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[quote=Anonymous]That area has had a lot of drug traffic and drug violence since way before the big developments went in. I'm not some huge fan of big box stores, but I was among the people who though that investment was a good thing becasue it meant money coming into the neighborhood and it felt like an opportunity to address the major crime issues. There was this moment after they did the streetscape with the splash park and when the store fronts were really full when the whole thing felt like a success in terms of turning the neighborhood around.

But people like Nadeau didn't understand the history there. Crime actually spiked in the neighborhood AFTER the developments came in, because the development moved a bunch of people into the neighborhood, many with money and a lack of awareness about what the neighborhood was like, and there was a spike in muggings and break ins. The development also led to some additional turf wars concerning the drug trade and rival gangs. It was a highly combustible situation that needed focused attention to mitigate in order to move things in the right direction.

Instead a bunch of well-meaning but ignorant politicians and activists made it the "vibrant urban corridor" it is today. Thanks![/quote]

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