From the Comment Section: Lynn School Watch

Lest there be too much positive sentiment about Lynn's trajectory in the wake of last night's Chronicle episode about the city, I found this comment on the local blog Lynn School Watch regarding the episode from an anonymous user:

"I am sick of paying the already high taxes in this deteriorating city due to the incompetence of the so-called leaders! Did anyone see Chronicle last night? What a joke and misrepresentation of Lynn! I didn't hear anything mentioned about the crime rate, rat problem and failing school system this city has!"

Given that the episode was only a half hour, was the Lynn special a total misrepresentation of the city? Did the producers gloss over some glaringly obvious areas that need to be improved?


Some negatives left out of the Lynn discussion:

• Trash/Rodent Problem
• School System (standardized test score performance, condition of school buildings, overcrowding, graduation rates)
• Unemployment Rate/Educational Attainment
• Criminal Activity
• Number of Abandoned Properties/Foreclosed Homes
• Neglect of Some Public Areas (sidewalks, parks)

One also has to consider the intent of the feature. Perhaps, Chronicle was not attempting to give a complete overview of the city and its current state but simply highlight many of the positive changes that are occurring in the city as a way to combat the belief that there is nothing good about the city.


There were also many positives left out of the episode as well:

• Easy Access to Public Transportation/Proximity to Boston
• Dedicated Community/Neighborhood Groups (ex. Lynn Community Association, Goldfish Pond Neighborhood Association, Downtown Lynn Neighborhood Association)
• Distinct Neighborhoods (Highlands, Diamond District, etc.)
• Youth-Related Organizations (LYSOA, Part of the Solution, No Ceilings Youth Group)
• The Ford Full-Service Community School 
• Multiple Ponds (Goldfish, Flax, Sluice, Breeds)
• High Rock Tower/Park
• Lifelong Multi-Generational Lynn Families

Thoughts on the Chronicle feature?

You may also be interested in:

• Positivity is adding up in Lynn (Revitalizing a Community)
• Positive Drips of Revitalization Adding up Daily (Revitalizing a Community)
• A Slum by Any Other Name (Lynn-side Edition)
• Lynn Education Attainment Data (An Education)
• 9 Inches of Rat (Lynn-side Edition) 
• Lynn Grads Post an Impressive List of Post-Secondary Achievements (An Education)
• Lynn Police Department 2011 Annual Report
• Neighborhood Upgrades - A New Series (Lynn-side Edition) 
• Lynn MCAS Results 2012: Part I (An Education)