Dear Editor:
The residents of Jersey City were shocked to hear of another brutalized, unmerciful attack on a fellow human being, which seems to be the standard operational procedure of daily living. We were not only stunned, dazed, astonished and traumatized of seeing this unidentified individual’s picture, bandaged, bruised, unconscious and disfigured, but any individual with feelings and a conscience should offer a sympathetic hand and prayers.
Remember no one is immured from these acts. Unfortunately he was obviously in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in a city full of violence and fear.
We as citizens, sadly, have become numb to these despicable acts of violence. Why would I write such a statement? Well let’s look at reality, not fantasy, by answering these simple questions.
Are you afraid of walking down any street in Jersey City, morning, afternoon or evenings? Are you constantly looking over your shoulder? Are you terrified of letting your guard down, giving some deviate the opportunity to take you by surprise and being left at their mercy? Are you scared of being caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting, robbery or being killed while purchasing anything at the local neighborhood store?
Are you troubled to see an abandoned home in your neighborhood turned into a drug den or haven for pushers and vagrants? Are you anxious to leave your place of employment early, out of fear of taking public transportation in the dark? Are you sick and tired of hearing that drugs are being sold openly in our community and appalled that they are also being distributed near or in our schools with increased violence? Are you alarmed by the ever increasing gang and rat pack population that are turning our neighborhoods into frightened hostages? Are you, your family or friends scared to go to the movies or leaving your home for an enjoyable entertaining evening? Are you afraid of leaving your home because of loiterers? Are you frightened in your own home?
If you can answer yes to just one of these questions, then any intellectual individual with any common sense must say enough is enough.
It’s true to say crime and violence can happen anywhere but does this statement offer a convenient excuse for all those who are in complete denial of our current repugnant and revolting situation?
We have meetings, we have block associations, we even at one time had the Guardian Angels, yet these atrocious state of affairs continue to escalate.
The refusal to acknowledge these horrible acts by the Healy Administration is a dreadful contemptible act of egotistical nonsense. We can’t embarrass them because they have no pride or scruples. We ask them for help and they give us statistics, graphs and percentages. We ask them to honor their principles or ethics, and they give us arrogance. We show them support, and they give us betrayal. They are truly legends in their own minds who are inadequate to the people they serve.
William P. Frasca