To a slightly lesser degree we have the same thing going on in the UK. With the same lack of policing, lack of interest and similar progressives who live lives sheltered from the realities of the things they call for and the concerns of the people who endure this that they dismiss.
from what i understand (listening to triggernometry, the duran report and emails from british friends) things are worse in the UK. our constitution, under attack thought it may be, at least allows for a measure of contrary speech which keeps us a bit sane. the election of Trump has already made a difference. i hope you brits can get rid of starmer in quick order
Goodness sakes, James. This is quite the adventure (I'm not sure what else to call it). When I was getting my MFA in Detroit, I was chased by a homeless guy who wanted money. He said he'd settle for my soda can, so I gave him that. Well, that was clearly not enough. He chased after me all the way from the theatre to my apartment. To say I was terrified would be an understatement. He was yelling "White bitch won't give me money!" What was I supposed to do? I would have gladly accepted the help of a Daniel Penney or a Guardian Angel. We now have this perfect storm of people desperately needing help while at the same time not offering help to anyone. No one gets help - sane, insane, black, white, gay, straight, poor, wealthy. We have devalued human life, and yes, I believe that means beginning with on-demand abortion (I'll wait for the attacks on this one), and for euthanizing the elderly (My mother who has dementia lives with us, and there are some days I'd like for her to go see Jesus asap!) and those with down syndrome. People no longer have respect for a fellow human. What happens when the country gets attacked. Do we just take it? Do we just throw up our hands and pile on the insults at those who show up to help? We don't even know how to be thankful, gracious, and appreciative of those who do help. THAT is the systemic problem.
a friend once said "going to NYC is like going to the State Fair. in the morning, everything looks bright and shiny, but by nightfall you realize that it's all broken, dirty and sticky with cotton candy and you want to go home."
i moved there in 1981/2 into an illegal (for living) garment center manufacturing building in which i started my costume shop. Stockyard Channing lived across the street, also illegally, and when she was late for her first fitting, we joked about how she had no excuse.
Ed Koch (D) was at the helm and life in the city was rough. on 38th st (i lived at 257 W 38th) you never went out at night. if you did, you took a cab and when you got back home, you asked the driver to wait until he saw you safely enter the building.
one night i had a hankering for orange juice and went around the corner to the deli on 8th avenue. there was a gang of black youths, maybe 10 or 12 of them and probably ranging in age 17 to 20, a high testosterone demographic, harassing the elderly woman who was simply trying to pay for something and get out alive. "come on, old lady" they were chanting. "give us some money." the guy behind the counter was terrified.
when i couldn't take it anymore, i approached the most reasonable looking member of the gang and asked him "how much do you need?" he said a quarter would do and i handed him one. the old woman paid and left the store.
then the gang bought whatever it was they were buying with my quarter and they left. finally, i got my orange juice and, keys in hand, started the short but dangerous walk back around the corner.
in those days of bad city democratic management, the trash was NEVER picked up. the unions were in continual negotiations which left piles of- no, mountain ranges of trash on either side of the street, making the side walks narrower and totally blocking the view of the street. i'm not exaggerating when i say that down both sides of 38th st were solid piles of aging trash 7 to 10 feet high where every now and then some industrious individual had dug a break so that you could actually get to the street if you had to.
i was maybe halfway down from the corner to my door when i heard a voice say "i want that white bitch" followed by another voice "no, that's the lady who gave us the quarter."
unseen by me, the gang had huddled on the street side of the mountain of trash, waiting for whatever opportunity happened by. i ran like hell, got my key in the door and pulled it tight behind me. we had those elevators which could lock off each floor. i unlocked the 11th floor, pushed the button, re-locked it and collapsed on the floor as the elevator took me to safety.
i often wonder, when i read about current conditions in NYC, how long it would have taken the striking garbage men to find my body if my life hadn't been saved by that quarter.
then we lived through David Dinkins which was no better.
when things finally got bad enough that Giuliani was elected, the city changed overnight. the infamous squeegy men disappeared, the streets were cleared of trash and suddenly, i felt fine walking to Carnegie Hall and back. oh, New Yorkers loved to hate him (authoritarian, hitler- where have we heard that before?) but i have have to credit him with making the city into a place that, for the first time in my memory, was worth the exhorbitant rent you paid. by then i had purchased a co-op at 52nd and 9th, which i considered to be the center of the universe and my costume shop, also a co-op, was on 26 between 6th and 7th. i would actually walk to and from the shop unless i was working until the wee hours, in which case, i would cab home.
i'm not sure a quarter in today's market would have been enough to keep me alive.
You are not alone brother Jamie (I'll write about my assault by a mentally ill black homeless dude in more detail, later); for now:
Seattle = Government by Granola or Dumpsters Without Borders
Seattle = a typical Scuzball Demcity ...
