Letter to the editor: Johnstown's problems

It is ironic that, of all places, Andrew Cuff praised Johnstown in his op-ed “Western Pennsylvania is dying — or is it?” (Dec. 18, TribLIVE). I can pick two sentences and turn them on their heads.

First of all, it’s disingenuous to focus on the negative? True. But Johnstown has a way of hiding the negatives. Ask any defender of Johnstown. I’ve had people who own homes there, but don’t live there, argue that it’s not as bad as I say it is.

I spent my life in military/law enforcement and have many friends in said professions. I tune in to the police scanner often because I have family there. I hear it all, including what the media buries.

Why is Johnstown that bad? Well, sentence two. Flooding towns with new residents. Johnstown has done this, mostly from Philadelphia, to keep the population above water. And that’s the problem. Thousands of them, and though some are hard-working, the majority are the problems. Drug shootings, robberies, police chases. They have ruined no less than six neighborhoods; places where, when I grew up there, you didn’t have to even lock your doors. Now? Well, like I said, it’s easy to listen to the scanner, or talk to a cop, and get the real stories.

Johnstown is on life support, thanks to importing “Philadelphia’s finest.” But ask the powers that be, or someone with their head in the sand, and they’ll tell you it’s as healthy as a horse. All while ignoring that the horse has cancer eating away at it.

Don Grasser

Sykesville, Md.