Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/09/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]2001-09-06-16:24:56 Mike Gil: > Has other luggers been harrased in this way before or > this building just going over the top. I think I might > post some of the photographs on the web, I'm getting > scared. I've been in the habit of wandering around my neighborhood snapping pictures of anything which happens to catch my eye for the eleven or so years I've been living here. A few months ago, a longtime vacant lot became a job site, as a pretty disturbingly huge apartment complex went up. I was strolling down the public-looking access road between two halves of the site when a beefy construction boss type ankled up and demanded to know who I was shooting for. He didn't really try the encroaching-on-legalities approach to try to stop me; he relied on good old-fashioned threats and personal intimidation. He was sturdily built and seemed a little crazy, so I beat a mild retreat; found the whole thing unusually disturbing, though. I kind of think he didn't want the place's shoddy construction and likely code violations (Jersey City is reknowned for its long and honored heritage of corruption) documented -- I later heard that the same developers had had a place they built a few towns away burn down, and burn so hot it took out half a block of other buildings. I've never seen a place that big (two halves, together filling a smallish city block) and high (4-5 stories?) built with wood framing instead of concrete and steel. Looked like a pile of tinder inside, then they slapped a brick skin on it (the chimney?). Hope it doesn't take my apartment with it if it goes.