What happened to Irvington, NJ????? (Newark, Paterson: living, most dangerous, shop)
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I watched the clip, I can still see the young Dennis. Your life certainly looks interesting.
I am well and doing fine. I'm glad you're doing well also.
Glad to hear you're doing well.
From time to time, I think about the people who lived on our street and how they are doing. Do you remember Jerry Fabricatore? He lived on your side of the street in the last house at the bottom of the block. If so, I have a funny story to tell you. I don't check into this forum very often but you can always reach me through my website [www.Flavian.net].
When my parents moved here from Rochester, New York in the early 70's they wanted to move to Irvington, because it was such a nice town but they wound up moving to Summit. However, when my brother was born in 1983, they were glad they didn't move to Irvington, because that's when all the crime began. They used to go to Irvington to go to the great shopping malls that existed and still are there.
Me, I am quite a young man. I have a few friends that live in Irvington, and my dead grandparents used to live there. So you could say I would be safe going to Irvington, because I know a lot of people.
However, I recommend avoiding Irvington to begin with, mainly because of all the random crime. If crime wasn't so random, and frequent, there probably wouldn't be such a red flag. One of my close friends was a wannabe gangster until someone got assassinated 75 ft away from him.
Just avoid the town if you can, if you can't just drive safely, don't go looking for trouble, lock your doors, etc. Don't look around, because people will believe you are staring at them.
Earlier this year, I had to stay very late at work and didn't get back to my car at the PATH station in Harrison till about 1:30 am. There was some big mess at the Stickel Bridge (what else is new), so I had to cut through Newark to get home to Livingston. As always, the 'detour' signs they put up majorly sucked, and I got very, very lost. I found myself driving through Irvington at 2 am.
I am no stranger to bad neighboorhoods. I spent my early childhood in the Greenville section of Jersey City, the family business was in East Harlem, and I've had to cut through Newark many, many times. I've never seen anything as bad as Irvington. That night, I really thought I was going to die. I was thiiiiiis close to just running all the red lights on Springfield Ave., and if I got pulled over by a cop, GOOD. There were thugs EVERYWHERE, on every street corner, with hooded sweatshirts pulled over their heads...this is 2 in the morning. Newark? Newark is Beverly Hills, 90210 compared to Irvington.
As an aside, my uncle owned a fish market in Irvington in the 80s. He got mugged at closing one day and ended up in the hospital. That is what gets me out of jury duty every single time I get called to Newark for service. Inevitably they always ask if you, or anyone in your family, has ever been a victim of an assault or robbery (those are the only kinds of court cases I have ever come across in Newark). When I tell about my uncle's experience in Irvington, they dismiss me immediately because I'm biased. Lovely Essex county.
Earlier this year, I had to stay very late at work and didn't get back to my car at the PATH station in Harrison till about 1:30 am. There was some big mess at the Stickel Bridge (what else is new), so I had to cut through Newark to get home to Livingston. As always, the 'detour' signs they put up majorly sucked, and I got very, very lost. I found myself driving through Irvington at 2 am.
I've never seen anything as bad as Irvington. That night, I really thought I was going to die. I was thiiiiiis close to just running all the red lights on Springfield Ave., and if I got pulled over by a cop, GOOD. There were thugs EVERYWHERE, on every street corner, with hooded sweatshirts pulled over their heads...this is 2 in the morning. Newark? Newark is Beverly Hills, 90210 compared to Irvington.
i know exactly what you mean. a few years ago i had the misfortune of driving through irvington around that time of night, and it was exactly how you described it. despite being 2 in the morning, there are thugs loitering EVERYWHERE, especially on springfield ave near the border with newark. it seriously looked like an open-air drug market. no wonder there are so many homicides in that town - with all those drug dealers, there are bound to be numerous turf disputes.
also, it's seriously depressing to see all of the boarded-up homes in town that are literally falling apart, not to mention the filthy streets covered with litter. people like to hate on nj's cities, and sometimes the criticism is warranted, sometimes not. but in the case of irvington, anything negative that has been said is completely justified. the town is a complete train wreck - easily the worst in northern nj, and after camden the worst in the state.
