Where Is Rio Grande Headed?

In earlier columns I mentioned that I grew up on the Mexican border, 43 miles north of it, to be exact. Like most children, my eyes were open to the differences between my hometown, Las Cruces, N.M. and Juarez, Mexico, where we very frequently crossed the Rio Grande to shop. There we encountered lots of impoverished people  attempting to get by any way they could — at the traffic lights, men  washed our windshield for a handout — at street corners, people shined our shoes for five cents — beggars in rags pleaded, “Un penny, por favor.” 
It did not scare me to go down there, but the different lives, the feeling of everything different created in my childish mind the notion that the watery divide between them and us was more than a river; it was a divide between two worlds.
Fast forward to Rio Grande, Cape May County, New Jersey, where we at the Herald have had our offices since the 1980s. We have experienced quite a transition in this community in these past decades. In our beginning here, the settlement was rather sleepy, except for the highways which traverse it. That later changed as Rio Grande became a commercial center, and the future appeared to be headed nowhere but up.    
Well, you know the old saying, what goes up must come down. Instead of continuing up, Rio Grande went into a slump, becoming a magnet for the homeless as well as some shady characters, many riding the misguided government handout train. Viewing this decline from the rows of southern-facing windows of the Herald has awakened in me unsettling recollections of the Rio Grande of my childhood, which divided poverty from prosperity.
Given these concerns, I asked Herald editor, Al Campbell if he would speak with the chief of police to arrange a meeting. Al did so, and he, Chris Leusner, and I met in the police substation next door to the Herald. I told him how we sometimes see lowered cars with loud mufflers and blaring music on Route 47. I told him that a former Herald employee who had been a Philadelphia police officer said that, with political support, they got those people off their streets. I told him that it is disturbing that the bank across the street finds it necessary to post an armed guard outside.  I neglected to mention the panhandling.
In his very personable manner, Chief Leusner informed us that he and his department are well aware of the problems in Rio Grande and have been taking measures to address them. As a result, reported crime here is down 29 percent, vs. 12 percent in Middle Township overall. Regarding the vehicles with the bad actors, he said that he would look into what laws may be at their disposal to deal with those people, just as Wildwood has done.
The chief drove me over to an outreach ministry of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Stone Harbor, located here in Rio Grande, entitled The Branches. There he introduced me to Susan Mayfair who runs it. The Branches operates six days a week, offering breakfast and lunch to up to 60 people. While few people would desire such an establishment in their neighborhood, it is a current necessity until such time as we can return to our former economic standing. He also told me the police work with The Lighthouse Church because of the invaluable support the church offers to the homeless and addicted.
The brief time we spent with Chief Leusner encouraged us. While he was clear that much more needs to be done, it is clear that he knows the challenges and is driven to address them. His energy and passion instill confidence that the budding optimism is well placed. As a tangible sign of the change taking place, we are now seeing several new commercial construction projects underway.
Art Hall
From the Bible — I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat… Matthew 25: 35