Buffalo Rising Online

We have a guy invest in this neighborhood (campieri's and others), put there hard earned money into the building and business (no tax incestives). and our local government doesn't support them.

There is NO excuse for the road crew, buidling contractore or building inspector, code enforcement and local police to allow this to go on for this long.

We pay one of the highest tax rates in the country and we get SHIT service for it. What are we paying for?

welfare, worker comps, medicaid, and food stamps for all the lazy bastards out there who contribute nothing in return and breed like crazy

The owners of Cathode Ray are part to blame. If they would have just allowed the interested purchaser of the Summit to use their parking lot as a fire escape that building would have already been renovated and put activity on Main St.

how about some FOCUS on the reason WHY those signs and blockades are there to begin with. I could care less about a messy barrier when the buildings behind them are falling apart because of city mis-management and unwillingness to grow a pair and do something about it. What they should do? Take through eminent domain a strip of land necessary behind the structure that would allow a second form of egress from the Cathode Ray bar, which has been unwilling cooperate and would rather watch their neighbors buildings fall over then allow them the means to come back to life. But it's all good because they 'support our cops.' What is going on with these buildings.. just waiting to become decrepit enough to warrant demolition by neglect..

As for the specific topic at hand the DPW, Cops, Fire and Real estate departments are the worst, laziest and most corrupt parts of city government. All they do is pull their clout to keep the pressure on inspections when in reality it is these departments that really make life in the city difficult.

I watched an accident IN FRONT of the police station on Main yesterday... I walked inside and told them about it, that they should get someone out there to direct traffic because the vehicle which couldn't move (broken ball joint) was taking up 1.5 lanes of Tupper.. a very busy street. after watching police car after police car pull out of their parking lot.. look at the broken vehicle and drive off me and my coworker were just laughing. I bet the tow truck showed up before a cop could get off their ass and WALK OUTSIDE!

the DPW is the same way. They constantly fight and complain about how things will be too hard to work with. Cobbles, bump out, garbage \ recycling cans on the streets.. They cry like babies when someone actually tries to better our city through design. Why they have so much pull when it comes to the Urban Design of our city is sick. They are half the reason that every other downtown looks nicer than ours. Because they want traffic sewers and crappy materials and then can't even maintain those properly... How about you just do your job and be happy about it. So what if you can't drive 50 mph down the street to plow.. not necessary and probably causes most of the damage to the roads and curbs over the years.

ugh sickening.

I love Buffalo, but truly hate the mismanagement and laziness within its government. What is sad and troubling is that they talk about coming down on quality of life issues and bad landlords when they themselves appear to be one of the worst "landlords" in the city. I have to echo what magnum wrote in an experience of my own. I recently received a ticket for an unkept lawn at an investment property (which if it makes a difference is right around the corner from where I myself live in the city). The ticket said that the lawn was an astounding 14" high. I went over to the house immediately, took out a tape measure and the lawn was 4 1/2" high. I took a picture and called the department in the city that ticketed me. They informed me that sometimes they take pictures and sometimes they don't. In my case the person asnwering the phone said they did not take a picture. It just shocked me that someone from the city came to my property, which has never had a violation in my 5 years of owning it, and outright lied on the ticket. My point is that while these types of initiatives are great and contribute to a better city, they only work if the city itself holds up their end of the bargain. How much of a ticket would the city receive for this garbage scattered on a public sidewalk? Very disheartening!

Didnt Cathode Ray (unsubstantiated)?

For all the enlightened rah rah of the gay community, how gays gentrify the community and add to property values and safety, etc etc etc

Now we find that these gay owners of cathode ray arent good community members but just as greedy money grubbing and selfish as anyone else....wasnt this the building with the roof fallen in...that everyone was hoping to save the facade so that Main Street could retain its original frontage along this section.

arent these gay owners of the cathode ray just as responsible for the blight on main street as the rest of the property owners on main.

or is it that just because their gay, that the politically correct thing to do is to continue to excuse and deflect criticism...because that would be anti-gay or hate or whatever. (tsk tsk....dont criticize the minorities)

I don't think it has anything to do with their being gay... because there are MANY others who get the same treatment as them who are not. They probably dump a ton of money or drinks to cops (making an assumption from their giant I support our cops sign) that gives them some political clout to hold the city and these two buildings hostage because they want to maintain their fiefdom parking lot.

