Allentown Afterthoughts

The Call’s Arlene Martinez in a recent Valley 610 post on ballooning teacher pension costs:

It’s difficult to imagine what’s going to happen if something doesn’t change. The Catasauqua Area School Board plans to pass a resolution at its Monday night meeting urging the state legislature to pass pension reforms. I’ve attached it here. This is just one district, and Catasauqua’s a pretty small one. But look at what the increases are going cost the people in just three towns in Pennsylvania.But look at what the increases are going cost the people in just three towns in Pennsylvania.

For the record, I think she’s right about pension reform. Still, it’s startling to see such full-throttled advocacy from a working journalist.

Mike Molovinsky reposts an unfair piece from 2007, with the incendiary title “No Dutchmen Need Apply.” It briefly tells the story of two longtime Allentown residents of PA German heritage, who couldn’t get into the new Overlook Park public housing development.

Its hard for them to understand how brandnew comers to the area, who don’t even speak English, go to the head of the line.

Molovinsky knows that residents of Hanover Acres–the public housing project that Overlook replaced–had the right to return to their (rebuilt) homes first. These aren’t “brandnew comers to the area,” either. Many, many Hanover residents–white, black and Latino–had lived here in Allentown for years.

But this post is directed at Latinos. The “brandnew comers” here “don’t even speak English.”

Leave aside the silliness of the “don’t even speak English” when applied to most Allentown Latinos. Leave aside too the fact that Allentown has had a vibrant Puerto Rican community for over 70 years.¹

This post comes off as Emma Trapiano-style race-baiting, complete with the anti-Irish allusion (“… need apply”) and a call for a “Pennsylvania Dutch American Organization.”

This is nativist pandering, and forgetful at that: There was a time when German Americans were attacked for not speaking English. Over the last two centuries, most immigrants to this country–let’s call them Americans–have been dismissed for the same reason.

UPDATE: I regret not making clear in my initial post that I do not regard Mike Molovinsky–a friend whom I respect–as racist in any way. I’ve defended him against the charge in the past. He’s a provocateur, and this post is an example. Still: All the post does is fan the flames, in terms of a PA Dutch vs. Puerto Rican story that’s way too simplistic to capture what this city has been through (as Mike knows) over the last 30 years. I am copying below Mike’s email to me.

Jeff, I resent, but understand your portrayal of my post as race-baiting.  It would much more accurate if you said,  ”Here is a very politically incorrect post from someone very informed about housing in Allentown.”   Although you may perceive my post as race baiting,  there exists in Allentown a tremendous cultural divide.  I don’t discriminate, either against people or truth.  Although some, yourself included, talk about mixed income housing and shopping, such as on 7th Street, it doesn’t exist. I believe progress will only occur when one can speak the truth without being labeled.

As you may well know, when my post first appeared in 2007,  Damien commented that I was mistaken, because he had HELPED a white family get into housing there.  I have also HELPED people get into public housing.  The key word is HELP, because both Damien and myself acted as advocates.  The Housing Authority always has set aside units for hardship, and it takes an advocate to know which buttons to push.  Maria Cruz at Hispanic American Organization is such an advocate, but there is no organization for the families that Damien and I helped.

As far as the Latino Community goes,  the number of Hispanics here in the 1970’s was miniscule.  There was a sizable Mexican community in Bethlehem from the Steel,  but only a few Puerto Ricans.  The large Puerto Rican Community which we know today has developed in the last 20 years.  This accelerated change in demographics was noted years ago by the New  York Times in an article called The Latinization of the Lehigh Valley.

As a landlord who rented apartments in Allentown for thirtyfive years,  I have never been accused of discrimination; even Alan Jennings can’t say that.  If you knew Emma Tropiano as a person,  instead of a rumor, you would also know her acts of kindness and intervention were a stark contrast to the label painted on her.

