HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Hoboken’s early St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday served as a focal point for thousands of young people from throughout the Tri-State Area to come to the mile-square city and either attend one of the numerous house parties, or start drinking at the bars — which are allowed to open at 9 a.m. on that day.
While the day was a boon to businesses and provided fun for many, some residents believe the celebration is getting out of control. Even the Police Department’s $2,000 fines for quality-of-life violations do not quell all of the problems.
A close family member of a police officer wrote this letter to the Hoboken Reporter (www.hudsonreporter.com) on Sunday:
“I would like to question where the money to pay for the extra hired cops and cleanup comes from. I would like to know how the town makes money from such an embarrassing and dangerous turn of events if they have to hire all this outside extra help. Also, the mayor, not more than a few months ago, wanted to fire 18 cops and ended up demoting so many instead. If the town is in such financial dismay, how can they justify hiring outside help and saying that we have too many police?
I left town early in the morning and had to wait until almost midnight to return safely. My other friends stayed locked in their homes forced to stay inside on a beautiful day into the night. Prisoners in our own town.
How can the city let this keep happening? When will this be enough? Young girls I work with from NY know about this event. My mother met people in the mall that know about it.
Will it take a death to stop this catastrophe? Someone needs to address this hard core and bring it to the public’s attention. Maybe this should be more important than The Cake Boss.”
Do you agree with the writer, or is this person just upset at the mayor for the police layoff proposal that was floated last year? Comment below!
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