First, my god-parents who were of Italian descent were asked to move from their ethnic neighborhood in Troy New York to make room for the new highway the New York State Transportation Department was going to put through their neighborhood. To make a long story short, after purchasing most all of the properties the State demolished most of the homes surrounding my god-parents. My god-parents refused to sell and stayed in their modest home. After a very long time the State gave up on the project and deemed it too costly and unnecessary. Meanwhile a neighborhood is no longer.

Second, when I was in high school we frequented the local pool hall, a local restaurant that was a hang-out for teenagers, watched movies in one of several movie houses in town and/or shopped in many owner-operated stores in downtown Troy New York. Well, our governmental and community leaders who also participated in the decisions about that unneeded highway decided we needed an urban mall. All of the local business and social establishments were demolished to make room for progress in our community. Today those places we frequented in our youth and were part of a vibrant community are nothing more than a memory for to me and my friends. Meanwhile, the community lost its economic center.

Thank you for your social and community activism as our communities need to be nurtured and cared just like children who live in them.