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@Joe461 – “They installed metal detectors and had armed security.”
I graduated from Elmont in the 00s. I can tell you for a fact that from 2001-present, the school has never had metal detectors. Cannot speak to before that, but I highly, highly doubt it. We have security, but I do not believe they are armed, as the most they ever do is monitor who comes in and out of the building.
@Joe461 – “Isn't it possible that the non-white population in the community is the racist element and trying to keep the whites out?”
I know this is a rhetorical question, but is it possible? Sure. Probable? No. I feel confident in saying that the people here are not keeping anyone out, are not thinking of doing that, and do not have the ability to do so even if they wanted to. If white people wanted to move to Elmont, they could. Many white people still live north of the cemetery and on the east side.
@Joe461 - "I think it is an income thing. In this world, just about everything ends up being about the green."
Yes, money makes the world go ‘round, but sometimes, it really is just about race…
I've been living in Valley Stream for most of my life. No problems with crime, neighbors, walking home at night, etc. The people I know, living here for a long time also, did not have problems they can blame on Valley Stream either.
Those who are critical are people who don't live in Valley Stream. What they're doing is telling us they read stuff and giving us links to the stuff they read. It's one thing to actually live somewhere and know the place, and another thing entirely when strangers set out to scare other strangers about the stuff they read.
I've been living in Valley Stream for most of my life. No problems with crime, neighbors, walking home at night, etc. The people I know, living here for a long time also, did not have problems they can blame on Valley Stream either.
Those who are critical are people who don't live in Valley Stream. What they're doing is telling us they read stuff and giving us links to the stuff they read. It's one thing to actually live somewhere and know the place, and another thing entirely when strangers set out to scare other strangers about the stuff they read.
My tongue in cheek responses notwithstanding, the OP's question has definitely been answered, brutally honestly.
The area gets a bad rap because there is a perception (a small amount of it founded) that there's a fair share of lower class minorities living in and around, and congregating in the area.
Right, wrong or indifferent, that is the answer to the question.
Ckh, very interesting information you brought up, and it does question a lot of the original mind set. Everyone had interesting and great responses thank you! Eartha yes I did get a answer, regardless if it's brutal per say, but I would lean towards congregating then living.
The article supports your numbers. That I did not dispute. Of course there are "white" and "non-white" areas on LI. Having travelled quite a bit, I don't think it is so much worse here than many other places, but the article provides no real data to support that generalization. Since neither you or I are going to change the world with an online discussion, I see no point in researching that point.
The article does not provide any objective information to show the CAUSE of these statistics. That's an inference you choose to make.
Are you suggesting that the residents of Garden City are racist because they don't move to neighboring Hempstead based solely on the minority demographic there? Are the residents of Garden City actively employing illegal, racists tactics to prevent Hempstead residents from moving in?
No.
If you were looking for a home and considering Garden City, would you expand the search to include Hempstead? If not, is that because you are racist?
As stated in the article:
Quote:
Two villages, Hempstead and Garden City, lie adjacent to one another in Nassau County. Hempstead has a medium household income of $52,000. Garden City's is $150,000. Hempstead, in parts, resembles an inner city — with bodegas, laundromats, low-rise apartment buildings. Garden City is a suburban idyll, with tree-lined streets, gourmet grocery stores, and large colonial-style homes.
While the tone of the article wants to imply it is all those "evil, white racists in Garden City," the truth is that it is about other things.
If given the choice, most _people_ on LI would probably love to live in "a suburban idyll, with tree lined streets" and not "an inner city." It is not black or white preventing that, it is green.
@Joe461 – “They installed metal detectors and had armed security.â€
I graduated from Elmont in the 00s. I can tell you for a fact that from 2001-present, the school has never had metal detectors. Cannot speak to before that, but I highly, highly doubt it. We have security, but I do not believe they are armed, as the most they ever do is monitor who comes in and out of the building
The person I got this from is a close relative who had regular business in the admin offices. Their first-hand account indicated they went through a metal detector on one visit and they encountered at least one armed security guard. It is very likely this only existed at a "visitor" entrance and possibly only applied to the administration offices area. I seem to recall some specific incidents at the time, so it is also possible that this was only in effect for a short time period. I can't recall the exact timing, but mid-late 90s rings a bell. It was definitely pre-9/11.
Joe you have some great info dude, I personally wanted to hear from someone who can witness change through the years. I wanted to see if people would give me a truthful answer vs a " it's a complete dump" answer. I do feel it's partially race but majority has to do with some kind of " metric" as stated earlier. When I heard and saw some of the answers I knew ignorance played its role. Another thing I am getting feed back on is when a crime is committed in area such as Elmont/VS it's someone who lives there. Now a crime is committed in Merrick/east meadow, it's automatically an outsider. To me based on feed back sounds like a blame to a minority community.
Both VS and Elmont have higher percentage of minorities than other nearby towns and also, higher percentage of blue collar families. Both are also more urban in the setup and with urban, comes more crime. The mall at VS is definitely an "attraction" point for hoodlum and I was in Elmont one day, it did not give me a bad vibe, but it definitely did not look comfy-cozy suburban as let's say Lynbrook. The bad rep could be undeserved as most likely, it's just a spillover of criminal element from the boroughs, and hits these two towns in particular due to their proximity, but the perception is very hard to change.
Ckh, very interesting information you brought up, and it does question a lot of the original mind set. Everyone had interesting and great responses thank you! Eartha yes I did get a answer, regardless if it's brutal per say, but I would lean towards congregating then living.
No problem and some things are hard to shake even with information presented, but a lot of it goes back to how we are conditioned as a society.
I'm 57 and have lived in Valley Stream for 54 years.
Has the area changed? ...Certainly.
Change is a constant.
What remains are the many decent people that call this town home.
I'm not naive. Unfortunate things do happen here,
just as anywhere else.
But, I'm staying and these are some reasons why.
This place is my home.
I live in a charming home built in 1923.
There's a garden to relax and chill in with friends and family.
The property taxes while not cheap are significantly less than many of the surrounding communities.
I can walk to a beautiful park.
There are some still running streams while not pristine offer glimpses of beauty in the wildlife and plant life they support.
When I'm hungry-
There's a place for good Sushi and a nice Chilean bakery and restaurant.
There's also a good Italian restaurant and bakery.
For something special there's Truffle an upscale restaurant serving wonderful food.
There's no need to go to Rockville Centre but hey if you want to it's 10 minutes away.
Sip this is a real nice coffee house that showcases local talent,
exhibiting visual artists and holding open sessions for musicians.
Valley Stream really is a small town when you reach out and get to know people.
If I want to be in the biggest of towns I can be in Manhattan quickly....to catch a concert, a play or museum exhibit.
A thirty minute commute to Penn Station on some select express trains is unbeatable.
And-
If I need to hear the surf I can be on the Atlantic in Long Beach in 25 minutes.
If I need to get out of town or the country...
I can be at JFK in less time than that.
The bottom line is that this is still a nice place to be.
It's what you create for yourself and others that matters.
Negative outlook, negative life ...it won't matter where you live.
Oh , and this is a big one.
People that look different than myself don't make me uncomfortable nor anxious.
They're neighbors.
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