Observatory Hill?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by RobinHood86

I'm 38 year old attorney who is not originally from Pittsburgh and haved lived in Observatory Hill for last 5 years.
It's a fantastic and diverse neighborhood with great housing stock with amenities and close to just about everywhere you want to go.
The neighborhood group is very active and constantly working on moving neighborhood forward.
It's a real hidden gem.
Anything I can do to help you or answer any additional questions, feel free to ask.

Yeah, I've got a question for you. What do you and your little group think about the gangland-style execution that took place yesterday in your neighborhood, in the middle of a busy street, in broad daylight no less? And what's your response to a resident witness's claim that this is the second shooting she's witnessed within a week? Are you going come clean and admit, "hey, no neighborhood is perfect and we have our own issues and these incidents do not reflect the overall quality of life here, but this is what we're doing about it and there are a lot of good people here and good things going on and a lot of positive attributes to our neighborhood and here's what they are..."? Or are you going to continue just blowing sunshine up people's backsides like your neighborhood is a little hamlet of perfection isolated and untouched by the urban climate all around you?

[chelez613]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, I've got a question for you. What do you and your little group think about the gangland-style execution that took place yesterday in your neighborhood, in the middle of a busy street, in broad daylight no less? And what's your response to a resident witness's claim that this is the second shooting she's witnessed within a week? Are you going come clean and admit, "hey, no neighborhood is perfect and we have our own issues and these incidents do not reflect the overall quality of life here, but this is what we're doing about it and there are a lot of good people here and good things going on and a lot of positive attributes to our neighborhood and here's what they are..."? Or are you going to continue just blowing sunshine up people's backsides like your neighborhood is a little hamlet of perfection isolated and untouched by the urban climate all around you?

I want to make it very clear that the members of Observatory Hill were not here to as you said to "blow sunshine up people's backsides". We were here because people were making comments about our neighborhood and we wanted to share the fact that we love the neighborhood and that we consider it safe. This incident that happened was an isolated incident and really does not reflect everyday life in Observatory Hill. As you said, no neighborhood is perfect and things can happen anywhere. I apologize if it seemed that we were only presenting the good things but we were only trying to defend our neighborhood.

With that being said, I was there tonight when that shooting occurred. I did not see the actual shooting but was there for the aftermath. What I saw was extremely sad and very terrifying. The violence that is occurring in Pittsburgh neighborhoods right now is heart breaking. I am still awake tonight thinking about it and praying for all of the victims and their families.

As for what our community group will do to respond to this violence is yet to be determined but what I can tell you is that it will be responded to because we still love our neighborhood and we will come together to support the community.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by chelez613

We were here because people were making comments about our neighborhood and we wanted to share the fact that we love the neighborhood and that we consider it safe. This incident that happened was an isolated incident and really does not reflect everyday life in Observatory Hill. As you said, no neighborhood is perfect and things can happen anywhere. I apologize if it seemed that we were only presenting the good things but we were only trying to defend our neighborhood.

Are you prepared to be legally liable if you tell someone Observatory Hill is safe? What about morally liable to God?

When your neighborhood group intitally bombarded this board, almost all posts said only positive things about the neighborhood. Many directly opposed statements by others here that the neighborhood is considered unsafe because of it's location. I've even seen some of you claim that the crime statistics for Perry North don't include Observatory Hill. That's not true.

Go back to the begining and read the posts by everyone from your neighborhood. Then imagine that the person you saw shot the other day was someone who had just moved there based on posts made here by Observatory Hill residents.

I'm sure you all love your neighborhood. I'm also sure that the "Observatory Hill is Safe" propaganda campaign is part of the effort to reclaim your neighborhood. But you all need to realize that it takes a special sort of person or family to move into a city neighborhood that requires a certain amount of street smarts. Be honest about your neighborhood so you can attract new neighbors who are like minded and well informed so nobody ends up like this frightend gentleman from West Virignia.

It's the only responsible, decent, moral thing to do.

[Drover]

I don't even think anyone's position was that the neighborhood was dangerous, but rather it should be approached with caution because of its proximity to some very bad elements, the implication being no neighborhood that close to a seriously troubled area can itself remain trouble-free all the time. That's the gist I was trying to get across, and I think others were too; though I'll certainly let them speak for themselves if I'm wrong. Like Hopes says, people who may not have as much experience dealing with urban living deserve to have some idea what they may be getting themselves into, instead of the "oh everything is just wonderful here" posts that your group showered upon this thread.

[creepsinc]

First of all, nobody has more blood on their hands than "God" and "His" followers. That being said, I've lived on Marshall Ave (O-Hill/Perry Hilltop border) for the past year, renting, and it's been great. I've lived in all kinds of neighborhoods, all over the country, and frankly, seeing black people on the street doesn't make me roll up my windows. Even at the red light at Perrysville and Charles. I'm in the process of buying, and after looking all over the city, I'm back in Observatory Hill (2 blocks from the admittedly meager business district) with a wonderful 20's Craftsman bungalow under contract, and I can't wait to move and stay in the neighborhood for years. People are such a disappointment to me. I hate message boards.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

First of all, nobody has more blood on their hands than "God" and "His" followers. That being said, I've lived on Marshall Ave (O-Hill/Perry Hilltop border) for the past year, renting, and it's been great. I've lived in all kinds of neighborhoods, all over the country, and frankly, seeing black people on the street doesn't make me roll up my windows. Even at the red light at Perrysville and Charles. I'm in the process of buying, and after looking all over the city, I'm back in Observatory Hill (2 blocks from the admittedly meager business district) with a wonderful 20's Craftsman bungalow under contract, and I can't wait to move and stay in the neighborhood for years. People are such a disappointment to me. I hate message boards.

Then get out and stay out. If you can't handle other peoples' opinions, you have no business joining a board dedicated to the proposition of sharing opinions. Duh?

[creepsinc]

I should have phrased it differently, "Drover". I hate the apparent small-mindedness of the average poster on any given message board. I also hate bad grammar and spelling errors. I hate Pittsburgh-bashers and a new species I recently discovered, Observatory Hill-bashers. I'm here with other intelligent free-thinkers in order to attempt to elevate the discourse.

[Drover]

Well, introducing yourself with ad hominem attacks is a brilliant way of elevating the discourse.

[creepsinc]

I wasn't attacking anyone. I was typing in my own voice. Most of my post was a reasoned response to the unfounded criticism of a neighborhood (and city) in which I actually live. I found the idea of "God" striking someone down for saying nice things about "the ghetto" to be laughable. I still do. On the other hand, "get out and stay out" was a little over the top.