Mandy's Pizza in Observatory Hill closing due to crime (Pittsburgh: appointed, 2015)

[Sciulli]

Ugh. Just bought a house in Observatory Hill about a 5 minute walk from Mandy's. I had pizza there once and it was pretty good. Disappointed that the tiny business district is shrinking even further.

Mandy's just announced today after the city didn't really do anything to help with the crime, they are closing the Observatory Hill location.

Here's the final 9-page letter sent to Peduto:
http://www.mandyspizza.com/wp-conten...-Northside.pdf

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Sciulli

Ugh. Just bought a house in Observatory Hill about a 5 minute walk from Mandy's. I had pizza there once and it was pretty good. Disappointed that the tiny business district is shrinking even further.

Mandy's just announced today after the city didn't really do anything to help with the crime, they are closing the Observatory Hill location.

Here's the final 9-page letter sent to Peduto:
http://www.mandyspizza.com/wp-conten...-Northside.pdf

I know this is a silly aside, but I thought that the Mandy's in Observatory Hill didn't have the vegan/gluten free items on its menu that Squirrel Hill and West View did.

Regardless, I'm sad for the neighborhood, and for you. This isn't the first indication I've seen about the neighborhood going further downhill though. The "Great Inversion" of Pittsburgh continues.

[gg]

Guess they have to hire off duty police at a premium like The Original had to, or they don't get protection. Clearly a conflict of interest in our city to allow to hire off duty city police. Just think about that idea. You can hire off duty city police, therefore wouldn't it be in the best financial interest of the police NOT to give great service unless a business is paying extra? Peduto hasn't addressed this issue to my knowledge. You shouldn't be allowed or have to hire off duty police really. Pay the city police the amount they deserve and make it illegal to hire off duty police.

Also, if it is a problem ALL the time, the police department NEEDS to have an officer responsible for that few blocks of trouble. Have an officer responsible for it and that is their baby! If there is a crime on that little stretch the officer in charge of it needs to be questioned as to WHY was there a crime in HIS little area? If all else fails, maybe stop, ask and frisk isn't as bad as the moronic media makes it out to be. Why should people live with high crime. Heck the owner KNOWS who did this and the police seem to not even care in the least!

[tclifton]

If what I read in the letter is true, how sad. It sounds like Peduto used this guy when it was good for Peduto, but hung him out to dry otherwise.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I know this is a silly aside, but I thought that the Mandy's in Observatory Hill didn't have the vegan/gluten free items on its menu that Squirrel Hill and West View did.

Regardless, I'm sad for the neighborhood, and for you. This isn't the first indication I've seen about the neighborhood going further downhill though. The "Great Inversion" of Pittsburgh continues.

What do you mean by the great inversion?

[PghYinzer]

While it is sad that they are closing, the desired outcomes listed at the end of the letter seem to be a stretch. I would find it shocking that people who do not wish to testify would offer very good testimony if forced to do so and that a civil suit against the parents of the suspected criminal would result in a payout that would payoff the mortgage.

As a related aside, I wonder how the residents of Carrick are feeling about the focused effort to reduce the crime in that area. The last I read about it, the plan and the first steps seemed pretty solid but I am not sure about the follow through.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by lettert

What do you mean by the great inversion?

In The Great Inversion, Alan Ehrenhalt, one of our leading urbanologists, reveals how the roles of America’s cities and suburbs are changing places—young adults and affluent retirees moving in, while immigrants and the less affluent are moving out—and addresses the implications of these shifts for the future of our society

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Inversio.../dp/0307474372

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by lettert

What do you mean by the great inversion?

I'm guessing he means a greater concentration of wealth, development, and public investment in the East End and downtown areas, with flight from the outlying neighborhoods that don't have river frontage.

[Sciulli]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

While it is sad that they are closing, the desired outcomes listed at the end of the letter seem to be a stretch. I would find it shocking that people who do not wish to testify would offer very good testimony if forced to do so and that a civil suit against the parents of the suspected criminal would result in a payout that would payoff the mortgage.

the part about him paying off his mortgage makes me think twice about the owner. The entire letter is pretty crazy. I understand he's upset after being robbed twice this summer, but it sounds like police patrols were increased and there were no further robberies.

[Goinback2011]

Observatory Hill is a city neighborhood, not a suburb.

I recall the urbanists here touting OH as a safe place.