Yet another crisis is upon this burdened city, among the most impoverished and crime-ridden in the country.
Deep layoffs of city workers go into effect on Tuesday - cutting up to 383 jobs, or one-fourth of the city's employees.
The exact number depends on whether public workers' unions make last-minute concessions. In any case, the cuts are likely to be deep - and could be a blow to the quality of life in a city where more than half the 80,000 residents, mostly black and Hispanic, live in poverty.
Worst case, the layoffs could slash half the police force and one-third of the fire department for this city just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. Practically every other job in the city is likely to be affected.
"The fear quotient has been raised," said the Rev. Heyward Wiggins, pastor of Camden Bible Tabernacle in a rough neighborhood on the city's north side, who constantly hears from his congregants about the layoffs.
His Fellowship Choir of adults from their 20s to their 50s, used to practice on Thursday or Friday evenings. Now, Wiggins said, he's moving rehearsals to Sunday after worship services because members are afraid of being out after dark when the police force is cut.
Camden, rampant with open drug-dealing, prostitution and related crimes, was the nation's second-most-dangerous city based on 2009 data, according to CQ Press, which compiles such rankings. Camden ranked first the previous two years. The FBI said that in 2009, the city had 2,380 violent crimes per 100,000 residents - more than five times the national average.
Police Chief Scott Thomson has not made details of the cuts public, but has said the department will be reconfigured so that patrols won't be reduced. Other police agencies, such as the county sheriff's office, have agreed to help in the city.
A police union, meanwhile, took out a full page advertisement last week in the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, warning that Camden would become a "living hell" if layoffs were not averted. Unions have been meeting with city officials, but no job-saving deals have been announced so far.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
5 comments:
Blame the greedy unions ! They're corrupt and use their employees money to pay off politicians.
The unions have nothing to do with the crime rate in Camden NJ,which is a bonafide craphole.
12:30 The unions have EVERYTHING to do with the crime rate, because if not for them, then more public saftey persons could be hired. Unions are the downfall of this great Nation, end of story.
The old that own their homes and live in Camden have no place to go because of personal economics. Both black and white, all in all good people, I found. Some of the areas are mob controlled, other industry. I've spent plenty of time going through run down business shops looking for junk to buy in the early 1980's. If your dressed down or appear as a working stiff, you'll get little or no trouble. One bar on the main drag past Cooper Medical Center was the main killing spot in Camden, both inside and outside. My guess would be hundreds through the years. Cops never even came by for fear of their own personal safety, everybody was armed, everybody except me! When the bars heater went up, my job was to fix it, night or day. The bar tender would meet me outside when I arrived (that was manditory or I didn't stop) and escort me to the basement area for necessary repairs and walk me out when I was through. I was always the only white face there. The old that are still alive in Camden deserve protection, the mob and industry protect their own and virtually everyone in politics is or will be corrupt in short order. That's the deal with Camden, I know it well. A really bad area after dark and iffy during the day.
I used to live 10 mins from Camden NJ in a small town called Audubon and lemme tell you all this Camden is a virtual war zone with drug dealers and every sort of criminal in every corner and thats no lie every corner... if Salisbury keeps going the way it does it will end up just like Camden
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