BUFFALO, N.Y. — Allentown has long been known as one of Western New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. But on Tuesday, residents and businesses say it’s not the Allentown they once knew, as many locals fear leaving their homes due to increasing crime rates.
“I would say that two years ago was fine,” said Yasin Abdullah, owner of Allentown Eats.
“It was much calmer. But I think just with the pandemic, everywhere, in general, has been an uptick in crime everywhere.”
Two bullet holes and two people shot outside his restaurant early Saturday morning was the last straw for Abdullah, causing him to now question if it’s time for a change.
“You have to weigh your alternatives to ask yourself — the business that you're conducting and the areas you're conducting. Is it worth it?” he said.
Abdullah isn’t the only one feeling this way. Patty MacDonald, the President of the Allentown Association, believes the vagrancy and chaos flooding the streets has become a common sight since the start of the pandemic, and the ongoing $13 million construction project.
“When the place is a mess, when there's trash everywhere, when trash isn't being picked up, when there's debris, when there's just a mess, everywhere, people are going to figure they can do whatever they want at that location because nobody's paying attention,” MacDonald said.
That’s why at Tuesday night’s annual Allentown Association board meeting, MacDonald and her fellow board members called for more volunteers to get involved in the neighborhood’s crime and safety committee to request more night patrol officers and better communication from the police department in order to address these issues.
“We just really need more attention paid,” MacDonald said.
“That'll make us all a little bit safer.”
Jim’s Steak Out also told 2 On Your Side in a statement that it is debating closing its Allentown location if the situation doesn’t improve once the construction wraps.
“I find drug paraphernalia in my restrooms daily,” its owner Shawn Richter said.
“I've had a window shot out in the middle of the night. I've been broken into and have people on video and nothing was done about it.”