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I am new to the Jersey area and have been offered to work at the Rite Aid in Irvington right on Springfield Ave near Clifton Ave. Is this a "bad area of town"?
The hours are 9-5, should I be worried about going there (my safety or my car getting broken into while I'm working??)
First of all, congratulations on being alive for 100 years (or did you mean to type "in the last century")....!!!???
Secondly, personally I could have done without the horrible attempt you made at being mellowdramatic with your last sentence. Anyway, I am a white Cuban-American born and raised in Newark's central ward. I moved to another neighborhood in the Ironbound 20 years ago and am still here. I went back to see my old house "up the hill" a few years back. There were some young black men sitting on the steps when I pulled up to the house. When I told them that I grew up in their home they smiled and introduced themselves to me. They showed me my old yard. It was now strewn with garbage and beer bottles. They invited me upstairs to have a look around. It was different than when I lived there but it brought back memories just being there. I said goodbye and thanked the young men for the tour.
Too bad that your husband is prejudiced. Urban dwelling African-Americans are not animals that will attack when you approach them KELSIE. If you and your husband got out of your car and talked to the people who now inhabit your home I'll bet you would have been met with a smile like I was. The blacks that I know who live in Newark are normal people just like you probably are. If your husband is black: shame on him. If he is not, he not only suffers from ethno-centrism, but perhaps could be a bigot. Not everyone who lives in that section of Irvington is a violent criminal who will attack you like a rabid animal if you approach them. I am sorry that your close-minded husband ruined your visit to your childhood home.
What a load of self-righteous nonsense.
It both amuses and disgusts me time and time again to see people like you get overdramatic, play the race card, and instantly take offense whenever someone suggests that walking around in a violent urban slum might not be a good idea. I'm glad that you feel comfortable in your environment in Newark, but let's make it clear: The idea that Irvington is an extremely crime-ridden slum is NOT an opinion. It is a cold hard fact supported by NJ and U.S. statistics. Is it a shame that towns such as Irvington and East Orange have sled so far downhill and become hotbeds for all degenerate types after the riots? Of course. Is everyone who lives in Irvington a thug? Of course not. The fact remains that it is not a very safe place to walk around, day or night, especially if you are white, as opposed to the majority of NJ towns and cities.
Stop pretending that a couple not wanting to walk around in one of the most violent, drug-infested, rundown towns in the country is an example of "prejudice". How can anyone be so willfully thick?? Cry me a river if you consider it racist that I would not want to walk around an urban slum.
So don't act ever so cultured and enlightened because you had an encounter with someone in your old neighborhood and they were friendly. They could have just as easily robbed you at gunpoint and then you would be singing a very different tune about the beautiful and safe towns of Irvington and Newark, Mr. Superior.
Yeah, Greenville is TERRIBLE, Dorian! My friend is in the nice area...I got lost the first time I ever went there and apparentley I was in Greenville...she said "I'm glad you didn't get out of the car." And she's a native Jersey City girl. The fact is, an area is not bad because of minority residents. But, when it is a known area of gang activity and violence, I don't want to go, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone else does either. So no, I don't mind going downtown, or to Newport or by the waterfront when I go to Jersey City. But, I would never go to Greenville, or Irvington or Camden.
And a person is NOT racist or prejudice because they do not want to go to a town that has a terrible reputation. It is just a fact unfortunately that most of the cities and towns in NJ with terrible reputations and huge amounts of crime happen to be mostly minority populated.
Elizabeth is alright. Certain sections are quite obviously better than others. I know a woman who works as an elementary teacher (3rd grade) in Elizabeth at one of the "better" schools and there are some nice convenience stores in the area and such. Apparently the principals are using the deterioration of the town as a discipline tactic, from what I've been told, as the "worst of the worst" kids are forcibly transferred to the public school in the worst/most dangerous area of Elizabeth.
Paterson gives Passaic County a bad name and harms it in the way Newark harms Essex County and drags its name through the mud. The Hispanic and the Middle Eastern areas of Paterson are alright. There are some true rathole areas in that city though. It's a shame that it has become so unstable as there are some great Syrian and Lebanese restaurants in Paterson.
Irvington is obvious.
I haven't been to Jersey City that much over the years, but my impression was always that it is more of a "rough and gritty" city than an extremely dangerous one, and I never really felt threatened while there.
My friend is a retired Maplewood cop and he said East Orange and Irvington are practically war zones. It's all drug/gang related, but he said it's completely out of control. A while ago, the state police had to assist the local cops because they were having difficulties keeping up with all of the crime. Unfortunately, the problems in these few core cities has been spreading to neighboring towns including Maplewood and West Orange. I don't think there are any public funds being directed towards programs to eliminate the root of the problem, only towards law enforcement; thus, the problems will continue and possibly get worse.
I think that's because they count every incident at the Newport Mall. I remember reading a breakdown of the crime statistics and the Newport Mall stats really skewed the JC numbers.
Jersey City = Dump but making progress toward OK - some parts are better than OK
Elizabeth = OK - unless you are going to IKEA, no real reason to hang around
Paterson = Dump but some say it's making progress toward OK
Linden = OK - not sure why it's on this list
Irvington = Widely considered to be a dangerous dump, the dump of all dumps, if you will - not OK
Union City = OK
Last edited by elcapitancali; 08-31-2009 at 01:27 PM..
Jersey City = Dump but making progress toward OK - some parts are better than OK
Elizabeth = OK - unless you are going to IKEA, no real reason to hang around
Paterson = Dump but some say it's making progress toward OK
Linden = OK - not sure why it's on this list
Irvington = Widely considered to be a dangerous dump, the dump of all dumps, if you will - not OK
Union City = OK
Pretty good assessment.
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Yeah, they're bad...
