how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I'm a member of a few town groups - I'm in my current town group, a former town I used to live in (never left the group after moving), and 2 other towns on the other shore (I was in there because I had a connection to the towns).

I don't contribute to the groups that are not my current town, but I read a lot of the posts as they pop up on my newsfeed. It's come to my attention that a lot of people are battling creepy people, crime and/or drugs in their towns. One of them is an absolutely beautiful town. It's been so sad to watch people posting about certain issues that have been popping up over there.

I was thinking today if these issues were always there and maybe town facebook groups become a vehicle to gather and discuss things, which just brings them to light more - and that maybe nothing had changed. But I keep reading how nice areas are having an increase of issues that weren't there before - mostly due to the increase of heroin and it's widespread availability and cheap prices.

What do you think? you don't have to post where you live, but have you noticed a downturn in your community? or maybe not a downturn, but a bad element creeping in and you find yourself and others concerned?

For myself - i live in a very nice area and we've had some issues and people are in an uproar. In my case, I have noticed a change, but I'm glad people are speaking up.

It's so sad what heroin is doing to families and communities...and how it leads to crime and vandalism.

If you've been dealing with similiar, what action has your community taken? neighborhood watch groups? meetings with local precints?

Message edited 10/16/2015 9:46:11 PM.

how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I am also in a local Moms group and sometimes it does feel the neighborhood is changing over because of all the bad things that are posted but I do think that many of these things that are happening have always happened and most people were blissfully unaware pre Facebook groups. There was an issue with a house in my town last year and people came together to call meetings with town supervisors and police which was great to see. I believe the "good" outweighs the "bad" in my town and all we can hope is that it stays that way!

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I think that social media outlets are starting to show how superficial people have been about areas on Long Island for a long time; these tools are exposing the reality of crime: it can happen anywhere.

I'm not saying that hamlets long considered good are coming out as plagued with crime. What I mean is that people are starting to see that the dichotomy between a superficially-labeled "bad" town and a superficially-labeled "good" town is actually quite negligible.

I don't like to post where I live on here; however, my area doesn't have the absolute best reputation (nor does it have the worst), yet I see a comparable amount of crimes occurring in towns highly praised by Long Islanders. Social media, I hope, will eventually help people to confront the prejudice woven into the labels of Long Island communities.

The presence of social media, in relation to the "goodness" of a hamlet, has made it, in my opinion, more difficult for people to equivocate about the "goodness" of their hamlets.

Message edited 10/17/2015 12:30:25 PM.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Interesting topic.

I live in a town in suffolk that is considered undesirable by many especially on LIF. I also in a particular neighborhood that I've heard described as "trashy" or "filled with drug users" on these boards.
We have a community civic association that meets regularly. We often have officers from our local precinct and local politicians as guests. The officers share crimes being investigated or convicted criminals in our neighborhood.
Interestingly, the biggest crime (aside from a couple of drug users like every neighborhood on LI has ) is a house that is running some sort of sports bar out of their house. They actually have a Facebook page, it's hilarious but not to their direct neighbors because they are loud.
We have a problem with drivers blowing stop signs on our most heavily traveled street.
Also, our other big issue is a rooster that lives in the woods but comes into the neighborhood to crow. LOL this is driving people on that street nuts.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Message edited 10/19/2015 9:06:53 AM.

how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I live in a middle class neighborhood in Nassau. Our biggest issue is empty storefronts. Rent/taxes are too high for a small business owner to make it, and the owners of the property rather take a large write off than rent at a lower price. It also doesnt help that everyone in town, including myself, order things online, or shop at Target.

how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Lot of good points here

I really liked the one where these groups maybe shed light on theh fact that there's not much difference from one labeled neighborhood to another.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I think my town is doing well for the moment. There are some kids that are known to get in trouble, but that's what makes it easier for parents. Cops arrested one kid a couple of years ago so everyone knows who he and friends are. The parents here work very hard to keep the kids busy. They also spend a lot on activities , sports, and taking kids away on breaks. There is not a lot of time for the kids here to just hang out. I don't see big groups of kids on the street, in parking lots, walking around, etc. We looked in towns (like Massapequa - which we liked) BUT there were a LOT of kids just hanging in the streets.

