It’s the same thing every year after the holidays. The consumer traffic downtown is slow, and the weather is depressing. The merchants complain to their lawyers and accountants that they can’t survive another off season. But then comes springtime, business picks up, and suddenly the complaints stop.
Currently, there is the superficial impression of extra bleakness. It’s a Thursday morning, and a handful of shoppers are cruising the Avenue. Among the stores that are closed today are Seasons (new management, ) Patricia’s, (retirement), Surf and Skate shop (vacation), Pizza Shoppe (? new management,) the Daily Bread (closed ; buyer sought,) Fusion (fire), and Yvonne’s (fire.)
According to one merchant, the single most important business in terms of attracting shoppers to town is Nagle’s. When they are closed on Tuesday, all the businesses experience reduced activity. People like to visit Nagle’s because of the historic conversion of the original pharmacy. Nagles’ is the place to be and then, let’s go shopping.
There are too few eateries in town. Yvonne’s was burned out, and that building is still just a hole in the ground. Some visitors forget about the Starving Artist because it is off the beaten path.
But there is a true year-round group of businesses that offer fine off-season destinations regardless of the closed shops. Anchoring the group are Favorite Things, Cheese on Main, the Emporium, Gingerbreads, and the Comfort Zone. Filling out the winter downtown core group are Seagrass Restaurant, Tina’s, the Surf Shop, April Cornell, OG Trading Company, Pet Boutique, the OG Hardware Store, Flower Shop, the OG Bakery, Just Treats (candy,) and a few others. If we missed any, let us know (blogfinger@verizon.net)
So don’t pronounce Main Avenue dead just because it is the off-season. OG is still a great place for strolling, eating and shopping even if the coterie is somewhat reduced in numbers. And the shopping is superior to A. Park.
A slough is not a fuzzy night-crawling animal—it is a swamp. This Cypress Slough in Fort Myers, Florida is a delicately balanced ecologic system that cleans ground water and provides home to many species of plants and animals. There are alligators, wild pigs, and a wide variety of wading birds like the egret above.
Cypress trees, in the foreground above, nurtured and protected here, are being destroyed around the country for lumber and mulch. Better to buy pine mulch at Home Depot.
There is a 1.4 mile boardwalk that winds through the slough, and a guide tells you all about it, such as the fact that the lichens on the trees (whitish patches above) are perfectly harmless.
BERTIE HIGGINS from his album Just Another Day in Paradise. “Key Largo” (Play it again, Sam?)
By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors @Blogfinger.
It’s like a market in a small French town where the locals come to shop for produce from the region’s farms. In this case, the marketplace is at the Ocean Grove Woman’s Club at 89 Mt.Carmel Avenue, corner of Pennsylvania.
Miss Pegi (Pegi Costantino) the President of the OGWC has a background in coop produce buying, so she gets the best Jersey fresh fruits and vegetables, and this OG coop marketplace has been a big hit this summer, with fresh produce brought in each week. Tom Costantino, the OGWC produce shlepper with the red pick up truck, does the heavy lifting and provides good humored assistance to the the customers.
Miss Pegi orchestrates the event, attended mostly by Grover girls, but a few men are present to add a genial dose of testosterone to the happening. Pegi is a whirlwind of activity as she fulfills the orders while also dispensing expert advice. While waiting, the customers find the market to be a great place for socializing and meeting neighbors. A few weeks ago we met a couple from Bradley Beach.
Today Pegi had Gala apples which she likes for cooking and eating fresh. The zucchini is regular and 8-ball, and the other special item today were the Asian pears. If you ask her for a pear, you will get two, so be sure to spell it out.
Also on hand were fresh corn, frying peppers, peaches, egg plants, cantelopes, heirloom tomatoes, Jersey round tomatoes, and plum tomatoes which you can order by the case or half case. Eileen likes to freeze the plum tomatoes for later use in sauces, soups, stews, etc. We will be posting a piece by her regarding how to save the abundance of tomatoes and zucchini currently available.
You need to sign up to participate and place orders. Just go to the OGWC Facebook page or contact Miss Pegi at 609 575 5585 ( or email her at pegi@comcast.net.) If you sign up, you will be notified as to what items are available that week. The prices are posted on the OGWC Facebook page.
You must place an order for produce by Wednesday noon. Delivery is on Fridays from 4 pm to 7 pm, and bring cash and bags to the OGWC headquarters where the elite meet and where size matters—uh, referencing zucchinis and egg plants, of course.
