New Bedford’s Hathaway Road: A Tale of Two Cities [OPINION]
Hathaway Road connects Dartmouth and New Bedford and it has been the focus of much discussion recently. The road also connects two different worlds in the city.
Just off of Hathaway Road in New Bedford is Yale Street and that street is in a publicly funded housing project built to give poor people a hand up in their time of need. Part of making life better for the residents on Yale Street is having a police officer living in the complex with them. Housing projects have been notorious locations for drug gangs all over our nation. Having a police officer living in the neighborhood has a stabilizing impact that benefits everyone – except for the criminals that want to dominate the location.
The apartment where the police officer lives off Hathaway Road was shot up by at least one criminal who doesn't want that police officer there as a counterbalance to the criminal forces. To me, the attack was an act of war by domestic terrorists.
Two days before the shooting, the New Bedford City Council voted in favor of an economic development initiative put forward by Mayor Jon Mitchell to create an Advanced Manufacturing Campus off of Hathaway Road. The location of the AMC is at the municipal golf course just up the hill from that terrorist attack on the police officer's apartment.
There are two golf courses on Hathaway Road.
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson lives on Hathaway Road. His home has been the site of numerous protests by radicals who don't like the police and don't like that Sheriff Hodgson refuses to be intimidated by them.
The leaders of New Bedford are hoping to bring modern manufacturing companies and high-paying jobs to the city. They have put together a serious plan and earned the support of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's administration. The plan will bring in tens of millions of dollars in private investment and approximately 1,000 new jobs.
But nobody is going to invest if the terrorists are in control just down the road.
New Bedford needs to invest in the police manpower and equipment necessary to make the city safe for everyone. There is no other option.
Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.