Is Brewster learning to coexist?
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- October
- 21
I recently visited some of the new tenants now living at 50 Main Street in Brewster. The senior apartment building, which is run by state Sen. Vincent Leibell’s nonprofit housing agency, is seen as a way to spur revitalization in the village. But naysayers have long argued that Brewster will never have a rebirth unless the day laborer population in that area is obsolete.
Over the weekend, I visited Port Chester where Peruvian restaurants line the main stretch and uber chef Mario Batali recently opened his new restaurant, The Tarry Lodge. I work in Mount Kisco where trendy restaurants and bar/lounges open constantly while Guatemalan men still stand around the train depot looking for work. What this tells me is that coexistence is possible, that you can mix the average with the glitzy or the citizen with the non-citizen. Perhaps that’s why New York City is considered the best city in the world.
I wonder why Brewster is slow to grasp that concept. After talking with some of the new Main Street arrivals, I learned that to those who reside right there in the heart of downtown, the day laborers are not a burden to them and that they don’t bother anybody. I don’t know about you, but I’m inclined to believe those who live there rather than those who occasionally drive by or pontificate from afar.
Read more about 50 Main St., tomorrow on lohud.com and The Journal News.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 2:07 pm by Marcela Rojas.
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I am a resident of Port Chester and have been all of my 31 years of life. I realize your blog entry is about “co-existence” and I can appreciate your observations about how some Westchester towns/villages are more progressive than others when it comes to that topic. However, I think the terms co-existence and content (or happy) should not be considered synonymous. Quite frankly, the real taxpaying citizens of Port Chester don’t like being forced to co-exist with illegal dayworkers. They have invaded our town and our local government leaders have allowed this to happen. So whether it’s in the commercial space or residential neighborhoods, Port Chester is getting invaded inch by inch. So I would call “co-existence” the result of “losing the fight” to illegal migrant workers who leach of social services in historically benevolent villages like Port Chester.
I agree with pcnative: FORCED co-existance is the word – this is not by choice. The citizens would love to take their village and towns back from illegal aliens that steal medical care/education, etc. from us on a daily basis. The government just ignores the cries of “We The People”.