BRATTLEBORO — My response was born out of the desire to keep perspective: I live near, work near, and go to all of the businesses on Elliot Street at all times of the day and night.
Have you seen families having dinner at Hazel? Couples at TJ Buckley's? People attending 118 Elliot Street for events? The New England Youth Theatre? How many crimes have been committed against these people? Are people too afraid to venture out on Gallery Walk?
Regarding my lack of education, I'm not only well-aware of the drug problems the entire tri-state area is currently grappling with, I know the causes of it. Help is needed for the people suffering from the plague of addiction and the crime that comes with it.
Now, perspective: Having lived in quite a few big cities, - including New Orleans, San Diego, Boston, and Pittsburgh - for years at a time, I know that Brattleboro is overall a safe and great place to raise a family and to live and work. (I don't even know how to reply about the tent comment.)
My main gripe, as I stated initially, was that The Commons is read by lots of people visiting and possibly considering a life in a great, artsy, and overall quite safe and friendly town, and the story was a gross misrepresentation of Elliot Street as a seething urban hotbed of vice and violence. (Scoring imperfectly in a state with incredibly low crime doesn't say much, by the way.)
Perspective. Not everywhere can be the bucolic wonderland that is Hinsdale, it's true, but I am very happy we chose to settle in this great town (and state).
In closing, because I'm finished with my part of this discussion, I would just like to add, “Yay! We're number 56!” (on the list of top-100 best small towns in 2015 from livability.com).
And I'd love to see more from Chrissy Howe concerning some of the many positive things about Brattleboro in the future.