The shirt says, ” Support Garden State Equality.” The sign says, “Thank you Rev. Dr. Campolo.” Blogfinger photo 8/16/15. Police stand by in case someone wants to burn their Medicare cards.
Sunday, August 16, 2015, Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger, reporting live from the Great Auditorium.
Today was the day that Ocean Grove United called for a demonstration outside the GA prior to the weekly Sunday morning service.
Each week there is a different guest speaker, and today it was Tony Campolo, a well-known Baptist pastor. OGU previously announced that they wanted to welcome him. Couldn’t they just have sent him an email or a nice note?
OGU assembled a lively group of supporters, about 30 of them, in Auditorium Square Park, outside the GA, starting at 9:30 am. They spoke among themselves, but their body language indicated that they did not want to interact with others.
Many in the group were wearing matching blue T shirts with a slogan that said “Support Garden State Equality.” GSE is the state-wide gay advocacy group that showed up in the Grove at the time of the Pavilion problem and during the demonstration against Kirk Cameron.
I was there with my camera and my NJ Press Pass around my neck. I approached a small knot of demonstrators. One of them was a senior member of OGU who lives in OG (let’s call her S.–for silent) She refused to talk to me. Standing next to her was a young woman wearing one of those blue shirts clearly identifying her as a member of the demonstrators.
I asked her why she was there today. She began to speak, but S. demanded that she stop talking to me. The young woman was intimidated and she said, “I guess I can’t say anything.”
Then I approached Luisa Paster, Co-Chair of OGU. She would not say a single word to me—not even hello. She kept her lips tightly sealed as she looked at me. “So I guess you aren’t speaking to me?” said I. She shook her head to indicate “No,”
I told her that it was a shame. I wanted to ask her to tell us exactly what OGU wants in this town. Why have a demonstration if you won’t say what the message is?
Someone who did speak to me was Jen Giordano, at her table, promoting “Urban Promise” a Christian group that had been founded by Tony Campolo. She said that she was well aware of the issues between the CMA and OGU. Her reaction was , “God loves everyone.” But she followed up by saying, “Tolerance goes both ways.”
Another person who tried to speak to the OGU demonstrators was Colleen Batchelder, an outgoing, cheerful woman who came today from Barnegat with her dad to hear this speaker. She is the founder of “Recklessly Abandoned Ministries Inc.” I was standing there when she approached a group of OGUniks. She asked them what the demonstration was about. No one would speak to her. The same OGU member (S for silent) who turned me down, turned Colleen down as well. But Colleen is a determined person, and she asked S. to say something because she likes to “hear all sides.” No answer. Then she asked S. if she could pray for her. “What would you like me to pray for?” Colleen asked.
S. said nothing, but Colleen is persuasive, so S. said “Pray for world peace.”
After that Colleen and I spoke to each other. She said that we all should see each other not as groups but as individuals. She said that all should be welcomed in the church.
You would think these OGUniks would like to explain to the people of Ocean Grove what they are about. But evidently they are so embarrassed by their message that they would prefer we all guess what they are thinking. Ironically they are a group which says they are about “neighborliness, inclusiveness, and mutual respect.” (from their web site) Really?
Of course, no one is required to talk to Blogfinger, but stifling the speech of that young lady is another matter altogether.
Ocean Grove United has a history of trying to stiff-arm speech in the Great Auditorium. They have tried, but not succeeded, in intimidating the CMA into applying a gay litmus test to all speakers who are being considered for summer Sunday services in the GA.
How ironic it is that a group that claims to be about equality and freedom would violate somebody else’s right to speak.
As for Blogfinger, I am not surprised by their behavior, because they have shown hostility towards us before. But yesterday we had 1,800 visits to our site and we will probably have higher numbers today. We never get any commenters who identify themselves as being members of OGU, but that’s their loss. Their behavior seems childish.
And anytime someone Googles OGU, they will find our articles, but they won’t find OGU’s message as offered by themselves on our site because they are also silent on the BF site where their voice could be heard by many readers: www.blogfinger.net. (At the top of our home page is a search block where you can research our coverage of OGU-related issues in Ocean Grove.)
Golly….OGU really needs a PR person, because their recent activities, like bailing out on the Cupola dedication, have drawn predominantly negative reviews in the Blogfinger comments section.
Oh, by the way, Tony Campolo gave a fine and inspired sermon today to about 3,000 avid followers, but OGU’s favorite topic never came up. He did, however, remind the congregation that, “This is a Methodist place.”
