By adamg on Thu., 2/14/2008 - 7:53 am
UPDATE: A.A. has shut down his blog.
A.A., an Israeli now living in Boston, arranged to pick up a dresser and a couple of bookcases found via Craiglist. He reports on his trek to get them - in Mattapan:
... Mattapan was quite a scary experience. We were stared at. Na'ama said panicky "take your [yarmulke] off!" It was generally an unpleasant experience. What we did not know at the time, but my colleagues and friends were glad to point out in a "are you nuts" kind of a way, was that Mattapan is better known by its endearing nickname of "Murderpan". You can guess why. One of my colleagues said she's glad we made it. ...
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Comments
this is fucking
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 8:50am
this is fucking rediculous... way to type cast an entire neighborhood...
Well, first impressions and all that
By adamg
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 9:00am
However, I suspect if people were staring, it was more out of curiosity than hostility. Heck, if I saw somebody with a yarmulke on my block, I'd probably do a double take (and I'm one of the three Jews here).
Way to live up to a
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:23am
Way to live up to a stereotype by leading your comment with a curse. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth too?
The Irony here
By bobmetcalf
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 9:13am
Is that in the 50's and early sixties, Mattapan
was a Jewish community.
And ...
By adamg
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 9:26am
Stuart Rosenberg is still a Mattapan macher (see this Globe article).
WTF is this guy's problem ???
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:08am
He is from Israel where they have to deal with suicide bombers, rockets fired from neighboring countries, and all kinds of other nasty things that Americans fortunately never have to encounter day-to-day. He comes to a quiet, peaceful American city and goes apeshit because he encounters Strange Black-Colored people? Like there are no Ethiopians in Israel?
[quote]I am pretty confident in asserting that at this moment, the only white people in Mattapan were Na’ama, me, and, as it turned out, Arther, a French student who sold us the furniture. [/quote]
Obviously he has never heard of Tom Finneran.
[quote]If a given neighborhood is south of the center of the city of Boston, then you’re probably heading straight towards SOUTH BOSTON![/quote]
Oh boy, I'm really looking forward to this guy's next adventure getting lost in our city.
Ignorance
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:17am
Tomorrow he'll drive through the Fenway looking for the West End.
OMG you can tell a murder must have happened here. Look at all the schwarzers!
Hrm...well last time I
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:21am
Hrm...well last time I checked there weren't alot of loud, gangsta type black folks in Israel.
Typecasting an entire neighborhood? I see. Wake up. I'm sure Mattapan has nice parts...I'm sure that there is a nice part of having an anal rash as well, though I can't think of one for either right now.
Yes, Mattapanm and Roxbury had a large Jewish population, a long time ago. Then the neighborhood declined and a certain class of people moved in, and a certain class of people moved out, and then urban decay set in during the late 70s and 80s. Would you prefer that the South End annexes the area and adds more Crunch Fitness, Starbucks and Wine bars so as to bring up the land value?
You know, people can piss and moan all they want, and act all bleeding heart liberal they want, but if you take the map of the T subway system and compare racial populations, incomes and crime rates at each stop, I doubt anyone would be surprised. That's the reality of this city, this country, and this world. You can have your cheap two family in Rozzie and your 'authentic' local cuisine; I'd rather take a place where I don't need to worry about my wife getting assaulted or my kid getting hit by a stray bullet because two kids are fighting over a game of Madden 07 or a crack vial.
Answer with as much sarcasm as you like, or inform us all about the 'hidden jewels of Mattapan' right between the crack den and the "Checks Cashed" place.
Hidden jewels of Mattapan
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:30am
Or maybe not-so-hidden, as the first is pretty well-known to locals, but:
1) [url=http://www.hiddenboston.com/Simco.html]Simco's[/url]
2) Mass. Audubon Society's [url=http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanct... Nature Center[/url]
More Jewels
By Rozzy Denizen
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:32pm
3) Mattapan Trolley.
Yep, I forgot about that
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:37pm
it was shut down for so long that I forgot it was running again.
Try again...
By bobmetcalf
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:34am
"Then the neighborhood declined...
Wrong. Try it this way: Then the neighborhood was
redlined and blockbusted by a lot of shady real
estate agents with the collusion of the local banking
community and political infrastructure.
Mattapan's recent history
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:38am
And if you want to learn a little more about it, try this book:
[url=http://www.amazon.com/Death-American-Jewish-Commun... Death of an American Jewish Community[/url], by Hillel Levine and Larry Harmon
Just the other day
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:36am
I was telling my little boy not to fight over the crack vials. There are enough for the kids to share.
Oh, did I mention it's absolutely horrifying here in Roslindale? Just the other day a suburban momma's boy like you came to visit, and we made him into authentic local cuisine. Did you know that cracker tastes best with a mustard-based ('yellow') barbecue sauce?
Generational Welfare
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:41am
Awesome - do you pay for it with your welfare check that comes out of my tax money?
