[BatGuano]

My Mother shopped in Newark in the 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s because there were good stores, easy to drive to and safe.
It became rougher and tougher so, by the time my Dad retired she was shopping in New York or not at all. Moved to Florida, end of story. Newark was, at one time, considered a “Queen City.” Great stores, Libraries, a Symphony, culture, etc. An influx of unskilled, untrained, irresponsible people, (I forgot unemployable) caused a rapid decline of life in Newark. Truly sad but repeated in more cities in NJ and our Nation than we realize. My family had lived in NJ for over 300 years.

[kearnyirish2]

Can you see my mail?

[kearnyirish2]

As I understand it, the problem in Newark was the confluence of several events: The birth of shopping malls (replacing “downtown” shopping) and the loss of manufacturing jobs (which had originally drawn so many low- and unskilled people) were probably the most significant. I worked with several older Newark residents years ago, and they were fine, hardworking people (blacks that had migrated from the South in the 1960s); the real problem was their children - they “missed the train” in terms of jobs, and just degenerated into drug-addled messes.