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My brother and I started our day by looking
around at the ruins of what was once a booming shore resort
town. The development and revitalization that is set
to finally begin here this year has been a long time coming.
We discussed this with a local business owner as we ate chowed
on big, fat sausage-like hot dogs in what appeared to be the
only joint open on the boardwalk.
For many years now, developers coming into
town were met with strict opposition. The fight was mainly
in the name of saving the midway-style boardwalk that once
made Asbury Park the jewel of the Jersey Shore. The stubbornness
of people trying to relive the good old days only proved to
make things worse. The reality is this is a city that's been
overrun by drug dealings, racial unrest and poverty for decades.
Each time I come here I'm appalled by how much more
is gone and how little has been built.
I guess it was really just a matter of time for the misguided
protests to give way to any real revitalization. Thanks to
an inevitable change in attitude, the notion of grasping at
past glory is slowly but surely being replaced by a vision
of a new future. Something that artists,
musicians and writers like me
have been saying all along is Asbury Park can have a new
beginning.
Bruce Springsteen has long been perceived as playing role
in this by doing both the obvious and the surreal. Proceeds
from the recent four 'rehearsal' shows
being held in the Asbury Park Convention Center are being donated
to many local charities. That is the obvious and something
he has done year after year. Whether it be with big shows like
this or more intimate engagements.
The surreal for many is the fact that he is reportedly offering
low, fixed mortgages to any gay couple wanting to buy a home
here. If true, it actually makes total sense to me. There are
two things Bruce is known for in his career besides his music;
wanting to revitalize the cultural importance of Asbury Park
and being a champion to those who are socially oppressed. With
this one bold move, he'd be doing both.
Some critics have said that this move is only due to Bruce
being a cunning business mogal. The fact is that the gay community
has been responsible for much of the rebirth coming to this
town. To side with them is to position oneself with a potentially
profitable posture. I say even if Bruce's motivation is the
almighty dollar, who cares. The end result is still a resurrected
city.
The gentleman who fed us our tasty, albeit unhealthy lunch
assured us that soon enough no one will even recognize this
boardwalk. He went on to say how from now on, every six months
will bring tremendous changes to the city's landscape.
Unlike other locals I've talked to in past years, he
spoke in a positive and hopeful tone, welcoming these changes
as being good for the community.
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