I was cleaning up some BFA videos on YouTube and watched the above…I decided to repost because it is a reminder to me that a lot of people care…care not only about the neighborhood’s past, but care about ensuring its place in Buffalo’s future…if you look at all the things happening through the wonderful work of people behind the efforts of B-F treasures like the Broadway Market, Saint Stan’s, the Central Terminal, Corpus Christi, Matt Urban Center, the Response to Love Center, St. Adalbert’s, Saint Ann’s and countless others…or David Francyk’s work on the Common Council, you realize that there is hope because people believe.
I love seeing people care about that neighborhood. I was never apart of it as I am only 22, but I understand its importance in Buffalo’s history and future. There is no one solution to fixing this neighborhood, but I feel that the key is homeownership. If the city can make it so people want to raise families there and open businesses, it can start turning around. They have to start with cleaning up the drugs and violence by increasing the police presence.
As downtown residency is on the raise, hopefully this neighborhood will benefit from that and realize how convenient and nice it would be to live in the city instead of the extreme suburbs.
I just went to St. Adalbert’s for the first time and it was quite an experience. Fr. Bocianowski mentioned it will remain open at least another year, which is outstanding news. Hopefully people become encouraged to attend Mass or become parishioners as I have in keeping these churches open for the long term. These churches have something special the newer churches lack and can only be experienced. I could only imagine what it was like in its heyday.
Joe…right on my man…this is why we do what we do…to let people know about all the wonderful things that exist in B-F…