By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors @Blogfinger.
Good news for tomato lovers: the local farmers are producing wonderful, juicy, tasty Jerseys now. We tried them at Wegmans and at the Saturday Farmers Market (Sunset Ave.) in Asbury Park.
Wegmans is charging $3.00 a pound while the AP Market current price is $2.50. When selecting Jerseys, look at the top. If the red goes to the stem, they are ready to eat. Otherwise, if it is greenish there, you can let them ripen at home for a day or two.
We learned that from Laurie at her Neptune Market which is now closed. She is missed by many. She used to sell corn by a 90 year old farmer named Donald who was still active, but he died a few months ago.
Will the tradition of Jersey farmers markets continue?—-Yes, but their prices have gone up. If you discover any great farm stands, let us know.
The Jersey tomato crops are always precarious and can be ruined by bad weather such as a series of torrential rainstorms. Watch for bargains into September when you can buy them in volume and make your own sauce (or “gravy” as the Italians say.)
Eileen’s Caprese Salad recipe: (This photo was made using Florida tomatoes which are not as good as our August/September Jerseys) Caprese salads are always a big hit, but get fresh mozzarella, preferably from an authentic Italian market. (There are a few around here.)
RECIPE: Eileen Goldfinger recommends a Caprese salad if you have good tomatoes. Cut some thick slices of tomato and matching slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Then layer the slices in an alternating pattern with a leaf of basil on each slice of cheese.
Then prepare a vinaigrette by mixing 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper to taste, and 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard. Whisk the mixture until the ingredients are blended and then drizzle on top of the salad.
PINK MARTINI: “Hang on Little Tomato.”
And here is FRANK SINATRA regarding a tomato he found in Italy:
Ocean Grove is a patriotic place as judged by American flags flying all over town. It seemed to me that the flags had become less numerous around the Grove, and now are more evident, although our population probably at least doubles each summer. We always fly the flag at our home, and so do some of our neighbors.
And of course there is the electric flag in front of the Great Auditorium behind the choir loft. I have observed the crowds at Saturday night concerts look around in wonder as the electric flag is lit and several thousand people sing the National Anthem inside that acoustically glorious building. When the flag lights up there are looks of amazement on many faces, and you can almost feel the goose bumps bumping around the hall.
I guess OG was always like that. If you read about the Presidents who came here including Teddy Roosevelt who assembled the Rough Riders on Ocean Pathway, and the speeches given by President Grant, Wilson and others, you can appreciate that the flags flying around town are a part of the town’s patriotic history. It represents certain roots that many of you value, judging from our piece about Sunday beach closures.
FYI there is a wonderful flag store where you can find a huge selection plus all the poles and hardware you could need. Their flags are made in America. It is called Kempton Flags at 2800 Ridgewood Road in Wall Township. (it is on Rt. 34 north side) http://www.kemptonflag.com. It is not far from OG. They will dispose of your old flags, but you can also do that at the Municipal Building in Neptune (the town, not the planet.)
AARON WEINSTEIN. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from his album A Handful of Stars. The reference to a handful of stars reminds me of the 13 original ones on our nation’s first flag.
Aaron Weinstein made this first album when he was nineteen years old and still in music school. He was so talented that the publishers gave him full discretion to choose musicians, etc in the making of the album.
I saw Aaron perform live at the Axelrod Art Center in Deal in 2013. He had just turned 28.
And below is a link to a jazz post on BF from last year where Weinstein is mentioned.
The Ocean Grove Beautification Project is an independent group of volunteers who tend to many of the beautiful public gardens around town. The first link below tells you a great deal about this team of workers.
Recently they completed the design and planting of new gardens around the periphery of the Camp Meeting Association offices at Pitman Ave and Pilgrim Pathway. The garden is 80% perennials, shrubs and trees, but flowers will “pop” every year at the office entrance. The design was created by Mindy Arcoleo of Ocean Wholesale Nurseries in Jackson, NJ. who worked with Conny Ogden, co-chair of the OGBP. This and other works by the group are financed by citizen contributions as well as money from the Women’s Auxiliary of the Great Auditorium—–also a private OG organization.
A closeup collection on the corner. It is a curious cluster of different perennials. Blogfinger photo.
The new garden is fairly complex, with multiple species arranged in a dramatic way. One of the focal points is a weeping dwarf red bud tree. (It’s weeping because it’s not taller). This fine garden is special and is worth seeing next time you are strolling around town. Connie says that the new gardens have a “Wow factor.”
