Submitted by kim welch, Feb 3, 2008 16:25

I grew up in the community of Bayswater during a time when families were strong, hence community was strong. My family would always leave the door open, and as children, the neighborhood kids were welcomed to come into our home for a good cup of family fun, laughter and love. There was peace within our community. Today, I still live in Bayswater, I haven't left, but I am being forced to leave because of these new housing developments that are stifling and robbing our community of our heritage. There is a new flux of breed that are invading our community, and just like pathogens, there are destroying our community, and it is all owed to the new housing development. I live at the corner of Mott and Dickens, and on February 2, 2008, the neighbors had an event in which incited a vicious riot. It got so out of control that the fight ended up on my private property and during the riot my car was vandalized, over $1500 worth of damage. I have never seen anything like it in all of the 40 years that I have been living in Bayswater. The entire mob of about 300 party goers swept the whole of Dickens street and about 50-100 of them was on my car, in my garage fighting, just stomping this young man while the mob was shouting, "Let's kill him." Among this horrifying scene was when the police finally arrived, they did not even go to the house where the party was held to do any tyoe of questioning. The police did not even show an interest in the affairs of the commuinty. As a child, we were all part of the Sorrentino, Police Athletic League, and the Police had control over the community, such respect. Today, it appears that even the Police lack support of our community. Homemowners are packing up and leaving while at the same time, they are selling out to insensitive money hungry owners. Something has to be done about homeowners who are selling their property, and these properties are being made into housing developments, and to add, the new landlords not knowing the meaning of peace within community are renting to tenants who are devaluing our community. They are destroying the true beauty of our heritage and I am so afraid that all would be lost, and my children do not have a safe community to live in. This cannot go on. Preserve our Peace. Give us back our community. Stop building these housing projects.

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