The Head to Toe shop at 344 Broadway remained closed for a second day after City of Kingston Police raided the site, made an arrest and seized weapons and other items.
The Kingston Daily Freeman reported that students had complained about the shop, that it was selling drug paraphernalia and cigarettes to high schoolers — which are against state and city laws.
Earlier this week, residents of Ward 9 had complained to the store manager and owner about weapons that were on display. They said the items would be removed.
On Tuesday, the police made their raid, which ended up closing the shop.
I propose that we sit down and strategize a way to bring small business into our neighborhood. Let’s get a run down of the properties, the rents – and talk to residents who might have some good ideas to see if we can get them in. Plan B – let’s reach out to other communities and promote our Ward 9 Broadway. Why not?
Arthur, can you dig up some important history from this part of town?
Even if we are to be successful at bringing in one really hip business (how about a BAKERY!) that could be enough to start the ball rolling.
Oh, yes. Let’s search to find an excellent bakery.
Reb
Will do. This section of the city was part of the Foxhall Estate. And my neighborhood was a farm and orchard owned by the VanGaasbeck family — one of the original settlers of the area and the first owners of the Senate House.
As far as bakeries are concerned, Cohen’s in Ellenville is top notch. They had a second location, I think, but it closed. Perhaps they would consider?
And what about Bread Alone? Would they come back to Kingston?
Here’s a crazy, brainstormy idea: Let’s open a “community cafe” which can be modeled after 60 Main in New Paltz. It’s what Ray Oldenburg describes in The Great Good Place as the third place to be. First place is home, second is work, and the third place is where we socialize, relax, create.
Community volunteers can work there while residents stop by to use the WiFi and catch up on what’s going on in the ward. Meeting can be held there too.
We can serve coffee from Monkey Joe (they are already selling it at the hospital in the lobby, maybe they can move it a few doors down?), pastries and baked goods can be dropped off from Bread Alone. Tea and organic snacks can be supplied by the KF&G. And all of these local and area businesses would be promoted at the space.
There could wooden trains, puzzles and books for kids. Comfy chairs for older folks to relax in. Local art hanging up, and local jewelry and pottery for sale.
Of course, itt would be located next door to a Tapas/wine/cheese bar.
Just a thought….
Community Cafe sounds like such a great idea! I can see that happening better than a bakery & it would offer interactive dialogue with our youth.
This reply is to the newspaper article: The police dep’t. saw the comment on the Ward9 post & sent someone over there to investigate…… If there were complaints, why such a long wait? So now we must watch what we say…… not acceptable!
No, I am NOT defending these youth and what their families are now to go thru for stupidity…… The notice to them was sufficieknt to cease & disist or …………….
Weapons? What are the statistics of these weapons being used to “harm” others rather than coffee table conversations of hanging on the wall.
Lock down the high school, I remember the meeting I was at a few months back regarding viloence in our schools – the seminar ended with “every officer of the law should have his gun loaded & at their side every time they walk out the door of thei homes! Nothing about the fact that violent crime was succeedingly DOWN during the 1990’s thru 2002 & proceeded to rise until finally back to “normal” in 2005……. How come it was down during those years? Who the hell cares just keep your guns loaded!
Maybe there should be a meeting with the whole police dep’t. We brag that as a society we have access to 5-9% of our body’s brain, we brag about having cancer, etc…….. What is causeing it? Who the hell cares – they promise the CURE is just around the corner.
Rockefeller Drug Law’s put into place as the prison system was being privatized – so what, who cares they broke the law…… Crooked police? Police that never had a drink or smoked a cannabis cigarette,officers from outside the area viewing their job as confronting an enemy…… Our youth settling arguements with real guns, real bullets exactly as the pentagon did INVADING Iraq……
Our perspective have become TWISTED! I am going to say it again: Bring in job’s & they stay until a better offer from another community comes & then —Bye, bye! We NEED an economy! We need Kingston declared a Pesticide Free Zone, this is what is causing all the havoc inside this FACT bubble we are living inside of………. Ask any pilot what happens should they attempt to fly over Kingston…….
Just what are these visiting doctors at Benedictine Hospital researching concerning sickness in our city/county…… I am here in Kingston since 1952 when Rondout was a booming community, when urban destruction came in & the midtown “ghetto” evolved, when the Post Office was torn down because a new roof was too expensive. When a “group” was arrested after hours @ Montgomery Wards uptown & a slew of youth were let out of the county jail, when the river front properties were sold to anyone who bid with no requirements; when there was serious discussion regarding a regional Aquarium on the 500 acres instead we have been turned into a “war zone” of sickness with pesticide toxic brains running all fascits of this administration!
I have lived all over our strange country over the past 45 years & I would not trade this valley for any other community – we are the DESERT and that mean’s we must go creatively forward, forward, forward – Now, not the unreachable future!
I look forward to working on this project. First, inventory and prices of buildings and/or rent. Let’s see what we have on Broadway from Brewster to W. Chester Street as a small step and work in that way. That part of Kingston has been long over looked and neglected – and that’s my neck of the woods. Our neck of the woods.
The next, a meeting with the neighbors to brainstorm ideas.
Count me in.