Maybe next time the Project will plan to plant a peck of pickled peppers.
So do you think it’s boring doing gardening? No way say the kids from the Beautification Project. After mucking in the dirt, it’s time to party. Here is their favorite after work song. It’s by The Hot Sardines:
It was in the summer of 2013 that a hearing was held by the HPC to decide about demolishing a wreck of an unsavory 130 year old hotel in Ocean Grove. The Whitfield sits on 4 lots at the intersections of Surf, Beach and Bath Avenues. Testimony about the Whitfield Hotel, a 54 room residential facility, revealed that all criteria for demolition were met. In addition, experts testified that the property had no historic significance. After that hearing, Code Enforcement issued a demolition permit. We wrote a detailed article about the history of the Whitfield and about that hearing (see link below).
The neighbors were ecstatic to hear that the hotel would be torn down, hopefully to make way for four single family homes. Many called it a “seedy flea bag.” It was said to be a place where people who had criminal records lived. Social agencies often sent offenders of various types to stay there for short periods, but sometimes those characters were sent back again and again. The police were often called to the location.
The HPC hearing dealt with the demolition application, but it was not going to get involved with the fate of the tenants. Some Blogfinger readers expressed concern about that. There are 37 comments there, and they make very interesting reading. Here are two:
Doubting Thomas said, “It is sad because of what it represents. Every derelict building represents the lives of people, and we should view tear-downs (as with the Sampler) from that perspective.
“And speaking of that perspective, where was the Home Owners Association special committee on derelict housing? Why weren’t they there offering an opinion? What exactly do they do besides not showing up for a demolition hearing?”
Wisher said, “Most, I love the move-ahead, clear, and most-certainly Germanic tone of this post. It is as though no humans lived in the structure, and it is an abstract real estate construct. Maybe that is appropriate for New Jersey – dead communities. Spring Lake – dead, Deal – dead. Ocean Grove?”
After the Code Enforcement awarded the demolition permit, the tenants received assistance to find comparable affordable housing. NJ law requires that tenants be given 18 months eviction notice, and that was done in March 2014.
So the demolition of the Whitfield cannot be implemented until at least September, 2015; however the end is in sight. After that, the owner will be able to develop the property, but condominiums will not be permitted. Evidently only single family homes will be allowed to replace the Whitfield Hotel.
When that happens, the neighbors ought to have a block party, because their home values and quality of life should go up.
We hate to see authentic historic buildings torn down, but sometimes it is necessary, and Ocean Grove has lost many such buildings over the years due to fire and/or neglect. The idea is to solve the problem of derelict and deteriorating historic houses in town. It is an uphill battle, but one that requires a team approach by those who care in Ocean Grove.
In the summer of 2012 the owner of the Park View Hotel, Marshall Koplitz, planned to begin significant renovations of the hotel which, at one time, was an excellent resort. Both the Township lawyer and the Director of Code and Construction seemed confident that work could begin in 3 months. Of course, that did not happen.
Now there is a for sale sign out front. If there are any investors out there who want to own an OG hotel with a view of the Founders’ Park, now’s your chance. If you are thinking of condo’s, that’s not going to happen, unless you burn the place down and then get some kind of relief from the zoning people. Maybe you can get approval for a shelter. Perhaps some Asbury zombies might need a place to hang out.
THE TRASHMEN. If you can’t figure out why the Township is unable to deal with the Park View Fire Trap and Spa then don’t even think about figuring out the lyrics of this song: The Park View Theme
In front of the OG Post Office on Nov. 8, 2014. It was just he and I; and we were both gone within 5 minutes. Blogfinger photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
I always say that small talk in a small town is big talk. And so it is regarding our recent debate (post office link ) about parking in front of the Post Office branch in Ocean Grove on Main Avenue. At that location is a 45 foot long “no parking” area extending from the corner of Pilgrim Pathway east along the north side of Main.
The Traffic Officer told us that the space was just for buses. Joe, a citizen commenter, said that the space is for trucks that are servicing businesses around there. Another person said that he got a ticket for pulling his car in to drop off a package at the Post Office. I, for one, sometimes pull in there for about 10 minutes or so to drop something at the PO. I’ve not seen any congestion because of that, but Joe claims that it causes trucks to double park and thus leads to traffic jams for car drivers.
Today we heard from the Traffic Officer who said that he discussed the issue with Rich Cuttrell, Township Clerk. We also spoke to Mr. Cuttrell. It seems that the definition of parking is when you turn off your engine and lock your vehicle. A parked vehicle will be ticketed.