- Graffiti everywhere *
- Homeless tents everywhere
- Scuzzy mobile homes everywhere
- Dope zombies wobbling everywhere
- Murder is basically legal **
- No cops appear after 9-1-1 call-ins after assaults ***
- All inner city traffic slows to a crawl as the PC mayor chops right lanes into bike lanes ****
- Crappy streets like a cookie crushed in your fist
Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here!!
* Seattle graffiti is detailed, with three or even four color application; the vandals take a lot of time and care, meaning, the authorities pass by, they don't care.
** Three close friends/family members murdered over the past 4 years.
*** 2 months ago I was spit upon by a homeless dude in heavily trafficked Queen Anne mall; called 9-1-1: no cops arrived.
**** Nobody really rides bikes in Seattle (too many hills); they ride motorized bikes/scooters
I lived on the UWS in the mid-90’s for a couple years. It was great, but when I left I never looked back. NYC is probably the best city on earth, filth, warts and all. But it’s still just a city. One place on earth. The “I’m the center of the universe” arrogant tone and outsized influence NYC has on the rest of the nation is annoying to me. It’s just a city. One spot on the map. Still looking forward to the Phish shows at MSG I’ll be attending over New Years, but if God took a giant melon-baller to NYC, and DC for that matter, and dropped them floating in the middle of the Atlantic the rest of the country would be ok.
my boyfriend was the original technical director of phantom of the opera and my shop did costumes for it from the beginning and so we were invited to the closing performance (a covid death) on april 15, 2023. we drove up from charleston, SC where we've lived since 2018, since i refuse to fly post forced vaccination of pilots and the spate of near accidents caused by mid flight "sudden" heart issues among them.
john, in planning the trip, called a near by hotel, only to be told that the it was closed for people and open only for illegal migrants. thankfully the second hotel he called was functioning as a normal hotel should.
when i told this story on facebook as an illustration of what was wrong in NYC right now, i got some holier than thouists, criticizing me for focusing on my "first world problems." yes, it's true, some people live out on the streets and until we all are reduced to equal poverty, i guess i have no right to observe that a hotel wouldn't take our money, which we shouldn't have anyway. some "lived experiences" count more than others in the Marxist world view, i guess
To a slightly lesser degree we have the same thing going on in the UK. With the same lack of policing, lack of interest and similar progressives who live lives sheltered from the realities of the things they call for and the concerns of the people who endure this that they dismiss.
from what i understand (listening to triggernometry, the duran report and emails from british friends) things are worse in the UK. our constitution, under attack thought it may be, at least allows for a measure of contrary speech which keeps us a bit sane. the election of Trump has already made a difference. i hope you brits can get rid of starmer in quick order
Wow. Articulate as always and so profound.
Amen. Thank you for your work on this powerful essay.
Goodness sakes, James. This is quite the adventure (I'm not sure what else to call it). When I was getting my MFA in Detroit, I was chased by a homeless guy who wanted money. He said he'd settle for my soda can, so I gave him that. Well, that was clearly not enough. He chased after me all the way from the theatre to my apartment. To say I was terrified would be an understatement. He was yelling "White bitch won't give me money!" What was I supposed to do? I would have gladly accepted the help of a Daniel Penney or a Guardian Angel. We now have this perfect storm of people desperately needing help while at the same time not offering help to anyone. No one gets help - sane, insane, black, white, gay, straight, poor, wealthy. We have devalued human life, and yes, I believe that means beginning with on-demand abortion (I'll wait for the attacks on this one), and for euthanizing the elderly (My mother who has dementia lives with us, and there are some days I'd like for her to go see Jesus asap!) and those with down syndrome. People no longer have respect for a fellow human. What happens when the country gets attacked. Do we just take it? Do we just throw up our hands and pile on the insults at those who show up to help? We don't even know how to be thankful, gracious, and appreciative of those who do help. THAT is the systemic problem.
a friend once said "going to NYC is like going to the State Fair. in the morning, everything looks bright and shiny, but by nightfall you realize that it's all broken, dirty and sticky with cotton candy and you want to go home."
i moved there in 1981/2 into an illegal (for living) garment center manufacturing building in which i started my costume shop. Stockyard Channing lived across the street, also illegally, and when she was late for her first fitting, we joked about how she had no excuse.