I enjoy crackers with my gouda cheese.
Oh, yes
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:54am
Everybody who lives in Boston gets welfare, didn't you know that? Personally, I just back the Cadillac I bought with food stamps up to the bank and shovel the money right into the trunk. Then I try to shoot faster than the neighbors on the way home. It's just like Grand Theft Auto. Don't come to Boston! It's scary! Especially Roslindale!
'Checks Cashed' place
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:52am
I don't like them either, since they are rip-offs. But do you also stay out of Central Square in Cambridge, or Union Square in Somerville, just because it has one of these storefronts?
Google Maps even shows them in Watertown Square and Waltham Center. Unfortunately, you'll find them anywhere where you find immigrants who don't trust our banking system.
Slu-Slu-Slumerville!
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:19am
All the places you've listed are holes I wouldn't normally go to anyhow...so whats your point? Oh look, there's a farmers market in Union square, it must be progressive and up and coming!
Howse that Ikea going? Oh wait, Slumerville thinks it is too good for some chain stores; it might take away from the Panache of the Assembly Square Mall.
So tell me, brave anonymous person
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:30am
If you consider Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, and Waltham to all be 'holes', what kinds of places do you like?
As for Union Square: [url=http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/programs/arts... events attract large crowds of people every summer and fall.
We don't want an
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:30am
We don't want an Ikea!
There's an Ikea in Stoughton now?
We want an Ikea!
Actually, I only stay out of
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:29am
Actually, I only stay out of Union Square because I don't speak Portuguese, and don't want to get stabbed.
Faca com ele
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:54am
Boiola nem sabe falar
Wow
By Nick
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:17pm
You're kind of a sucky person, aren't you?
Amen, anonymous!
By Jason
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:24pm
That Marshmallow Fluff festival in Union Sq. last summer was a motherfucking bloodbath.
I'm seriously wondering
By Mollynotloggedin
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 1:00pm
I'm seriously wondering where this anon, if this threadlet is all the same anon, lives, to be so secure in its criticism of almost every neighborhood in the area.
Well, anon? Where DO you live? Is it actually anywhere in the Boston area, or are you posting from your nice safe bunker in Montana?
Incredible
By Bostonian
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:21am
This is an amazingly ignorant comment with not too thinkly veiled overtones of racism. I hope, at the very least, that you have been to Mattapan and are speaking from some personal experience, rather than pure ignorant bigotry.
Interesting, because I don't
By POPS
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:00pm
Interesting, because I don't recall him saying he ran into "loud, gangsta type black folks." Aside from people staring, there's no actual elaboration on why it was such an "unpleasant experience." Certain class? I'd offer that Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester have some of the most diverse socioeconomic ranges in the city. It is not an-all poor or lower class neighborhood. But it is unfortunate that even locals can still be apparently biased against certain neighborhoods without seemingly ever visited them (in reference to your nice parts comment) much less people who just moved here days ago.
History of the downturn
By Anonymous
Fri, 02/29/2008 - 12:02pm
Anyone who lives in Dorchester/Roxbury/Mattapan, or for that matter, anyone who has an opinion about their Boston neighborhood compared to the above mentioned three, should really read "death of an american jewish community" by Hillel Levine and Larry Harmon. The depth of the book goes beyond the title.
I live in the most diverse zip code in the entire U.S.--02125. Would not move out for anything, and don't like any stereotypes, especially the ones about what determines property values (for worse or better). And let's talk about the behind-the-scenes blockbusting that's happening today in my neighborhood.
Yeah, clueless
By bobmetcalf
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:28am
Re-read the orginal post. Culturally clueless
(and offensive) and also map-challenged:
"If a given neighborhood is south of the center of the
city of Boston, then you’re probably heading
straight towards SOUTH BOSTON!"
SOUTH BOSTON IS PROBABLY JUST AS BAD AS
MATTAPAN! ASK ANYONE!
Oh, the horror, the HORROR! Mr Kurtz, him dead!
Bad news is that he was buying furniture, so looks like
his presence here near SOUTH BOSTON is long term.
Would have been better for all involved if he was
heading towards EAST BOSTON to board a plane back to
Israel.
Yes, that 'go back where you
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:39am
Yes, that 'go back where you came from' attitude shows how classy you re. Let me guess, Framingham State or Mass Bay?
Hey, no one said Southie was paradise. Every time I go there, I bring out my track suit and buy a handful of scratch tickets so as a blend in.
Maltese Falcon moment
By bobmetcalf
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:49am
Bogart in the Maltese Falcon to the cheap hood:
"The cheaper the gunsel, the gaudier the patter."
On UH it goes like:
"Expect a real tough guy to post as Anonymous"
You realize it is just as
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:32am
You realize it is just as easy to create a fake identity here as to post anon right?
You realize
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:33am
that you can't log on and post with my username, right?
so?
