While I do agree with Sally Dunford (“Don’t Blame Residents for Norwood’s Woes,” Oct. 22 issue) that you need to follow the money to get to the root of the problem, ultimately it lies in the individual and family. The reason why Norwood is heading downhill is because of the bad-quality, non-working tenants with issues moving in which forces working middle-class families to flee because it is no longer a nice place to raise a family.

Forget being “politically correct” for a minute and let’s not sugarcoat anything. The overall tenant transplants currently moving into Norwood are people from the street with a lifestyle that is poisonous to our community. And that needs to stop if you care about the future of Norwood. The way they conduct themselves reflects on the community. It deters nice working middle-class families from moving in and goes against preserving the working middle-class in Norwood. Bad tenants make bad neighborhoods. Is every low-income person a bad person? No, but you can’t deny the presence of the “bad apple” low-income people who create nuisances in our lovely Norwood community.

When you see young people outside hanging out, sitting on parked cars, acting loud, selling drugs, smoking weed and writing graffiti, do you blame the “policymakers” for their disorderly conduct or the teens’ parents for allowing that type of behavior to occur (because they’re too busy doing something else) that’s apparently more important than raising well mannered, educated and respectable kids? Using the “I’m poor” excuse does not justify that type of “ghetto” behavior which brings down the quality of life in Norwood.

You can be raised in a poor household and become the next president of the United States if you really want to. That’s the beauty of living in America.

There’s no denying that the overall market rents in the Bronx are the most affordable rents in all five boroughs. That’s a good thing.

The problem is Section 8 has now made it so financially attractive for Bronx landlords to take in Section 8 tenants because the maximum Section 8 will pay for any apartment is about $200 higher than what a Bronx landlord can rent the apartment for to a middle-class tenant. This means a once middle-class community like Norwood can easily be transformed into a subsidized, public assistance oasis for low-income people with issues. Bronx landlords are also to blame due to their incompetent and lax screening process (if any) and lack of building rules enforcement,

The real goal here is to preserve the hardworking, family-friendly, middle-class in Norwood because they are the engine of our economy. You have middle-class, working families who struggled, got off their rear ends, paid their dues, went to school, got a degree and did whatever it took to earn enough money to support their families. These are the same people that are willing to pay a little more in rent as long as the neighborhood provides a clean and safe place to raise their children. Take that away from them and they’ll move elsewhere. The rent may be a bit higher elsewhere but the neighborhood will be cleaner, safer and a much nicer place to raise a family. After all, you get what you pay for.

You can’t have both.

Robert Lopez
Norwood

The writer is responding to a letter in a previous issue of the Norwood News which was a response to his initial letter in the Sept. 24 issue. –Ed.