A bulldozer coming to a place near you.

This is a few days old, but because the council meeting was such a hit I am just getting to this now.  

Oh I forgot one quote:

How do you plan to pass anything when you insult them?  I would vote against everything you want if I were them.  No raises, promotions, contracts, anything.  

Back to the post.  The mayors approach to homelessness in Allentown has become impossible to ignore, and not in a good way. Go read the latest LV news article on Nov 19th and come back here for my commentary. I’ll wait. 

1. Ok, let’s just state the obvious here. The mayor continues to order city workers to clear out homeless camps even now during freezing temperatures and I have yet to hear any real solutions for the people being displaced.

 I thought he would come up with something after he extended the deadline for clearing the Jordan Creek encampment. I really thought this mayor would come around with some sort of mediocre solution but then all we got was him moving ahead with removing people anyway. Many who were forced out said they had nowhere to go. The city talks about safety, but clearing camps without real alternatives only creates more harm. Isn’t this mayor always talking about respect, inclusion blah blah blah?? Where’s the respect for the homeless people? 

4 months have come and gone since this became an issue people were talking about, and still no real solutions. Not even one of those never ending strategic plans he likes to do so much. 

2. Excuses excuses. 

The mayor claims the city cannot open a safe camping site because no city-owned land meets the criteria. No suitable land? Pssshh. You’re telling me all the land that General Trexler gave the city and apparently there is no suitable land? Instead of finding creative solutions, he shifts responsibility to other towns in the Lehigh Valley and calls this a regional problem. He is the mayor of Allentown, and the people here need action now. Im not leadership expert, im just honest Abe but I can tell you that true leaders don’t shift the blame or the responsibility! More on this later. 

3. 
Please don’t tell me you think opening these warning stations is a real strategy. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure that opening the YMCA warming station early possibly helps in the short term, but it is not a long-term plan.

The city’s very own homeless commission says the city needs year-round shelters and stable options. 

The mayor continues to rely on temporary fixes that do not solve the underlying issue. My sources tell me he’s looking to clean house on that commission. I wonder why? Wait… it’s because he can’t stand it when people tell him what he doesn’t want to hear. Watch out. 

4. 
Council did approve $100,000 to the homeless because Gerlach had to beg for it and the Mayors was probably hoping she would vote his way then. The homeless commission was asking for that $100,000 to prevent displacement and to provide basic needs like bathrooms and water. This is a small amount in a city budget, in fact it’s Pennies. But the mayor was too worried about giving his assistants and his lapdogs raises. Which may I remind you, would have cost the city OVER $300k had council not voted against it.  City employees at $300k vs Homeless people $100k hmmmmmmm 

5. 
When city council proposed an ordinance requiring risk assessments and more notice before camp evictions, Tuerk called it unenforceable. Instead of working with council to improve it, he dismissed it. This makes it clear how low homelessness ranks on his list of priorities. This man talks a whole big talk about collaboration and yet when he’s held accountable he rejects the idea like some dictator that believes only he should have the power to make decisions. 

6. Which brings me to my next point. 
This mayor is quoted saying that this is a regional issue and that other municipalities need to help. 

While cooperation matters (here but not with council apparently), it does not excuse inaction in Allentown. A real leader does not wait for everyone else before taking meaningful steps. Oh wait. Is peewee Herman a real leader? Or does he know how to bullshit just enough. 

7. 
People who lived in the camps say they are losing the only sense of community they had. 

Some now have no place to sleep. Their needs are rarely reflected in the mayor’s public statements, which focus more on liability than on people. Yeah we get it. Nat Hyman is going to sue the shit out of you, and you couldn’t let that happen. 

Or was it that financial contribution that Nat made to your campaign that did you in? The morning call and LV news have had reporters spend days with the homeless and if you read between the lines they’re basically documenting the stories of homeless people subject to Tuerk’s inhumane treatment. I mean think about it. He’s basically throwing away their belongings, telling them to get lost, and that this issue is not his problem. I think he doesn’t care. He. Does. Not. Care. 

The pattern is clear. This mayor is super transactional. He clears camps, makes statements about collaboration, and relies on temporary shelters. What he does not do is offer long-term plans that would actually reduce homelessness in Allentown. Until he shows real leadership and commits to a solution, the city will continue repeating the same cycle. Y'all voted for the guy. It’s crazy to me that as superficial of a politician he is, people don’t see right through him. He talks enough to make it seem like he knows what he’s doing, but actually what IS he doing?