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I’ve been reading in some recent blogs and the comments that
have been made about West Allis
being a ghetto, crime-ridden and populated with low lives, especially the East
End of the city. If the East
End of the city is so awful why have some fine pubs and
restaurants and a new martini piano bar coming to our downtown area? We have
the very popular Bunker’s just east of the Post Office, Steak House 100 a
couple blocks east of Bunker’s and in between them we have Tomasino Italia on
the site of the old Big Boy. Now, there’s word out that Greenfield
Avenue will have a martini/piano bar on 72nd
and Greenfield. East of these is
Crawdaddy’s on 65th and Greenfield and Hong Thai right across the
street which has some great Thai food.
I’ve been to several of these places both for lunch and in the evening for
dinner and I’ve always felt safe.
The city is revamping much of the East End
of the city with new lighting, new apartments and, hopefully, some new businesses
which will bring an influx of new residents to the city. In the Towne
Center there’ll be a new Burlington
Coat Factory coming. The Dollar Store is moving to the old Jo-Ann Fabric store
and the city wants to cut a road through to Summit
Place so that the workers there have a walking
access to the stores in the Towne Center.
Perhaps there’ll be a new restaurant or coffee shop that will take up residence
in the area too. Does this sound like crime? Low lives? Riff Raff?
I’ve no doubt that there will be different ethnicities
coming here to live and work. In my neighborhood alone, we have Cubans,
African-Americans, Native Americans, Caucasians, Asians and Muslims living and
working together. All of these people patronize the local businesses; eat at
the restaurants including the fast food places. In hard times like we are
having now, everyone is struggling no matter what the income level might be.
Our differences must be respected. This does not mean that a lower income
person is riff raff or a low life. So, do not make that assumption, just
because a crime happens on the East End.
Has it occurred to the commenters that the possibility is
there that these crimes were committed by people that live OUTSIDE of West
Allis? OUTSIDE of the East End?
I like to believe that in my 60 odd years of life I have gained some wisdom.
One thing that I’ve learned is that most people and cities react a lot better
to praise than to constant cutting or “dissing” on them. The old adage that you
can get more flies with honey than with vinegar sure does ring true. It’s
called accentuating the positive to quote some words to an old song.
So, to culminate this blog, if these great places to shop,
to eat and be entertained are not afraid of bringing their businesses to
‘Stallis, let’s stop all the negative talk and look for the positive in our
city. It’s there, really it is.
