vote on whether it is a good or a bad thing to get some kind of real idea about what goes on...

metalpeter writes at 07:40:51 06/14/06 - Comment #8949: I will admit in my younger days I was on the other side of Main St. Often. Did I have some problems yes.

Main is that invisable line that kinda divides the city but it does it by race and income level. The good people out way the bad. But no body heres about the good people or the hard working people on the news you only hear about the bad stuff. Of the maybe 5 or 6 stores I went to on the east side none of them where Black Owned only the arabs had the guts to own those stores. I think that in a city Like Buffalo whare there arn't a lot of great jobs and opertunites for people it is hard for the poor to get un poor. Plus you add racism to it improving neighboorhoods is really tough.

I think Home ownership is verry important. People who own homes have a bigger stake in the community and will care alot more about it.

I think cleaning up someones hood is a bad idea. It is like saying you guys can't keep up your hood so we are going to do it for you, it is verry insulting.

I think cultural diffeances and social class are what really devide people now a days as opposed to race. I know it is only comedy but I Chris rock has a skit about the diffeance betweens Blacks and niggas. If I where to say what he says I would sound like a Klansmen but he makes some good points.

I do think that this Medical Campus and the buildings they are working on May help break up the Main St. Divide I hope it does. It would be nice to see some areas of the city more mixed. But if there arn't jobs the the poor and disinfrachesed will still half to commit crimes.

boxerboi writes at 05:23:07 06/14/06 - Comment #8934: (e:mrdt) I've never seen paul walking down the street looking like a bitch. haha actually I have a hard time picturing it.

I'm with (e:paul). Main street is a dump and its scary. I used to run from summer best station to my apt on elmwood when i would leave school at night. although I don't really know what I was running from, I never saw anyone out past 8pm.

I hope with the current interest in creating housing downtown ciminelli, etc. will head the cleanup efforts.

maybe we can put some bench's up so the nasty beggers will migrate to main street instead of elmwood.

chico writes at 03:53:49 06/14/06 - Comment #8928: OK, so this thread reminds me of the story in today's Buffalo News about the toy Airsoft guns that look like real 9mm's -- which can be mistaken by cops and would-be victims alike for the real deal. Or, vice-versa...here's the relevant quote:
<q>"A local incident two weeks ago showed the equally dangerous consequences of a real handgun someone thought was fake. On May 31, a bandit pulled out a handgun and ordered a 56-year-old Buffalo man to hand over all his money on Fillmore Avenue.
"I'm not scared of your toy gun," the victim said, starting to walk away, before the would-be robber shot him in the lower back with the real gun.</q> D'oh! See :::link::: for the whole story.

jenks writes at 02:35:04 06/14/06 - Comment #8925: jesus... it scares me that people even have to think like that. I have never been in a fight, have never thrown a punch, and never plan to. Maybe I'm naive. But I just walk down the street and mind my own business. And if it's a sketchy area, I don't go alone, and I don't go in the dark. I've never had a problem anywhere (New Haven, DC, New Orleans, Chicago, and of course buffalo.)

mrdt writes at 01:47:55 06/14/06 - Comment #8923: If you're gonna walk down the street like a bitch, people will treat you like a bitch.

95%of the fights I have been in were won by intimidation and knowing my opponent.

So here is what I recommend to you. Walk down the street tough - back straight, head up, shoulders back - looking like you just got out of sing-sing. Notice any traffic coming toward you and listen for footsteps behind you. DO not make eye contact with anyone but if someone decides to fuck with you quickly size them up and look for weak spots (areas you will strike first). Once they start talkin shit give them the look you get when trying to squat your max for the 12th rep. Then start yelling something crazy, when I was about to engage in a randon street fight I would yell "OCTOGON MOTHAFUCKA, OCTOGON!!!" "OCTOGON!!!" (It brings about confusion and error, most of the time your opponent won't know what to do.) Don't tense up but if you see them getting ready to strike then you'll know you have to dodge a threatening attempt then immediately strike their weak spot with a shot to the throat or grab and squeeze the testicles tightly. Once you have them within an inch of their life threaten to fuck them up if they try to hurt you.

However, act with caution if your aggressor has a weapon. Don't worry about a gun too much though, cause that motha fucka pawned it two days ago for some crack.

I recommend carrying a weapon of your own, whether it's a switchblade, butterfly knife, brass knuckles, box cutter, roll of quarters or bic lighter to add weight and surface area to your punch or sharp piece of metal.

I used to walk around Allentown all the time and never got fucked with.

lilho writes at 10:27:42 06/14/06 - Comment #8914: the suburbs are fucking ugly. ewww.

mrdeadlier writes at 09:18:58 06/14/06 - Comment #8908: "that is why people move to the suburbs"

Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I'm not going to pretend that I live in the suburbs by accident; it might sound pretentious or elitist but my life it too short to be spent solving problems for people that don't want them solved (I know there's so much more to it then that but like you said, I'm no sociologist or economist). And I'll just say it: having random people "hug" me to try and find my iPod or Treo is a rare occurence where I live.

Good point on having non-neighbors coming in and cleaning up the trash. I never thought of it that way; and I agree with you, if people from say Williamsville or Clarence started cleaning up my street in Kenmore I would be offended.

matthew writes at 08:40:03 06/14/06 - Comment #8906: I live closer to main street than i do elmwood.

libertad writes at 11:08:45 06/13/06 - Comment #8898: We all are on the same side really so I hope you guys don't fight too much. I like matthew's idea about a clean up but I don't feel that it should be a place where none of us live. Maybe we could compromise? I saw tons of trash on Elmwood between my house and the festival. Maybe they cleaned it up by now? i dunno. Who knows where to start? Any other suggestions or is the trash clean up going to be on main street?

Permalink: Matthew_and_Main_Street.html
Words: 375

Category: citylife

06/13/06 06:47 - ID#32660

Neighborhoods

I wrote about gentrification when talking about Grant St a while back (e:paul,3819) - I agree (e:mike,505) that while it appears good for the people moving in, it doesn't always fair so well for the people being shoved out.

I really don't know what to do about the situation but I know that it is weird living next to the most segregated wall I have ever seen. Has anyone noticed that other cities are not quite as segregated as Buffalo?

We also make fun of people for being scared of the city but my aunt mentioned the other day that her brother never comes to the city because he is scared from when he was "driven out of his neighborhood." At first I though she was just referring to him feeling uncomfortable or being racist but then she explained more that as their eastside german neighborhood became a black neighborhood people even threw bricks through the windows and generally drove them out. That is a scary scenario. I have no idea what it was like in the 80s. but something was different because the mansion we rent now, which is like 6000 square feet and would go for about $250,000 now cost our landlords only $26,000 in 1986 according to the Historical Society.

Was anyone around in the 80s who can say what it was like?

Like like at UB there is a faculty member who documented the race riots of the summer of 1967.

Can anyone at UB get ahold of that for us?

Besag, Frank P. (Graduate School of Education)
17/F/146
Race riot interviews, 1967. Transcriptions of taped interviews with neighborhood people, store owners, and police immediately after the race riots in Buffalo in the summer of 1967; and paperback book ANATOMY OF A RIOT: BUFFALO 1967, based on the interviews. The interviews were part of a survey commissioned by State University of New York at Buffalo president Martin Meyerson.