Any neighborhood can drastically change at any time. It all comes down to the kids. I'm not confident neighborhood watches and meetings help all that much if kids are already out of their parents control (can't think of a better word)

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I agree that social media casts a spotlight on certain issues that have always existed. It's a good and bad thing. Good if it makes people more aware and vigilant, but bad if it leads to mass hysteria and crazy overreactions.

I live in Bellmore (North Bellmore to be exact)... it's on my bio, so no sense hiding it. I am generally happy with my town -- I like the schools, the proximity to parks/beaches, the family friendly events that go on there, the access to good library and sports programs and other kids' activities. It is on a good train line and convenient to highways. I feel safe here. I think there's a close community vibe.

HOWEVER, the Bellmore Facebook pages (there are various parents, community, and school pages) will often post "incidents" -- e.g., there was a "stranger danger" incident, or a drug incident, a house break in, or someone will post the Megan's law website map of offenders, etc. And people will go into hysterics, wondering what is happening to Bellmore, why it is going downhill, etc. And I'm sure the same thing happens on many town pages.

I think knowledge is power, but we have to keep perspective. No place -- regardless of reputation -- is perfect. There will always be property crimes and registered sex offenders and drugs ... I think what separates a more desirable town from a less desirable town is the extent of it. I try to look at things as a whole and not focus on the odd incident here or there.

As far as concerns, I'd like to see the Bellmore "village" area get a few more restaurants, a wine bar, etc. And there's a few stretches of main roads in North Bellmore that really could be spruced up/revitalized, but that is sort of happening. The North Bellmore library is definitely not one of the nicest in the area, but we just passed a bond last spring for a huge renovation, and I think it will be fabulous afterward.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I live In Stony Brook, as I've mentioned before. We've been here 10 years now and honestly, I don't really have any complaints as of right now. The neighborhoods are really nice and very family friendly, aside from a random house here and there most everyone takes care of their homes and property so the neighborhood looks nice and welcoming, we've been happy with the schools so far (my DD is in 2nd), and there are some really nice community events that take place throughout the year. We're happy here, we feel safe living here, and our kids will get a solid education which was something that was very important to us when we were house shopping.

My only "complaint" is the the traffic in the area on 347 but honestly, I don't see that really ever improving. LI is just too packed and with so many stores around it will be hard to improve this and make it better. Other than that, we have no regrets about moving where we did. I actually love living in Suffolk and even though I grew up in Nassau, I much prefer it out here.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I'm a member of my town's facebook page as well. What I have learned is that either people are naive or just with their heads in the sand when it comes to crime in the town. I live in a very nice town but, like every other town on the planet, there is drug use. Drug use leads to crime. It's a fact. So,yes, bikes get stolen, change is stolen from cars. etc. There is petty theft but no major crime in my town; however, you would think the town is the violent pit of hell if you read the FB page. It makes you so paranoid about your safety and its totally ridiculous.

The other thing I notice, which drives me insane, are people who post pics of a random van or truck or man on a bike that says "Does anyone recognize this? This person was on my block and I saw him park for a few minutes in front of my neighbor's house. When he saw me taking his picture, he took off. Be aware that this creep is out there!" How do you know that's a "creep"? How do you know you didn't creep him out taking pics of him in his vehicle? Maybe you are actually the creep. Maybe it's just a lost person. Maybe they parked to make a phone call or write a text or eat something. You don't know! If the person actually saw the person do something illegal or creepy (like taking pics of a school yard) then fine but otherwise, there is no need for that.

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

Re: how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

how's your town doing and what concerns do you have?

I live in Queens, our local page has lots of posts about the neighborhood is changing , going down hill etc. most of it is nonsense, the good that came out of was the formation of a local civic association that is actually addressing neighborhood issues like zoning and improving our village area.

Message edited 10/26/2015 7:55:28 PM.