The city needs to say sure... keep your parking BUT we are going to take an easement through it so that these two structures on main street can now be renovated. I heard there were offers but without a second means of egress it is illegal to do anything with them right now.

Side note on buildings falling in. Remember the bar on Chicago street owned by one of Buffalo's finest that began to crumble during the wind storm this past winter? Another building on that street is in some trouble. Happened to be driving by it yesterday and I saw that 48 Chicago (a building named the E&B Holmes Machinery) had a slew of pick-up trucks in front of it, one with the lable "Emergency Services" and a large pile of bricks in the back portion. My guess is that this massive brick building is caving in, has some serious strucutral problems, and will be the next one to go.

I think it has everything to do with being gay!

Every year we have this obnoxious gay pride (well I think dancing boys and cross dressers are obnoxious) and told about diversity and tolerance...

great...what someone does in the privacy of their bedroom, whom they choose to have a relationship with...thats private

but when on one hand your touting your virtues to the community for the sake of tolerance and acceptance, then on the other remaining silent of a critical issue to the local community so the gay community can line their pockets and continue with their narrow issue of parking while an entire frontage on main street collapses...

well I see a big flaming gay issue here.....of hypocrisy...the gay commmunity should be living up to the same place in the community that they are marching down the street in speeds and wigs. If they are asking for acceptance in the community then this is one area where they could be living up to the responsibilities they are asking to receive.

Buffaloweiner, Might I point out that there is no monolithic "gay community" in Buffalo or any other city? There are no battalions of gay soldiers marching in step to their own hypocrisy. So... it doesn't help your arguments to paint with such huge brushstokes of identity. Most gay people in WNY do not even attend the gay pride parade. And be honest... it's hardly obnoxious. Maybe you're thinking of the St. Patrick's Day parade?

You have discomfort with gay people and with people of color, and that's your private problem...but you will sound like much less of an imbecile if you adhere to the real issues and keep your prejudices in their cage.

EricOak, your deflecting prejudice of a minority from social responsibility

whether its one or a thousand...the gay pride parade is obnoxious embarrassment

whether its one or a thousand...the owners of cathode ray are gay and their obstruction to the point of demolition of a main street facade/building reflect bad on them and bad on the acceptance that the gay community seeks

its the same game you commie liberals all play....you fight as a group against prejudice but demand accountability and responsibility individually. Its like talking out of your ass and mouth at the same time.

The sad part of this story is that the man who bought it tied up all of his money and committed suicide because he wasn't allowed to put an egress out the rear.

sometimes preservationists make me sick! the third floor caved in and it is on a 45 degree angle at the second floor windows. everything that was on the third floor could have flown out the front windows and impaled a human being! It still could happen.

there are actually two buildings side by side that are very similar. one is city owned, one private. both of them are in need of repair.

Buffaloweiner - I agree that their should be no special passes for the gay community. I think its kind of stupid to bring up the specific integrity of the gay community in the sense of what you feel that you should not have to deal with, have you ever been over on Bailey ave - thats one hell of a community, thats a crazy scary PARADE of addicts, thieves, rapists, assholes and insane people every day of the week. I think Cathode needs to do something. If you drive by its a total mess over there! Its going to cause an accident because its such a head turner of a mess on the street.

It's odd that Chris69 is quick to link the supposed bad actions of one gay property owner to the entire gay community, yet he's never made similar claims about the many neglected buildings owned by heterosexuals. Wait, it's not odd at all -- he's a filthy homophobe.

