Men of Barton Heights?
Anyone else seen these slightly bizarre flyers up around Barton Heights / Battery Park? What’s the deal?
One more below the fold.
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That’s vague.
I’d love it if someone went to the meeting and reported back so we could post it on the site.
Any takers?
This the BPCA Assocation meeting night. BPCA has nothing to do this group.
There is another flyer floating around also….In my opinion the flyer that is not shown is a bit racially charged against white folk. It mentions nothing of a meeting, and the meeting on this flyer is the Battery Park Civic Assoc. meeting. The Men of Barton Heights is not on the agenda, as far as I know.
is the the same thing as the “men of barton heights youth organization” ???? @ http://www.mobhyo.org???
One in the same. I certainly hope they are not teaching this to the youth.
I’d love to hear them out. I’d bring a bucket of popcorn with extra butter and a diet coke. I couldn’t care less about what they have to say. I’m more concerned about FIOS having no plans to enter Barton Heights. I’m more concerned with the Sheetz hat guy I threatened if he didn’t get off my porch after he knocked on my door at 10pm begging for money. I’m more concerned with the jerk that saw me working my tail off on my yard and had the nerve to walk up to me when I was tired, sweaty and in a terrible mood and ask me for $2.30. (Yes, $2.30.) I’m more concerned with the fact that I got so fed up with people cutting through my yard from the alley (including a guy running from the cops @ 4am) that I had to put up a fence. I’m more concerned with the fact that the guy who ran from the cops through my yard had the cojones to knock on my door a few days later and ask me if I found a wallet in my yard. Yeah, those whiners can go to hell.
Eddie sorry to hear that. I hope you have seen a change in the last couple of weeks with higher police presence in the area.
I really have no interest in what Men of Barton Heights have to say. This was put out to in a weak attempt to divide the neighborhood.
Eh, it’s been okay. Same nuances, but some of it is my own beef. I love the neighborhood, though. Don’t love the kids standing in their draws in the front yard next door, but love the neighborhood, none the less.
next time they hit you up for money ask them if they can give you some money, it leaves them speechless
I don’t live in the neighborhood so I can’t sympathise with the daily aggrevations, but I work in the neighborhood and the more people I get to know, the more I recongnized how perveted my own prejudices are.
@ Eddie – “Those whiners can go to hell?” – thats outrageous and completely uncalled for, especially not having talked to them yourselves. I guarantee they have some legitimate points to make, even if you disagree.
Adelphia, even if they have valid point of view, people are not going to listen to it cause the flyer is so inflammatory.
This type of flyer only separtes people into groups. Obama has given speeches that we as a nation need to come together.
I completely understand that the flyer is inflammatory. Let’s be real, the term “elements” is referring to white people, and that’s disturbing.
But, fighting back with the same type of inflammatory comments and obscene gestures only serves to further deepen the divide. If there’s any hope for change, it must start with having the patience to listen and dialogue with people of a different point of view, even if they’re radicals.
You know what’s sad? The issues that inspire him to invoke this hysterical imagery are at toddler level triviality (e.g., not being able drive cars down into battery park). Like my son quoting Huey P. Newton because I won’t let him take his remote control truck into the bathtub.
I hope Mr. Day is at the meeting tonight and will provide some evidence to support these very serious allegations. Otherwise, he is doing a serious disservice to the struggles associated with he past that he evokes. And I will check him hard.
“delima” “our beloved battery park” ???
LOL
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/beylotte/Image010.jpg
This will not be discussed at the BPCA.
@Adelphia – I believe the flyer said and explained more than enough. I grew up in Brooklyn and Philadelphia in very integrated neighborhoods. I’m Hispanic. In Brooklyn, I went to school with Hasidic Jews, Indians, Hispanics, Blacks, Whites, Asians, etc. I was a part of the “desegregation” program in Philadelphia that shipped minority students to traditionally “white” schools. I was a member of the multicultural association in HS and college where we celebrated diversity. Yeah, I have little tolerance for such divisiveness and, yeah, if the inferred is true, they can rot. They don’t pay my utilities, my taxes, my mortgage, etc. They don’t buy diapers, formula, clothes, etc. for my 4 month old. I don’t owe them a thing nor do I owe them an ear to hear them out. For being sheep in wolves clothing – they get the gas face.
Or is it “Wolves in sheep’s clothing”? I dunno… whatever, I just don’t like them very much right now.