Buses tend to idle, so they are not parked, and trucks are not considered parked if they are loading or unloading “goods and materials.” As for cars, they will not be ticketed if they leave their car running and unlocked. If they do that, the Officer assured me that no ticket will be written.
If you look at the signs, they say “no parking,” “loading zone” and “drop off.” Nowhere do the signs say “car/post office , or truck or bus.” So it seems to me, according to that signage, that any of those categories should be able to pull in to do the temporary task they have in mind as long as they are not “parked.” Mr. Cuttrell agrees that the signage and the ordinance are a bit murky, although he believes that the ordinance was not intended to allow car parking there.
I think that this is an important issue, not only for the convenience of Grovers going into the post office, but for the survival of that beloved historic post office branch. If it is not possible for a car to pull in there to do some post office business, then some people will prefer to drive elsewhere such as Bradley Beach , Ocean or Asbury to do their post office business, and then, eventually, the post office, already limited in its scope, will be closed for lack of business.
Up until the closing this summer of Laurie’s market due to her untimely death, we had been closely following the progress of this year’s Jersey tomato crop. We’ve always loved those delicious beefsteaks that we could look forward to each August assuming that the crop was in excellent shape—it was not always ideal. Laurie kept us informed, like an obstetrician following the progress of a patient, and we would post the latest news in the Wassup section. She had a few favorite suppliers who would keep her bins filled and offered wonderful advice about how to select those delicate fruits for whatever plans you had for them. I will never forget her instruction to look at the top of the tomato, and if you wanted one for tonight, you had to make sure it was red all the way to the stem.
Tara, Laurie’s good friend and colleague, who worked at the market.
It was a delight to visit her rustic farm market to view the latest inventory. For me it was a “must-do” event. Maybe it was Neptune, but pulling up to her place seemed like—maybe Sonoma or Napa. She was so enthused to share her knowledge with us, that I felt like she was a member of the Blogfinger staff. She showed Eileen how to make a watermelon salad. You could make discoveries in her place, such as the beginnings of the planned winter garden or the select items that she was growing herself, laughing off the evidence of critters enjoying the goods.
Laurie’s friends wanted to keep her business going, but, for whatever reasons, it didn’t happen. Every spring, as the fruits of the Garden State are set out at farmstands in this part of Jersey, it will remind us of Laurie’s. Maybe someone else will bring her’s back to life in 2015.
Now it’s October, 2014, and those Jersey tomatoes are getting harder to find. So we are currently buying tomatoes on-the-vine from Wegmans, grown in greenhouses in Canada. They’re pretty good, but the Jerseys are the best.
We have posted Eileen’s recipe for insalata Caprese in the past (link below)—– a simple but elegant dish that uses all heart- healthy ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese, plus some secret ingredients. Last week Eileen made that recipe again, but she’s always innovating in the kitchen, so this time she added avocados, a truly amazing food with anti-oxidants, “good” fats, and vitamins. Many nutrition experts think so highly of avocados that they refer to it as a “super food.”
So, once again, you can find that recipe below—-part of an article on Florida tomatoes which we have run in the past.
Phil Smith, Grover and world-famous classical trumpet player.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Phil Smith of Ocean Grove and the New York Philharmonic has retired after 35 years as principal trumpet with the NYPO. He has a part-time home in Ocean Grove, but, in June, 2014, he took up a new position as Professor at the University of Georgia School of Music. Phil Smith is famous throughout the music world, especially among brass players, most all of whom view him as the greatest trumpet player. Mr. Smith is also known as a teacher, and when he announced his retirement last year, praise and tributes have been pouring in from students and admirers including a very fine piece on National Public Radio’s web site (with videos). Here is a link to that: NPR tribute to Phil Smith 2014
In 2013, Phil Smith performed in the Great Auditorium. He has done so before, and hopefully he will again in the future, but this was special because we got to interview him. Here is a link to our post about him: Blogfinger post about Phil Smith
In 1989, a video of Phil soloing with Zubin Mehta and the NY Philharmonic with Hadyn’s Trumpet Concerto, 3rd movement. From WQXR radio. Click on the link and then scroll down to the video.
And below is an excellent video of the New York Philharmonic brass section playing a selection from the Mahler Symphony #2 (Resurrection.) Phil sits on the right side of the trumpets, next to the trombones. The conductor is Alan Gilbert.