Ed Koch (D) was at the helm and life in the city was rough. on 38th st (i lived at 257 W 38th) you never went out at night. if you did, you took a cab and when you got back home, you asked the driver to wait until he saw you safely enter the building.
one night i had a hankering for orange juice and went around the corner to the deli on 8th avenue. there was a gang of black youths, maybe 10 or 12 of them and probably ranging in age 17 to 20, a high testosterone demographic, harassing the elderly woman who was simply trying to pay for something and get out alive. "come on, old lady" they were chanting. "give us some money." the guy behind the counter was terrified.
when i couldn't take it anymore, i approached the most reasonable looking member of the gang and asked him "how much do you need?" he said a quarter would do and i handed him one. the old woman paid and left the store.
then the gang bought whatever it was they were buying with my quarter and they left. finally, i got my orange juice and, keys in hand, started the short but dangerous walk back around the corner.
in those days of bad city democratic management, the trash was NEVER picked up. the unions were in continual negotiations which left piles of- no, mountain ranges of trash on either side of the street, making the side walks narrower and totally blocking the view of the street. i'm not exaggerating when i say that down both sides of 38th st were solid piles of aging trash 7 to 10 feet high where every now and then some industrious individual had dug a break so that you could actually get to the street if you had to.
i was maybe halfway down from the corner to my door when i heard a voice say "i want that white bitch" followed by another voice "no, that's the lady who gave us the quarter."
unseen by me, the gang had huddled on the street side of the mountain of trash, waiting for whatever opportunity happened by. i ran like hell, got my key in the door and pulled it tight behind me. we had those elevators which could lock off each floor. i unlocked the 11th floor, pushed the button, re-locked it and collapsed on the floor as the elevator took me to safety.
i often wonder, when i read about current conditions in NYC, how long it would have taken the striking garbage men to find my body if my life hadn't been saved by that quarter.
then we lived through David Dinkins which was no better.
when things finally got bad enough that Giuliani was elected, the city changed overnight. the infamous squeegy men disappeared, the streets were cleared of trash and suddenly, i felt fine walking to Carnegie Hall and back. oh, New Yorkers loved to hate him (authoritarian, hitler- where have we heard that before?) but i have have to credit him with making the city into a place that, for the first time in my memory, was worth the exhorbitant rent you paid. by then i had purchased a co-op at 52nd and 9th, which i considered to be the center of the universe and my costume shop, also a co-op, was on 26 between 6th and 7th. i would actually walk to and from the shop unless i was working until the wee hours, in which case, i would cab home.
i'm not sure a quarter in today's market would have been enough to keep me alive.
You are not alone brother Jamie (I'll write about my assault by a mentally ill black homeless dude in more detail, later); for now:
Seattle = Government by Granola or Dumpsters Without Borders
Seattle = a typical Scuzball Demcity ...
- Graffiti everywhere *
- Homeless tents everywhere
- Scuzzy mobile homes everywhere
- Dope zombies wobbling everywhere
- Murder is basically legal **
- No cops appear after 9-1-1 call-ins after assaults ***
- All inner city traffic slows to a crawl as the PC mayor chops right lanes into bike lanes ****
- Crappy streets like a cookie crushed in your fist
Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here!!
* Seattle graffiti is detailed, with three or even four color application; the vandals take a lot of time and care, meaning, the authorities pass by, they don't care.
** Three close friends/family members murdered over the past 4 years.
*** 2 months ago I was spit upon by a homeless dude in heavily trafficked Queen Anne mall; called 9-1-1: no cops arrived.
**** Nobody really rides bikes in Seattle (too many hills); they ride motorized bikes/scooters
Oh man, yeah, I feel you. Thank you for sharing. Stay strong.
I lived on the UWS in the mid-90’s for a couple years. It was great, but when I left I never looked back. NYC is probably the best city on earth, filth, warts and all. But it’s still just a city. One place on earth. The “I’m the center of the universe” arrogant tone and outsized influence NYC has on the rest of the nation is annoying to me. It’s just a city. One spot on the map. Still looking forward to the Phish shows at MSG I’ll be attending over New Years, but if God took a giant melon-baller to NYC, and DC for that matter, and dropped them floating in the middle of the Atlantic the rest of the country would be ok.
❤️🩹 wouldn’t it be great to have the guardian angels back, and supported by the city?!?
my boyfriend was the original technical director of phantom of the opera and my shop did costumes for it from the beginning and so we were invited to the closing performance (a covid death) on april 15, 2023. we drove up from charleston, SC where we've lived since 2018, since i refuse to fly post forced vaccination of pilots and the spate of near accidents caused by mid flight "sudden" heart issues among them.
john, in planning the trip, called a near by hotel, only to be told that the it was closed for people and open only for illegal migrants. thankfully the second hotel he called was functioning as a normal hotel should.
when i told this story on facebook as an illustration of what was wrong in NYC right now, i got some holier than thouists, criticizing me for focusing on my "first world problems." yes, it's true, some people live out on the streets and until we all are reduced to equal poverty, i guess i have no right to observe that a hotel wouldn't take our money, which we shouldn't have anyway. some "lived experiences" count more than others in the Marxist world view, i guess