West Point Feels Jersey City = Iraq?
Photo Credit: sister72. Original and unmodified photo here.
Army Maj. Rebecca Patterson will be sending her cadets to Jersey City to get a taste of Iraq. If you are unaware, Iraq is not really the place you want to be compared to. So it’s not really a compliment to see Iraq in the same sentence as Jersey City.
…It’s no war zone, but it is a challenging urban setting, one with high crime, high poverty and a diverse population that includes large Muslim, Hindu and Jewish communities…
Just because a city is diverse doesn’t mean it is similar to Iraq. JC is a historical place adopting to the changing times.
“…They need to understand everything that’s happened before they get on the ground,” Patterson said.
The cadets leave today for a long weekend in Jersey City. They’ll shadow politicians, cops and religious leaders to better understand the coalitions that keep the city on course…
Read full news here. Do you think the article is an insult to JC?
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Maybe not insulting per se, but it does seem a little shady. Since I moved here, I have only encountered friendliness in people
Jersey City is a wonderful location for the cadets/trainees to experience an environment where diversity is celebrated and works well. If the purpose is to experience what is viewed as the negative and more challenging aspects of Iraq then that is clearly a bias and inaccurate view held by non Jersey City residents who have really not spent any time in this city and probably a bias and inaccurate view of life today in most places in Iraq.
Jersey City is a remarkable melting point of all the people and heritages that make our country the country it is and its not perfect but its clearly an example of where it works and long-held biases are not accurate viewpoints of what is “real” in the daily life here in Jersey City.
I don’t know much about the police and politicians of our city however I’d imagine they might not be the best examples of what makes Jersey City special. its the people who live, shop, learn, work, and just plain navigate their way through the complex and wonderful tapestry of people, culture, religion, and life that makes Jersey City so special.
This made me laugh. The street where I live does indeed feel like a war zone sometimes. Our neighbors’ little dog got mauled by the pit bull across the street not long ago (the pit bull is never on a leash). Then there is this couple that shouts the worst insults at each other every day, all within earshot of their three year old boy. Most of the apartments in our building are vacant, because the landlord is trying to gentrify the place and he has a hard time finding suitable tenants. Finally, a nice couple moved into one of the apartments a few weeks ago. One night, the man opened the window to complain about the noise from a van parked in the street that looked like people were living in it. They told him to come down so they could kill him. Then they egged his windows. The couple moved out after only two weeks! Oh, and once, a taxi driver refused to drop me off in front of our building. He did not want to turn around at the end of our cul de sac, because colleagues of his had been robbed at gunpoint there.
I grew up in Berlin, Germany, I lived in Paris, London and Toronto (and not in the poshest neighborhoods), but nowhere have I felt as unsafe as around here.
as a life-long resident of jc, i have seen the best and worst of it. growing up, my family’s house was broken into twice, once was i was home alone. in the eighties, i used to hang out with my friends on laurel court and manila avenue, and we never went farther than third street because downtown at that time was, well, dangerous.
today, downtown is thriving and the rest of the city is suffering. because of the high rents and all of the newer residents that moved in, downtown is now one of the safest areas while areas like greenville (where i live) has the highest crime rates in the city.
in my opinion, the politicians need to recognize that jc is not only downtown, but the heights, greenville, journal square, and all of the smaller neighborhoods also. this way we can make all of jc a better place.
note: i grew up in greenville, moved downtown for a couple of years, and now i am back in greenville, so i am familiar with the different aspects of these neighborhoods, both socially and economically.
[...] Credit: dotpolka Not a pretty sight for Cadets coming to Jersey City tomorrow. Let’s just hope it has been cleaned up because this was taken last week, March 29 [...]
Hello jsq, I assume you live in JSQ area
I like JSQ and Im satisfied with the neighborhood despite the closure of many local businesses (Bergen Avenue). The people here are warm as far as I know.
Well said, Steve. Your comment made me feel like I am reading a “tourist” brochure. Well written.
I agree with you, Vince. Seems to me that the development of downtown is the primary focus of city officials. Mayor Healy said that crime rate is down, but somehow, people don’t feel safe walking around even in broad daylight! Couple of years ago, a lady friend of mine was held up at 2 in the afternoon.
dotpolka, first of all, thanks for sharing your photo.
I appreciate it. And regarding JC, there are also lots of good spots in this city, like Vince and Steve mentioned. I believe that all cities have their own village idiots who try to ruin everything good. Considering your experiences there, do you have any plans of moving to other areas?
JCR, my husband and I will only be living here temporarily (about two years), so I think we’ll just stick it out. Also, with him on a postdoc salary and me not being allowed to work any more because of visa restrictions, we cannot afford to move to one of the nicer, safer areas of Jersey City.