Actually the criticism on New Jersey's cities wouldn't seem to be warranted in this case given that Irvington is a township.
you're right about irvington being a township rather than a city. but surely you know that's not what i meant. whether or not irvington is a township or a city is a technical distinction that's irrelevant to my point.
the fact is that irvington has a number of problems that are typical of poor inner-city urban areas, so it's quite reasonable to discuss its issues in that context.
the criticism of the municipality - regardless of its official type of government - is certainly warranted, and then some.
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
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It really is sad to see what happened to Irvington.
My Mom was born at home in the 1930's in Irvington on Cummings Street. She went to the Clinton Avenue Elementary Myrtle Ave. Junior High and IHS. Every now and again she reminisces about walking down to Irvington Center and buying pasteries from a little bakery and working at the library as a page during the "War Years." And the trolley from Irvington Center to Newark was always a fun ride for a nickel.
I remember back in the mid-90's having to drive her up to Seton Hall for a meeting. We got off the GSP at Lyons Ave. We took Lyons to Union Ave. to Clinton Ave. to Irvington to Ward to S. Orange. When we got onto the grounds of Seton Hall, her comment was, "The Irvington I knew is gone." I spent the meeting looking for another way home but could only use South Orange Avenue.
What happened to Irvington? As far as I'm concerned, I see a demographic shift with an influx of people who had different, not better, expectations of their living conditions.
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
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Couple of names of shops from way, way back.
Betz' Bakery had the best danish buns and cheesecake.
Fuch's Bakery was also very good. According to my mother, they would leave whatever baked goods that had not been sold in an alleyway for the poor to take free.
Strubbe's was an ice cream shop in Irvington that apparently made the best banana splits.
I need to edit my comments from last night. My Mom would take a bus from Irvington Center to Newark, not a trolley.
drugs happend..irvington has been rough since i moved there in 1983 but wasnt considerd real bad. drugs started it. then we had a corrupt mayor who bankrupt the town. then newark demolished a bunch of huge projects not to far from the irvington newark line. so all that stuff that was going on there moved to the already bad town of irvington. bankrupt town with not alot of officers or officers that cared on duty. now we have the bloods and crips. thats why the murder rate went up so much. before we had alot of smaller drug dealing clicks or clicks from certain streets that might get ino it over money or a girl ocasionaly. the bloods and crips just want to fight for the sake of fighting..half the time there was never a problem between the people involved just one had on red and the other blue. no we dont have any big hispanic gangs, but give it time there are many many hispanics moving here. most of them are hard working people who are bullied robbed and abused by the dominating balcks. so i predict that the children teenagers and young adults of the flood of hispanics are gonna get sick of it and click up and then were gonna have a real big problem. i never heard about the national guard but we do have state troopers here along with the regular police..the mayor is trying to make a difference. there are alot of good hard working people here. we are not all bad. but yes irvignton is not a place you want to live or visit. especialy grove 21st ellis ave's..they are beyond the hood they are something extra!!!
Irvington used to be a safe haven from Newark afer the riots. I got out of Irvington around 1982, and it was getting bad then. I drive through my old neighborhood once in awhile near Mount Vernon School. Its just sad.
I also moved out in 1980, I had to move during my senior year at IHS. I had 2 younger sisters that still needed to go to grammar and high school ad they would have never made it in Irvington school alive. My father was offered a job 50 miles south, Pt Pleasant and they jumped at the offer.
I also went to Mt Vernon School. Its a shame I cannot even show my son where I grew up.
Anybody know if where the 3 college students where murdered is at Mt Vernon School? They mention mount vernon in the news but not sure if its in Irvington or Newark?
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Irvington, New Jersey
