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Glenn Healey's Newark comment


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Hey I mean I'm nervous too.. If there's one thing NYC loves it's a winner.. If the Islanders get good for a while you can bet the big city sponsors will want to attach their names to that.. And if we don't have an owner committed to keeping the team here around when our current lease expires, it could be bad.. JVB gets a lot of flack but how many other million/billionaires in NJ are passionate Devils fans? No matter how you look at it, the Devils are probably never going to be a lock to stay (like the Rangers, Yankees and Giants are)

I still don't get why those same NYC sponsors have more trouble doing the same for a team with New Jersey before it's name.. We are part of their market, we go into their city bringing our money to it, and we willingly support their NY teams but they can't support back

I dont get it either. It all starts with New Jerseyans who dont even identify with their own state and are wannabe NY'ers. Like you said a while back, to which i completely agree, people like what they perceive to be popular. That sums up New Jerseyans, unfortunately. Thats why its great to see the Devils continue to build the Jersey brand.

Edited by devlman
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Newark is surely a dump-a-rino. I just don't know why people feel the need to constantly bash it. Bring up one instance where the Newark locals interfered with a hockey crowd and something bad happened. You can't because it didn't happen So technically it's as safe as anywhere.

Quick side story... a few years ago, I was standing by the entrance of the box office... There was a family from Finland hanging out and they came up to ask me some questions. They were vacationing and seeing games in NY, Newark, and Philly. It was about an hour and a half before gametime.... The woman points up the Edison/Broad intersection and says "That looks like the main street... can we got shopping and get something to eat up there?"

I said, stupidly, "Well that's the only place in the area that has any kinds of shops.. but it's not very nice" I should have elaborated because she said "Okay, we go! Thanks!" They walked down the street. I felt like I led someone to their death. The entire game I was scanning the crowd trying to find them to make sure they made it back and I never did haha.

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Newark is surely a dump-a-rino. I just don't know why people feel the need to constantly bash it. Bring up one instance where the Newark locals interfered with a hockey crowd and something bad happened. You can't because it didn't happen So technically it's as safe as anywhere.

Quick side story... a few years ago, I was standing by the entrance of the box office... There was a family from Finland hanging out and they came up to ask me some questions. They were vacationing and seeing games in NY, Newark, and Philly. It was about an hour and a half before gametime.... The woman points up the Edison/Broad intersection and says "That looks like the main street... can we got shopping and get something to eat up there?"

I said, stupidly, "Well that's the only place in the area that has any kinds of shops.. but it's not very nice" I should have elaborated because she said "Okay, we go! Thanks!" They walked down the street. I felt like I led someone to their death. The entire game I was scanning the crowd trying to find them to make sure they made it back and I never did haha.

You bash people bashing Newark, then you say that? C'mon. We're Devils fans, mostly from NJ, yet we consign ourselves over to believing that our team inhabits a desolate urban wasteland of the same ilk that Detroit is. Well, news flash everybody: Newark is FAR FAR FAR FAR safer than Detroit, far safer than say Camden and certain at least as safe as Baltimore.

So, what is everybody's problem with talking like sending people anywhere west of Broad is like personally slitting their throats? You're not. I'm white, 120lbs and maybe as tall as little gio. I have NEVER ONCE felt unsafe walking around anywhere between University Heights and the Ironbound. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Newark is safe. I wouldn't go past NJIT there past 1st Ave and I wouldn't suggest that or heading anywhere from Lincoln Park down Clinton Ave, but no one going to a game is going through there anyways, besides a few of us that might take Exit 56. So please, if we're all so unsafe in downtown Newark, all of you whiners, please give me your horror stories. And they better not include being hassled by homeless people, because that's just sad, not scary.

And btw, don't tell me I talk like this because nothing bad ever happened to me in Newark. I have been robbed at gunpoint and had my car broken into in Newark before, but sh!t happens in a city with lots of struggling people.

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Giuliani isn't the sole reason for the NYC crime drop around 20 years ago. Crime rates were already on the downturn, significantly so, even before Giuliani came around. Giuliani didn't make the crime disappear, he just pushed it further underground and further out of the way of the eye's of those that matter.

As for the comment being in jest, I understand, but c'mon, Newark isn't that bad and you never hear anyone say, "hey, don't see the Caps play, you might get shot in DC" where you don't even need to walk to another street to get from nice area to hellhole, all you need to do is keep walking down Pennsylvania Ave.

You obviously do not remember how NYC was before Giuliani.

Also while crime rates were on the decline before Giuliani, it outpaced that of the national average and continued so after the national average flatlined. To say it just "happened" is nonsense.

Anyways just relax there and Healy's comments is not something getting worked up over. I do not care how much money the Devils PR department puts in trying to change the image of Newark, the perception is still that Newark is a rough city (and rougher as a whole than most cities in the US). It will take more progress and a couple of generations or a radical reduction in overall crime at least to get that perception wiped.

Edited by DevsMan84
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Let's take a nice leisurely walk down S 10th St and then tell me if you're scared.

You're right about the Detroit comparison... that place is a whole different animal. There, there's neighborhoods of fallen houses and desolate land... and no one cares to do anything about it. At least in Newark, when a house burns down or goes to sh!t, the government comes in with some aid to builders to put a new house up. The problem is, those $400,000 new two family homes drop to under $200,000 pretty fast and no one with any money moves in the area... and it's a cycle that keeps repeating itself.

Developers keep building new condos and houses and expecting people with a little money to show up, buy it, and maintain it. Problem is, where are those people going to shop for food and other items.. where they go to eat? There's no attraction. Ironbound is GREAT... but that's isolated. I would live in Ironbound in a second. Another problem is that there's no effort to revitalize East Orange or Irvington. If there were, Newark might meet in the middle.

I would say Detroit, East St Louis, Camden, Stockton CA (by Oakland), Flint Michigan, Gary Indiana... they are the worst places...

One thing Newark needs to do is be friendlier to businesses. I know Samsung is coming in and building a high-rise... but that's a multi-national corporation. Newark is one of the most expensive cities in the country to run and operate a business. Booker and co should look at making it a little easier to run businesses and try to attract more companies. They should be looking at trying to do what downtown Jersey City has done. Once office buildings are there, people might be inclined to live closeby, then restaurants and stores can open up.. .and on and on and on.

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ANYWAY, from a hockey standpoint no one should care about any of this. You can take a PATH ride from the city, NJ Transit ride from most parts of NJ, or drive and park in a parking lot and then walk two or three VERY SAFE blocks to the arena. No one after the game is going to ride up Clinton Ave and hang out anyway... so it's irrelevant.

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