Amy Hawthorne’s words ring true for several Jersey City residents who’ve planted roots in neighborhoods such as the one where a firefight erupted last week, leaving two culprits dead and five police officers wounded, one critically. From Bridgeport to Baltimore, well-meaning, hard-working people find themselves sharing urban territory with what, in essence, are terrorists. But they’re not about to relent.

The Author

I Heart Jersey City

I’m on edge today. Have been all week, actually. My own shit tends to surface at random times which my bereavement counselor tells me is part of the process. He says that one tends to deal with anxiety bubbling to the surface when major milestones or anniversaries approach, like the 1 year anniversary of Paul’s amyloidosis diagnosis which looms ahead in mid-August.

Another thing that tends to put one on edge is waking up to have helicopters hovering over my building, literally as if they were going to land on the roof. After calming down my alarmed children, I flipped on the TV to read of the breaking news of 5 policemen shot in Jersey City, the helicopter image on screen being shot by the very ear-splitting choppers that were hovering right above our heads.

It’s a story that is shocking and upsetting, saddening for the families of the police who are involved and for those innocent people who had to witness the violence first hand. And it’s certainly not something you want your neighborhood to become infamous for.

Was my first instinct to list my apartment and move the hell out of here? Yes. Would I have preferred to be waking up to the sound of lawn sprinklers and birds chirping? Absolutely. Am I ready to give up on my neighborhood? Not a chance. Here are a few reasons why:

To continue, click here: Paul and Amy’s Amyloidosis Blog (The Story of Photographer Paul Hawthorne’s Courageous Battle Against Amyloidosis)

 

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