Making Woodhaven A True Neighborhood
How many times have you heard of a problem in a different part of Woodhaven and tuned out, or thought to yourself, “Well, that doesn’t affect me”?
It’s a natural reaction-one we all have occasionally.
But it’s the wrong one to have. What happens in one corner of Woodhaven should concern all of us.
That’s not just because all of Woodhaven shares the same schools, firehouse, police precinct, bus and subway lines, churches, shopping strip, and so on.
It’s not just because a problem in one part of Woodhaven-for example, a mugger on the loose or a dangerous road situation-can spread to other portions.
We Woodhaven residents have a responsibility to care about a problem, even when it doesn’t directly affect us, because we’re going to need our neighbors’ help someday when something does affect us.
The only way Woodhaven will get the attention and respect it truly deserves is when its residents stand together.
In a previous column for this newspaper, I argued that there’s strength in numbers. Woodhaven has 39,000 residents. If just one percent of that total regularly came to Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) town halls, every government official in the area would pay careful attention to all our complaints. No problem would lie beyond our capabilities.
But we don’t see one percent of Woodhaven’s population showing up. Too often, residents come to an WRBA meeting only when they have a specific issue that affects them. Then they aren’t seen again until they have another issue with which they need help.
Many other residents call or eby mail the WRBA with their complaints, and even when the BlockAssociation helps them get results, they still don’t come to a town hall.
We at the WRBA are happy to help all Woodhaven residents, even those whom we never see again and even those who never wish to help the WRBA in the future.
But the very reason why we’re willing to help those residents is the same reason they should get involved: by resolving their issues, we’re helping all ofWoodhaven.
A neighborhood is more than just a number of people living in the same geographic area. If those people ignore each other or have no regard for each other’s wellbeing, there is no neighborhood.
At the broadest level, what the WRBA has been trying to do is to make Woodhaven a true neighborhood- a place where people care about their neighbors.
Some of our most successful undertakings have relied on residents looking beyond their own properties or blocks. Our Noisebusters program- where WRBA members call 311 en masse to report one resident’s noise complaint-was very effective. Our mailbox clean-ups dramatically curtailed graffiti during the warmer months, and they involved residents cleaning up parts of Woodhaven far from their homes.
In the months ahead, the WRBA will need residents from all corners of Woodhaven to come together. We have some projects with which we’ll need help. We’ll also have some serious fights on our hands.
If you reside in Woodhaven, think about the kind of place you want to live in.
Do you want to live in a true neighborhood, where most residents actually care about the greater community? Or do you want to live in a mere cluster of domiciles where people show concern only for themselves and where none of us get the attention we deserve?
We at the WRBA want you to stand with us in continuing to make Woodhaven a true neighborhood. That means getting involved and caring, even if you don’t think you’ll benefit immediately. That’s the only way we’ll all be better off in the long run.
Editor’s note: Blenkinsopp is member of Community Board 9 and director of communications for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. For more information on the WRBA, visit www.woodhavennyc.org.