We hope that Phil Smith and Mrs. Smith will return for summers in the Grove. If we are lucky, maybe Gordon Turk will convince him to perform again on our stage in the Great Auditorium. That would be excellent!
But meanwhile, the Blogfinger music department wishes Phil all the best as he takes on a new challenge. I guess we know where the best collegiate trumpet players will be enrolling.
Note: Thanks to Tom Costantino of Ocean Grove who alerted us regarding Phil’s retirement.
Heck Avenue–where the events occurred. Blogfinger photo. Sept. 2014
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Ocean Grove is a tiny town, perhaps .5 sq. miles. But there are neighborhoods here that have unique problems that might require neighborhood activism to solve. Today we have the lakeside dwellers near Wesley Lake, the irate parkers at the North End where Asbury mooches go to escape AP tolls, and the flooded denizens of the southeast Broadway area.
In addition there are special interest groups that are based on non-geographic issues such as the Ocean Grove United members, the renters, the Camp Meeting supporters, the parents of school age kids, the merchants, senior citizens, etc.
None of these focused groups should totally depend on Neptune Township or OG organizations (such as the Home Groaners Assoc. and the Chamber of Commerce) to take an interest in their particular problems.
Neighborhood and special interest activism is the answer. We saw that in 2007 with the formation of OGU. We are seeing that now as some neighbors from the Broadway flood zone have formed a pressure group to get something done to alleviate their specific concerns.
Activism of this sort is not new in Ocean Grove. Witness the citizens who combined their clout and energy to turn the downward spiral around back in the ’90’s. And below is an example of such neighborhood activism in the late 1990’s. We interviewed two of the principals who were directly involved.
We take you back to a particular block at the westernmost reaches of Heck Avenue. There were a group of neighbors who were diverse and included an unmarried social worker, an artist and her husband, a college student, a retiree, some young people with kids, a senior couple, an OG fireman, and others. They knew each other because of the Grove’s unique porch culture. They were used to talking amongst themselves.
One day, in the summer of 1999, a group of 3 or 4 “suspicious ” men (“kids”) in their early 20’s moved into a crummy rental property owned by an absentee landlord. These guys were “rude, aggressive, nasty and obnoxious.” One had a “menacing” pit bull that he let intimidate other dogs on the block. There were noisy parties and loud music. Cigarette butts were tossed around the area, and a “steady stream of cars were coming and going at all hours.”
The neighborhood already had a worrisome situation with a crappy grocery store called “Grandma’s Market” down the street where there currently is a bakery. No one shopped there because the place reeked from cigarette smoke and all they sold were newspapers, bread and a few other things. There were characters there who appeared “unsavory.” The police had been called many times.
The neighbors noticed the new guys and suspected that they were drug dealers. They formed an impromptu neighborhood watch, and after solidifying their observations they called the Neptune Police Dept. Most of the activist group were women.
This Heck Avenue group was persistent (“no letup”) over the course of several months, and soon the police had set up a surveillance outpost on the second floor of a house across the street from the bad actors. It took courage for that homeowner and others who were poking around the situation to stay involved because those characters didn’t leave right away. The women who were involved gave each other “moral support” to continue their efforts. They did not want those men to “degrade our neighborhood and impose their life-style on us.”
Subsequently there were arrests made on four occasions , and this “emboldened” the group to continue, but none of those bad guys were jailed despite indications that drug dealing (heroine) was actually occurring. The neighbors did not know why they were arrested and then released. Perhaps there wasn’t enough evidence. The group was disappointed, but they kept watching and discussing.
Finally, a man who lived next door to that rental house, contacted the landlord and threatened to sue him if those renters did not leave. The landlord finally got worried and pressured his tenants to vacate the premises. He may have paid them off. That plus the continuous pressure brought by the police and the watchful neighbors eventually solved the problem.
A short time later, the grocery was shut down by the police—The neighbors suspected some sort of criminal activity, although we don’t know the facts. Now the block had reached a better place and it has continued to be fine since then.
It’s not a totally satisfying story, but the hyper-local activist group that pushed and pushed and took chances can be credited with helping to solve a serious problem that threatened the quality of life for all the people around there. Later, the neighbors got together and planted trees up and down that block. It is a lovely and happy place today in 2014.
There is a side story here—-a romance—a happier ending: Once the bad guys left, the owner, who was shaken by the whole thing, sold the house at a low price to a single gentleman. Eventually he and one of the female activists got to know each other and subsequently they married and lived happily thereafter in that same neighborhood. (as the song When You Wish Upon a Star says “…like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through.”)