Its all the Gays fault!!! sarcasm off//

pizzamaker... sorry it wasn't the preservationists that stopped the developer from getting permission for an egress, it wasn't a preservationist owned this building and let it fall apart. It was the city \ current owner... The preservationist want to see the same thing you do. A repaired safe and occupied building, unless you just want a parking lot for your pizza shop.

I was unaware that preservationists are preventing people form maintaining roofs that do not cave in.

This is a travesty for a city that is trying to attract UB and medical professional to the area, attact businesses for them to patronize and of course downtown residents.

This is Main Street!

In this situation the main obstructionists are gay and one has to ask why they want to be respected as part of the community but they will offer nothing in the least to benefit the community.

Do they define themselves as only part of the gay community? Because they make their money off this particular neighborhood and that is a piss poor attitude!

typical liberals....they protest in groups but then when held accountable they try to slide past by claiming individual accountability

Well the gay community should be outraged against Cathode Ray also! The surrounding residential and business community should be outraged at Cathode Ray owners too!

This isnt the image the gay community should allow to represent their community and neither should the surrounding business district, yet they tolerate the actions of cathode ray....one has to ask why?

Why not just organize a GAY DAY clean-up parade. Have a contest on who is the best dressed gay pride maintenance man..or...anyway, if in fact this mess is from Cathode ray ...it would be an event to witness.!!

pizzamaker,

I'm a preservationist, would I not be welcome in your establishment?

let there be gay days, subaru outbacks, spot coffees and birkenstocks.... cant we all just be gay (happy)and get along?

PaulBuffalo> Buffaloweiner ... You have a singular ability to derail every discussion.

Derail? We're talking about the guy who mentions light rail in every other post.

Dear MRogers, then the gay community should have the courage to stand up publicly and tell Cathode Ray that what they are doing is an embarrassment to their community.

When the african americans declared Buffalo a racist city because of the council downsizing or some other such thing that didnt go their way, I would ask no less of them. Stand up the way one takes individual responsibility ... one can stand up to the group they affiliate themselves and hold them accountable. Their actions are wrong and an embarrassment to the city.

Same thing when I criticize the local jewish community for not holding Freudenheim or the downstate guy that stole the plumbing from his building on Main Street next to Bennet HS, or when they go to synagoge and claim that war in the middle east must be supported for Israel. Those are group actions but its individuals that give those groups power and money....and in the case of Iraq and Aghanistan its all of america that has to pay those trillions of dollars and its all of america that has to sacrifice their sons.

So its the gay community that patronizes Cathode Ray that gives them their money and the power to obstruct redevelopment of a Main Street building, that gives them the right to push someone to suicide because they lost their life savings from an obstructed egress, that holds back the redevelopment of Main Street and Allen town.

Its people that give the group power...and its both people and the group that need to be held accountable

Joey - your a little off base..lol This discussion has now become a commentary about the gay community. Does this have anything to do with the F*in side walk, people on here have some deep rooted issue that need to be addressed in more of an editorial style forum where people can read it if they care..

Here's a newsflash for you -- in addition to being Jewish, Fraudenheim is also a heterosexual. He's also a man. Yet Jews are held responsible for his actions, while straight people and men are let off the hook. Why is that? Oh yes, because you are hateful filth.

the way this discussion has digressed just reaffirms what a backwards cowtown Buffalo really is. No one should be surprised that nothing ever gets done in this place with all the socially uneducated people who live here........ as Ian Anderson would say about Buffalo..here's to living in the past. Next round is on me over at Ray Flynns

icecreamsub,

Why add to the stupidity by making such a dim-witted comment? There are people like buffaloweiner everywhere. Most of the people who post here actually write thoughtful and perceptive things--then there are the loud few. Ignore them.

QE / NN... You're sending a mixed message in your original post... unintended I hope. You write "Can you imagine that just one block away is the Medical Campus? And this is what you will find if you walk from Allen Street to the Granite Works project?"

So, it is bad that this is happening on street where certain gentrification projects have blossomed? I hope you are not suggesting that this would be pro-forma and acceptable.... say... on Jeff or Grant or Abbott. Expression of NIMBY are a symptom of a classist mentality...

