Allentown's Real Heroes

As I write this essay (Sunday morning), sparks of lightning are flashing and I hear sirens in the background as police and fire respond to an intense storm. These, and not social workers, are who keep you safe. A small segment of our society, including ex-con "Dr." Hasshan Batts and some members of Allentown City Council, say "Fuck the Police." They are out of touch with their own community. Allentown's first responders actually have a better understanding of what bothers everyday residents than the demagogues and opportunists behind the megaphones. It's not police. It's fireworks going off day and night, even now. It's dirt bikes and quads tearing down Ridge and Hanover Avenues, ridden by kids who do not even look when they pour into heavy traffic. It's a drunk passed out in the middle of Hamilton Street, who responds with a "Fuck you!" when told he is blocking traffic. It's brazen drug dealers and gangs crawling out from under their rocks in darkness, lighting up the night with gunfire.

Ce-Ce Gerlach, Joshua Siegel and Batts, with the assistance of The Morning Call, have attempted to turn Edward Borrero, Jr, into a hero. On July 11, he had taken seven bags of heroin as well as cocaine, and was stumbling and vomiting in the street outside Sacred Heart (St. Luke's) Hospital, presenting a danger to himself and others. He has a lengthy criminal record that includes possession and use of drug paraphernalia, possession of controlled substances, public drunkenness, retail theft and criminal trespass. He's well known to police, and not as a hero. Gerlach and  Siegel actually apologized to him, exposing the city to civil liability in the inevitable lawsuit to follow.

Want to talk about heroes? Let's start with an incident from about three weeks ago, a story that will never make the pages of a local news story. A frantic couple dialed 911 to report the worst nightmare that can befall any parent - their 12-day old infant had stopped breathing and was in cardiac arrest. A call like that merited and received an "All hands on deck" response. Police, firefighters and EMS were all dispatched. The first to arrive was a police officer. This couple could only speak Spanish and the officer could only speak English. He immediately went to work, using the skills he learned in training to save the life of this baby. When firefighters arrived, the police officer was visibly shaking and extremely concerned, trying to save another person. Color and language barriers made no difference. A young life was at stake, and this cop cared about that life.  Miraculously, the breath of life returned to this young soul. This story has a happy ending,

That unnamed cop is a hero.

Allentown has lots of them. People just don't know where to look.

Fuck the police?

Fuck you.

Wanna' talk about heroes? Let's continue with another story, this one not so happy. Four people, including three firefighters, were injured last week while responding to a blazing inferno at the 700 block of Allentown's North Fair Street. Two people died in the fire. Those at risk were part of the Queen City's majority-minority population, but that made no difference to the first responders who put their own lives on the line. There was no systemic racism or police brutality.

Black lives matter. Hispanic lives matter.

There was a hero among those who lived there, too. A 17 year-old boy lowered his two sisters from a window and into the waiting arms of Allentown cops as flames ripped into his back. He then jumped, breaking both legs. He is currently hospitalized with third degree burns and compound fractures.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help this family defray expenses, which unfortunately include funeral expenses. Allentown's firefighters kicked in $500. I don't see anything from those who want to fuck the police. They're busy establishing a bail fund.

Some heroes.