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Editorial
Fear of unknown core of Czestochowa rift
In an early 1990s episode of the long-running animated television show The Simpsons, the saxophone-playing daughter Lisa sets out to find the source of another saxophone that can be heard being played in the night's air. She finds a jazz man, Bleeding Gums Murphy, and the two begin an impromptu jam. When mother Marge arrives, she orders Lisa to "get away from that jazz man" and into the car. Marge then pauses, looks at Murphy and says "Nothing personal. I just fear the unknown." What's happening in the neighborhood of Our Lady of Czestochowa is a reaction much like that of Marge's.
Located on Clinton Street, the school building at Our Lady of Czestochowa has remained mostly vacant since it was closed in June 2003. Now, a developer hopes to renovate the structure into a 24-unit apartment building for developmentally challenged persons. The building would be operated by Southeast Works, a Depew-based not-forprofit agency with more than 30 years experience providing these specialized services.
Dozens of residents who live near the church and school appear opposed to the plan. A few comments made by residents at a February 25 town board meeting indicate that they don't understand the developmentally disabled: "I don't want a 21-year-old man in my back yard who'd been drinking down the street." "My tenant is scared and I've seen them get violent." "It would only take a handful of negative articles reporting bad things that happened to drive down property values."
A look at current surroundings appears to be in order. There aren't too many 21-year-olds- mentally challenged or not- who don't, at some point, have too much to drink. Every week, the Cheektowaga Times police blotter includes at least one incident in which a person get violent. Cheektowaga police statistics obtained by the Times support this. In fact, police records from the two affected streets indicate there were more than two dozen reports of disturbances in 2007. The persons involved are presumably "normal," or not developmentally challenged. As for falling property values, how much is a vacant school building and convent helping property values?
Other residents at the meeting had additional concerns. Some believe that the project is moving too quickly, while others raised concerns about property values and the neighborhood's infrastructure. Many felt that the method of notification was insufficient. Most of these concerns will likely be alleviated Tuesday when the developer meets with residents. Still, there is the aforementioned fear of the unknown.
Singling out the developmentally challenged as a potential problem appears to be unsubstantiated. The misguided perception of the developmentally challenged may stem in part from their institutionalization in New York State until the 1980s. Since then, many advances in their care have been made. Now, it's time to advance perceptions into understanding.
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