Slums of Long Island? Not really.

It's been a nagging thought in the back of my mind since my husband found the article two Sundays ago. The NYT published a story about how horrible Mastic, Mastic Beach and Shirley are. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/realestate/05livi.html

Let me just tell you that in 7 years we haven't found our end of town to be like this. We live in what they call the Tangiers section of Shirley. We are within a 1/2 of our elementary school, while we get weekly and at times twice weekly sex offender notices we know there are none next door. Well actually there's no one next door, it's an unimproved lot. We have plenty of deer stop by though.

What the story doesn't tell is how hard residents are fighting really hard to get these towns cleaned up. The conditions are unacceptable, but do not ever believe residents are okay with the status quo. What has failed is our local government, not our population as a whole. I would think sex offenders are perceived much more dangerous than the immigrants in Farmingville. But that might just be me, a mom with two daughters. Why do they keep getting placed here? Why is there no oversight? And why hasn't anyone truly acknowledged our plight? I think it's a mentality difference, the desire to fight for what you want and need vs expecting things to be done for you. Hence the idea of incorporating to take control of what is ours vs parading with signs on street corners.

What struck me in the article and in the comments was the notion that people out here are lesser beings. That is the biggest misconception I've ever heard. How would I know? Well, I grew up in Nesconset, went to Smithtown High School, lived in Middle Island and Farmingville before buying our house here in Shirley. I've seen all ends of the spectrum, lived and worked with the people. Yes, here they might not be in the height of fashion, or have all their teeth, but they're not bad people. I had nastier customers in Setauket, more truly disgusting men coming in shirtless then out here. And I worked the early shift - 6am in the morning - so I saw most of the local contractors a few times a week, if not daily. They acknowledge you and accept you, unlike in Setauket where you are there to serve. I had more men offer to lift things, carry things and move things in Shirley - even before I was pregnant.

What else the article doesn't mention for us has been a saving grace. The special ed department in the Wm Floyd District for preschool has been amazing. When I backed out of the CPSE testing to try early intervention one last time, the director called and basically reamed me out for not going through with things. She calmed down when I explained. And she was the one who didn't hesitate to start my daughter in the summer session, who approved intense speech therapy and other evaluations and subsequently adding occupational therapy. I was terrified to go to my first CPSE meeting, especially after hearing horror stories. We almost hired a pro to go in with us. After that first meeting I've had little cause for concern.

It's really sad that a fighting community has gotten such a bad write up from the Times. There are worse areas than ours, with less dumped on them than ours, that got prettier write-ups. So why are we only good for the beaches and a pit stop to the East End? The area might not be as pretty as some, or as wealthy as some, but it has heart. And that is truly rare.