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:13pm
Your account is still anonymous, since we have no clue who the fuck you are and you can make up any username you like. Furthermore, nothing stops people from creating multiple accounts and playing sock-puppet games, since we can't see your IP, when you created the account, etc.
True, but ...
By adamg
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:23pm
I can look up IP addresses (yes, they are logged). Requiring logins would cut down some of the clutter, at least.
Requiring logins would be an excellent idea
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:25pm
Please do it.
We?
By Gareth
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 1:13pm
By "we" do you mean you and the other incoherent, foul-mouthed twits, the many heads of the juvenile hydra known as anonymous? Nah, of course you don't have a clue. Gotta agree with you there, kid.
Or by "we" do you mean the regular contributors to this site? Because we who regularly contribute to this site do care who wrote a snotty, obscene drive-by, and we do come to know each other, just a little bit, over time. I don't much care where these folks live, or what their full names are. We don't get together for drinks or to sing kumbaya, or plot world domination. But we consider each other to be people and known entities to some extent.
You? Meh. You're just an annoying gnat blown through on the breeze.
Furthermore, yes, something does stop people from creating multiple accounts and playing sock-puppet games. It's called Adam.
And if you want to see when I created the account, that's entirely possible. You see that part where my name is a hyperlink, and yours isn't? Them's fer clickin.
North = good, South = bad?
By Rozzy Denizen
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:28pm
"3. Same goes for LA, Chicago, and almost any other major city. Keep north.
4. Does anybody know of any research out there explaining the phenomena of southern parts of cities being the bad neighborhoods?"
Where does he get this shit? So he listened to a Jim Croce song and read an article about the Rodney King riots and therefore all cities are bad in the South? In both cases, keep heading south and you again reach some pretty high end neighborhoods. And of course, it should go without saying, but there's nothing wrong with Mattapan. I am often the fourth white guy in that neighborhood. I even take the bus to Mattapan Square at times!
"South" Boston
By adamg
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:34pm
The southiest of "South" Boston, southier than even Mattapan, is Hyde Park, which has some of the biggest, most expensive single-family homes in the city (up on Fairmount Hill). And "North" Boston certainly has poverty - Charlestown and East Boston are not (yet) exclusive yuppie enclaves.
"He is from Israel where
By Lyss
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 9:23pm
"He is from Israel where they have to deal with suicide bombers, rockets fired from neighboring countries, and all kinds of other nasty things that Americans fortunately never have to encounter day-to-day."
Yes, my teenage cousin who is in the Israeli Army can attest to that. But he's also less likely to get mugged or shot in a drive by.
Fuck this guy.
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:27am
This racist bullshit has plagued the city for centuries. Time for it to stop. This guy is an embarrassment to the human race.
Aren't you being more racist
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:40am
Aren't you being more racist towards Jewish people? I bet you laugh at their hats, don't you?
Not at all
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:43am
I'm Jewish and I find this guy's post to be embarrassing. We're supposed to strive for learning and intelligence, being People Of The Book and all.
Why don't you open The Book
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:02am
Why don't you open The Book and be helpful instead? Maybe offer some insight into why a stranger to our fair city shouldn't be weary of meeting a stranger in Mattapan?
Use this map to give directions.
Welcome to Boston. These comments are prime example of the intolerance in this city - hypocritically denouncing intolerance while fully supporting it.
Why do you live with all the
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:20am
Why do you live with all the goyum then?
Not sure what you mean
By Ron Newman
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:25am
as there are plenty of Jews here in Somerville, enough to support both a shul and a chavurah.
"social strata"?
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:46am
"Na’ama noted that it is strange that I have to deal with claims of segregation in Israel/the PA day in and day out on college campuses in Boston, when the city itself is divided by social strata, which is inevitably (inevitable for the US, 2008) also a racial segregation"
Oh wow. Nothing like comparing religious/ethnic segregation via ghettos with giant barbed-wire-topped concrete walls and machine gun turrets to..."social strata".
friggin idiot
By bostnkid
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:25am
i wonder if the people from mattapan take off their hoodies when they venture into milton.it must be scary for a young black guy to be surrounded by all those "people".
i personally hope this guy has to go back into mattapan and gets his ass beat.maybe he could tour the whole city? get a beating by a black guy in mattapan, a gay guy in the south end, irish drunk in southie, new jersey student in brighton, punk rocker in allston, clean cut irish catholic CM hockey player in west roxbury....I could go on and on.
Well, I'm very careful about
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:29am
Well, I'm very careful about driving through certain neighborhoods of Newton and Brookline. We Lock the car doors and don't stop for red lights just in case someone tries to hijack the car with a machine gun: "I claim this automobile in the name of Israel!" It's happened. I read it on the internet somewhere.
Newton and Brookline are
By Anonymous
Thu, 02/14/2008 - 11:35am
Newton and Brookline are great; the only two cities where doubleparking is a competitive sport!
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