Can I just say real quick that 1. People should be proud that your neighborhood’s beautiful enough and people see enough potential in it that they’re buying up houses and moving in & 2. I really liked these guys when I heard them out at a BCPA meeting last year asking for money to help with uniforms for the football team. I gave what I could give at the time. & 3. I know I was rough, but I’m a live and let live kind of guy. I just don’t like that kind of rhetoric. Times change. I go back to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and am amazed how much it changed since I lived there. My neighborhood in Philly was once the running joke of Northeast Philadelphia, but now it’s a hot commodity. Times change, places change, the faces of people change…. it’s how it’s handled that matters. I remember the white flight of the 90′s in Northeast Philadelphia. I’d hate to see people flock out of a neighborhood, have housing prices plummet and as a result open the door for trouble makers move in like it did in the 90′s for Northeast Philadelphia. Let’s just be neighborly. :o) (Sorry… still frustrated over these notices.)
As long as they feel good about who they are.
Eddie, thanks for your follow up . . . appreciate having a better understanding of the context your speaking from. I would still disagree with your rhetoric, but I think you make some valid points. thanks.
It is amazing the racist response we have been getting to a flyer that was created to stimulate African Americans in the the Battery Park area. If the BPCA is unbiased then they should welcome all kinds. Are the Jewish leaders racist for organizing their communities. What about the Asia and Latino communities. If you do the research about the Barton Heights community and understand the demographics , then why is the BPCA officers are all white. The flyer is a call for the community to get involve with the quote (civic association). The flyer was in response to members of the civic association calling the police on the Men of Barton Heights on 5/16/09. The Men of Barton Heights had a fish fry and basketball tournament. Ginny’s roomate call the police on the kids down the park. The event was permitted by the center supervisor and the district manager of Recreation and Parks. In fact the district mananger’s grand daughter was at the event. Todd who is the president of the Civic Association was asked about the police being called and his comment was no one “NOTIFIED HIM” of the event. Why does he has to be notified of what goes on at a public park. The flyer commented on the element and the element is this controlling nature of the Civic Association officers. The police said that an association member called and said we are illegally down the park. Why didn’t they come and talk to us first. Now who is the racist.
I am not a homeowner in Battery Park, but I do a lot of volunteering with the rec center and as a result spend a significant amount of time there. “People should be proud that their neighborhood is beautiful enough for someone to want to move there?” Neighbors having love and caring for their homes/community is what has made it beautiful. They didn’t do it for others to develop interest. Neighbors didn’t stay dilligent behind the city of Richmond to make the repairs after the flood to attract others.
Negative perceptions of the intent behind this flyer Mr. Day distributed as a call to action for the neighbors who weren’t showing care and concern for the activities taking place in their community are multiplying like a cancerous growth. Asking for an increased level of responsibility and awareness among his bretheren is being reported on as racial hate. And then making the careless comments about the youth organization that has done such positive things as getting some of the neighborhood children into college on scholarships, and providing positive outlets and caring for kids who otherwise would not receive it is an utter disgrace. When you spread partial information that has been tainted with your own biased personal views of the situation instead of sitting down with the other opinions and understanding the sources (why would someone say those folks just wanna drive their cars onto the grass at the park? that is a generalized statement at a whole group for something a few foolish youth did)That’s like taking a dig at the folks who fought to get the signs prohibiting dogs in certain parts of the park taken down. They said their rights weren’t being honored. What happens if a pet bites a frightened child at the park? I feel for the pet owners who want a place to enjoy their dogs, but I also understand the parents who know that animals no matter how well trained can sometimes be unpredictable. Anyhoo, the flight Eddie discussed already happened in Battery many moons ago. And now that the neighborhood is integrating again, we need to come up with better ways to find common ground instead of posting blasts of how we are publically against the bias, but are still sub-consciously doing/saying things that would indicate otherwise…
Oh and by the way Eddie. You wanted to bring popcorn to hear what Mr. Day had to say. You sound just like a very intelligent and mature former receiver for the dallas cowboys.(he wore number 81 last year) We all know how he is perceived among his peers and the media. Why not have an open mind and try to understand Mr. Day’s concerns. But wait that might require you to not be racist.
Hahaha! Me? Racist? Far from it. Yeah, a Hispanic racist. A guy who’s been called a Hispanic slur one too many times and was pulled over several times in Philadelphia for “fitting the profile”. A guy who participated in multicultural programs and a strong believer for equality amongst all people – Black, White, Gay, Straight, Hispanic, Asian, etc. Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Born-Again Christian, Atheist, etc.
Interesting choice of word. Ridiculous, but… “interesting”.
Bottom line, I love the neighborhood. I love the people. (Why else would I have moved here?) I’m a blue collar guy and I wanted a neighborhood that closely represented everything I stand for. Hard working. Family first. That’s what it represents to me.
Point blank, I didn’t like the rhetoric used, but that’s your business to use it. I’ll keep raising my daughter to respect all God’s creations, while… well, others can continue to their quest to polarize a community for no good reason.