Hope what you said is not what you meant.

Paul Buffalo is a california liberal commie...who isnt even part of Buffalo.

sonyactivism, those signs are there because the roof fell in on that building and its an integral part of that streetscape. People wanted it saved but they couldnt because of the egress issue. People want atleast the facade saved and nothing is being done.

This is as big a community issue as the Livery Stable except this crisis wasnt precipitated (deleted).

We do a disservice to the problems of this city by white washing the truth to be politically correct. The truth is that we must put a spotlight on issues which are detrimental to our community. If it takes the community rising up against Freudenheim so be it. If it gives the (deleted) then so much the better.

It is no different for the (deleted) and allentown which should rise up against the owners of Cathode Ray and their business. If the (deleted).

Heck we are trying to revitalize Main Street and encourage development.

{deleted- off topic}

Not a gay issue at all. The city should clean up the mess and stabalize the building. Preservation should be working on saving these buildings instead of worrying about what color a sign is and common sense would dictate that the owners of Cathode would be working WITH a developer instead of against as these buildings restored would only increase the value of their own property holdings. So all in all it seems there is a huge amount of stupidity to be shared all around. I am forwarding this whole post to the Mayor, if anyone else wants to jump on board his e-mail is BBROWN@CITY-BUFFALO.COM

...oh, if you don't do anything about it, stop your bitching.

It's interesting that gaustad's entire post was deleted for being off topic, yet Chris69's repeated off topic antisemitism and homophobia are left almost entirely untouched. Is BRO suicidal? Is anyone minding the store?

Colin - can you copy and paste Chris69's post - I can;t seem to find it

By the way - what is your sexual orientation - just curious

gaustad,

I'm straight, and taken. Sorry!

Hey if BuffaloRising wants to delete any mention of a group and that is uniform....hey...they can spend the time deleting it.

The issue remains as long as people empower themselves into groups of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability, political affiliation, community, neighborhood, city-vs-suburb...

then it remains in my opinion a fair opinion to cite the group an individual either belongs or is affiliated with or has loyalties too....especially when there are liabilities detrimental to the community which are being deflected because of such reverse bias/descrimination, especially when they ask for special societal privileges and protections for belonging to such a group, especially when they ask for special censorships and special enforcement of speech, etc.

Would I put the same focus on the italian american community for palladinos and the other italian american developers for their role in demolishing downtown and the sections of the current cobblestone district just as I would lambaste the individual. Sure, except that the Irish and the Italians for example dont attempt to censor their identities or their community as say african americans or feminists or hispanics or jews or gays.

If an individuals actions are detrimental to the community then that should be fair. If an individual has loyalty to or is affiliated with a group, or empowered by that group then that group should be part of the discussion.

In this case one cannot separate out the collapse of the roof and the risk of demolition of this building, the loss of Main street scape if that happens, the obstruction of the developer and their related suicide from BUSINESS of CATHODE RAY, the OWNERS of CATHODE RAY and the PATRONS of CATHODE all of which happen to be either residents of allentown or gay patrons.

Whether individually or as a group they empowered the business and the owners of CATHODE RAY to take a detrimental position to the neighborhood and the community.

IT IS BOTH AN ALLENTOWN ISSUE, A GAY ISSUE AND A CATHODE RAY ISSUE.

That is not hateful or prejudice or anything but straight object FACT & COMMENTARY!

Charger, of course you're welcome here. sbrof, there is plenty of parking on Main street for everyone. No one wants those buildings rehabbed and occupied more than me.

Again, I hope Spot (or anyone) will open up a 24 hour coffee house in the corner storefront on Main & Allen in the Red Jacket building.

oh crisa, there are brick buildings still standing from the roman period 2000 years ago...Buffalos bricks are maybe a hundred....this is almost as ridiculous as saying the granite stones on the canal would explode if unearthed and rewatered.

what doesn't go bad/get reclaimed by nature if not maintianed?