Can Lakewood be saved?
At this point in its history, Lakewood looks like a town that is coming apart at the seams. And instead of working together to solve the problems that affect the entire community, residents are building walls between one another.
Residents of some adult communities who are fed up with the situation are looking into how their developments can secede from Lakewood and become a part of Dover Township. That is not the answer.
A house divided cannot stand, and separation is not the answer to the myriad problems Lakewood is confronting now and will face in the years to come. Among these issues are educational opportunities for children in Lakewood’s schools; residential, industrial and commercial development; financial management of the community and so many more.
We are deeply troubled by the finger-pointing and name-calling that has taken place in recent weeks between leaders of Lakewood’s black and Orthodox Jewish communities. Although some of the people involved profess to being friends, their statements belie their claims.
Lakewood has very distinct ethnic and racial groups, among them Orthodox Jews, blacks, Hispanics, and white residents. It’s a mix that — with cooperation and understanding — could lift Lakewood as an example of people living and working together.
It’s also a volatile combination that could tear the town apart, unless people there learn to regard each other with respect, as neighbors.
Recent weeks have seen the manifestation of hateful feelings against the Jewish community. The incidents included swastikas being painted on several homes, a rock being thrown at the door of a home where religious services were being conducted, and an arson at a house under construction. At the house where the fire was set, police said bias remarks and swastikas were found on the walls in side the house.
Four Lakewood High School students have been arrested and charged in connection with two of those incidents.
We believe it is important for the community to be told, at some point, why the youths did what they stand accused of doing.
If their actions are a result of the rhetoric they heard and read, then maybe Lakewood’s adults will fully comprehend that the words they speak can result in terrible actions.
It’s time to stop assigning every resident and business in Lakewood to a group of people and, by inference, blaming an entire group for the misdeeds or shortcomings of some.
Lakewood is at a critical juncture in its history. In order to move forward, its residents must move beyond their us vs. them mentality and come to terms with their neighbors as individuals working toward a common goal.