Mike is right about the Puerto Rican community being small here before World War II, but it’s important to note that it did exist, as Anna Adams shows. I admit I don’t know a lot about Tropiano, except through conversation and, in fact, that New York Times Magazine piece on “The Latinization of Allentown” which I hope to post about soon. I shouldn’t have used her name that way without knowing more.

UPDATE 2: This is from Damien Brown, the blogging pioneer and tireless West End Alliance advocate.

Jeff,

A drive through Overlook Park will demonstrate many different kinds of people have taken up residence there, including Caucasians. In an effort to illustrate my point I will mention that my mother, a lifelong Allentown resident, now calls this community home.

I have a few minor criticisms about how the neighborhood was developed but the application process was handled fairly. As soon as each applicant submitted their application they were mailed a number representing their place in line for an interview. After passing a criminal background, credit, and rental history check they were in provided the number of bedrooms their family required was available.

Like most things in life, residency in Overlook Park simply came down to timely action.

Damien

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Well-earned plaudits for Kim Kmetz, Easton’s main street manager. But why does LV Ramblings have to open with a snark at Pawlowski?

If Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski would like some pointers on turning Allentown around, he might consider a trip to Easton.

Local blogger Mike Molovinsky alternates between nostalgia pieces and posts on current issues. (Sometimes, as with his noble campaign to preserve Allentown’s Depression-era WPA park infrastructure, he merges the two.) I sometimes disagree with his thoughts on current events, but always appreciate the history and snippets of memory he preserves. He has a nice post up about Allentown’s textile-industry past, pegged to the 1881 Adelaide Silk Mill at 3rd St. The city, he reminds, had over 140 textile factories by 1928.

He takes a swipe at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Center:

The Museum now has a show on reducing electricity consumption, based on it’s experience. I can understand the topic for the Da Vinci Science Center, but our local Historical Society?

I found the lightbulb-show-in-a-history-museum a head-scratcher too.

One correction: Molovinsky says that the “last remaining factories have closed.” Though it’s under the radar screen, Allentown remains a thriving textile center. As my friend and 6th Street neighbor Rich Flagg has shown me, there are dozens of textile businesses packed into the old warehouses on Jordan and Front Streets, along the Jordan Creek.

UPDATE: Mike Molovinsky emailed me with a response to the last point:

The union, “Unite” would take great exception with your observation about continued production.  The businesses you refer to are called “shops”, and generally occupy a small section of what were previously textile factories. The shops specialize in two things;   quick turn -a -around, and filling small shortfalls.  They are non-union.   Clothing per se is now manufactured offshore.  Only vintage clothing has the union made USA label.

UPDATE: I heard from Rich Flagg, who responds to Mike Molovinsky’s comment:

I just read your blog on the textile industry.  I do have a few comments to address.

1.) Non-union does not make these companies “non-companies”.  They still exist and do a business.  They are simply, non-union companies.

2.) As for quick turns only.  That is a very good point.  The reason these companies survive is because of the quick turns.  Companies like Majestic Apparel, Urban Outfitters and Under Armour to name a few ,use this to stay ahead of the competition and deliver product to the selling floor when the consumer wants to buy it.  These companies program their buys so that they can get the benefit of inexpensive product to fill the floor, and as something becomes a “hot seller” they fill in immediately with local product.  Rather then dismiss this amazing asset that off shore manufacturers cannot supply, I think we should recognize this and help exploit this to bring business to Allentown.

3.) There are also other non branded companies in the cut and sew industry here in Allentown.  Summit Apparel, Fessler Industries that use these companies to sew garments seen on floors across the nation with “store labels” or “private labels” in them.  Not to mention the production of medical garments and slip covers that no one ever checks for the “made in label”.

4.) The “Unite” people should take exception with this.  Its shows exactly what kind of job they are doing.  After all Tama Manufacturing was one of their success stories.

5.) Agreed these shops represent a small percentage of the industry that did exist in the Valley, and that is sad.  But the key word to this is “exist”   Rather then finding a reason to dismiss these tax paying companies and search for the next Bethlehem Steel or Mack Truck, why not simply build and support what we have.  Rather then bring in to Allentown the new and neglect what is here..lets find ways to support our businesses and our neighbors.

