The bus stop that these kids use is right near the Starbucks. One student recently assaulted a police officer. One broke a large window at a business. One assaulted an elderly female employee while shoplifting at the local Korean grocery store. All of this is from these kids who are bused in for school. The people who actually live in Squirrel Hill are very well behaved, because Squirrel Hill is one of the few remaining neighborhoods in Pittsburgh where it is still considered shameful and embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock.
I am very familiar with Squirrel Hill. I spent considerable time there as a college student.
Yes, you are correct. It is one of the few really moral areas left in Pittsburgh. And that’s because of the large Orthodox Jewish population. I myself am not Jewish. But I worked for awhile for an Orthodox Jewish organization there. I admire them greatly. They have standards. And they will not compromise those standards.
I do fear for the area. Like with the rest of Pittsburgh, things are getting worse in Squirrel Hill. You noted a few examples of that. At one time, there was a large Jewish presence on Fifth Ave. downtown. But that neighborhood deteriorated, and the Jewish folks had to vacate.
Will this also happen in Squirrel Hill? Will the Jewish folks vacate? I hope not, but it’s probably so.