We have some assets here.  Quick turns, skilled labor and knowledge.  Is this industry perfect, no.  It has a lot of problems.  But the things I list as assets are things that this city was original built on.  This industry can compete because these assets exist already.  You and I both work to save our historic architecture.  We should be looking at our historic businesses in the same manner.

Siting one example of success, we need to look at the retail store “American Apparel”.  The owner set out to run the operation vertically.  Designing and marketing clothing that was geared towards the “needle” that exists in an area.  Originally started in one of the Carolina’s it then moved to LA, it is now a publicly held company.  As of 2008 the company employs over 10,000 people and operates over 200 retail locations in 18 countries. All American made product.  I am sure they have had some decrease since 2008 due to current state of the economy.

If only Allentown could take something that exists to this success.  Does it have its problems, yes.  But someone took an existing asset and moved forward.  We have come to the time, where we need to say “how do we do this” rather then “it will not work because….”

Northampton County’s Council has been webcasting its meetings for almost two months:

Digital video cameras installed early this year capture every exchange and argument during the council’s twice-monthly meetings in Easton. County residents — and everyone else, for that matter — can watch the meetings live, or catch up afterward using the new online video archives.

Lehigh County Commissioners dropped the idea last July, citing the cost ($39 thousand). Northampton set up its system for $16 thousand—less than half the Lehigh bid. I bet it can be done cheaper still.

Back in July, Bernie O’Hare of LV Ramblings called the Commissioners’ stated cost worries a smokescreen:

The truth is that most Lehigh County legislators would rather see you spend your evenings watching American Idol.

Most of us would prefer American Idol, but that shouldn’t stop the Commissioners from making their “public” meetings a lot more public.

We should get the cameras rolling inside Allentown’s City Council Chambers too. I’ll be checking in with Council members over the next week about their views, and will report back. (Councilman Michael Donovan called for webcasting back in April, but I haven’t heard anything since.)

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We have several commissions, committees, or councils created by City Council….  I have recommended to Council that we require not only a written report, but also an annual presentation to Council that includes policy recommendations for 1, 3, and 10 years.

It’s a good idea, from City Councilman Michael Donovan.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. is seeking to sell its Bethlehem casino, only nine months after its opening, according to a person with direct knowledge of high-level discussions.

That was fast.

AEDC’s Matt Tuerk, on Allentown’s potential craft-manufacturing niche:

One of the challenges that economic developers in Allentown face when trying to recruit new businesses to the city is that many 20th-Century era manufacturers are looking for enormous buildings or tracts of land on which to do business. Allentown’s dense urban environment has no green fields of over 25 acres to build gigantic, big-box industrial buildings nor does it have a large amount of 300,000 square foot buildings to meet the requests of corporate site selectors. Allentown was fully built out in an industrial era that demanded smaller buildings, more compactly built and suitable for a smaller number of employees. Those buildings, few larger than 50,000 square feet are perfectly oriented to capitalize on a new industrial revolution in which there are many small manufacturers employing 20 to 100 people. 735 Mill Street, beneath the Albertus Myers Bridge, is a perfect example of the type of building that should be very attractive to the next wave of manufacturers. This building, constructed before the days of massive industrial parks, consists of fewer than 35,000 square feet on a 1.6 acre site. Inexpensive and full of character, this could be the home of one of the army of micro-manufacturers that will transform the American economy.

From Andrew Kleiner’s indispensable Remember blog:

I also feel, and I told city council this last evening, that this plan will bring new business to the city and will begin to alter our image. I am 26 years old, and as a lifelong resident of Allentown I can say easily that most people my age have moved to Bethlehem or Philly and Allentown has not yet given them a reason to stay. Let’s give people a reason to stay.

Amen.

Nice post from RenewLV’s Crossroads on the Allentown Parks Plan and its inclusion of “Complete Streets“—planners’ code for pedestrian and bike-friendly roadways.