The Observation Deck

As the creator and owner of the Facebook page entitled "Faces of Lakewood", I am not in any way connected with or supportive of the new "Faces of Build Lakewood".

As a new transplant from NYC and an admirer of Brandon Stanton's wonderful "Humans of New York" (HONY) page, I decided that I love my home so much I wanted to do something that was positive, productive and reflective of my love for my new hometown by using my skills as a photojournalist to do this and create "Faces of Lakewood" so that all aspects of Lakewood not just its human population could be extolled.

I am amazed that anyone would be so small minded, disingenuous and mean spirited to steal not only my idea but my title also purely for political gain? I was brought up and taught to "love my neighbor as myself" and this action I take umbrage against.

I'd much rather love you than demean you for taking a stance I might disagree with.

I believe love will prevail, maybe not in the immediacy of this hospital issue but in the long run.

Alex,

People who have no ideas, steal the ideas of others. Build lakewood is bankrupt of ideas.

I didn't mean for this to sound like a question from an SAT test but I think Faces of build lakewood stole your idea.

No. No, they didn't.

No offense to anyone but the whole "Faces of X" is not exactly original and trademarked. I love the "Faces of Lakewood" series but it is no different on Facebook from other "Faces Of". You can find "Faces of Newfoundland", "Faces of Cancer", "Faces of Baltimore" etc. And most of them predate "Faces of Lakewood".

Are we so quick to judge others that we can't do research to find out if our judgement is warranted?

Matthew Lee wrote:No. No, they didn't.

Are we so quick to judge others that we can't do research to find out if our judgement is warranted?

Matthew

I can only judge from what I am presented and from their history.

My judgement, these people are morally bankrupt.

Alex himself said it was based on "Human's of New York," and saw no big deal, but took the
time to add the slight change others have also added in an effort to appear proper.

But let's look at Alex and then a look back.

The man moves here from New York, a retired English teacher with a hobby of
photography. He runs into a couple people, and starts to take photos for the Observer,
and I have lunch with him. He is filled with excitement, small town, good people, great
photo events, and so un New York.

Within a month, people are stealing his images. We are not talking about Matthew Lee,
grabbing an image off of facebook. We are talking about "sites" grabbing them and using
them as their own, or just using them. Out go Cease and Desist calls and letters. These
were people that have been warned again and again, but they care not about intellectual
property, art, photos anything. After all what they are doing, "Is good for Lakewood."

Alex sits back and learns even hobbies need legal guidance, and the very cool Lakewood,
suddenly becomes more like "The Town Without Pity" so many of us have come to see. The
BS continues and now he has to pick and choose, and make sure his act of love and
generosity to the community he has adopted, turns on him again and again.

He has no fight in Lakewood Hospital, but covers their events, as something to take
pictures of, and finds out, that SLH may have an uphill battle, but the fight for honest fair
government is more than worth it. Finally he is part of a community, taking up helping the
schools, LakewoodAlive, any group that comes to him as long as they respect his copyright.

He speaks out online about Save the Hospital, and now they are out to get him too. I know
we can marginalize and steal something he cares about, "Faces of Lakewood." They love to
steal and mess with what you care about, if you do not join their group think. I have
watched it again and again and again. This is the nasty part of Lakewood that comes to the
surface in times of stress like now.

How do I know this, you need an example. For almost ten years I ran a website called,
"I Love Lakewood" all I did was post 3-5 photos of Lakewood everyday. It was my ode to
the City I loved so much. For ten years it collected thousands of images, cataloged in
various ways. Then one day Ken mentioned, "I had been watching Jim and his love and
respect for Lakewood for years with "I Love Lakewood." The next day two of them started
"Love Lakewood" and took some of the worst crap from crime sites and put it there. So
when you did a search for I love lakewood, terrible links would surround it. Illegal, no
but just morally and ethically bankrupt, and signs of being psychopaths.

By chance, not when they told their friends, they were "going to show me."

This town, and many of our civic leaders are morally bankrupt. Do it for them, or they will
simply steal it.

Is this the end of the world? No. Will Alex survive? Yes. But this things are what keep real
creative people out of Lakewood and off of so many boards. Lack of respect total lack of
honesty. When a City Hall hires thugs to carry out their dirty work, the City is morally lost.

Alex, I am sorry, but I warned you, and they proved me right yet again, they always do.

Peace my brother. Que Lakewood's theme song...



.

"Build Lakewood" is trying to hide the fact that it is "anti-hospital".

This counterfeit "Faces" project is part of the effort.

I think Jim Kenny, the first subject of the idiotic series, owes Alex Belisle an apology.

Matthew Lee wrote:No. No, they didn't.

No offense to anyone but the whole "Faces of X" is not exactly original and trademarked. I love the "Faces of Lakewood" series but it is no different on Facebook from other "Faces Of". You can find "Faces of Newfoundland", "Faces of Cancer", "Faces of Baltimore" etc. And most of them predate "Faces of Lakewood".

Are we so quick to judge others that we can't do research to find out if our judgement is warranted?

Alex acknowledges "Humans of New York" on his site.
No such accreditation from BL.

Anyone who thinks this is a coincidence is either a BL troll or deeply naive.

Alex,
I think you are extremely talented and I enjoy viewing your photographs here on the Observer. I am happy that you moved to Lakewood and have become engaged with the community. Please don't let the few corrupt ones discourage you. Consider it a compliment. Since they have no talent, they stole yours! I am looking for many more photos to come. Hang in there!

Thank you all for your kind words. I plan to continue to throw a "shining light" on my new home which I have fallen in love with.

Alex and I are both retired educators.

As such, we never had any choice, regarding the students who would walk into our classroom.

Our job, for all of those students, was to encourage, accept, educate, and lead by example.

We had our personal opinions on different issues, of course. I sometimes even offered my opinions to students, but I always made sure that the students knew the difference between facts and opinions.

The important thing that I always stressed was that critical thinking skills needed to be applied to issues, so that facts, logic, and reason could all be used before conclusions are drawn.

There are many unanswered questions in this current Lakewood controversy. There have been many allegations, many pseudo-facts thrown around, and of course, much emotional and unproven opinionated rhetoric in play. People, (including me) feel strongly about these issues. At the same time, I feel just as strongly that we all need to focus on those issues, rather than on each other.

Neither Alex nor myself, as educators, should be expected to be drawn into the current political give-and-take going on. That's just not what teachers do.

It's called taking the high road, or looking before one leaps, or expecting the best from people and ourselves, while realistically understanding that people often will fall short, including ourselves.

Alex has his peacemaking camera. I have my peacemaking banjo...

...but the mission is the same...

I like the old Quaker expression "Mind the Light". That sorta sums it all up for me.


As far as anyone allegedly copying what Alex may have started? I'm sure that he and I both understand that timeless expression about imitation being flattery, but yes, a little bit of credit is never a bad thing, is it?


Back to the banjo...

Thanks Gary.

We educators do think alike, don't we?

I guess I give up. Nobody "stole" Alex's "Faces of Lakewood". Just like Alex didn't steal his Face's from anything else. It is public domain. There is nothing wrong with doing it and if you Google it, there are well over 1,000 different examples of it.

However, if everyone thinks that Build Lakewood is evil and therefore they "stole" Alex's idea, then I cannot stop it.

Personally, I am in the middle of the Hospital discussion. I think that both sides are insanely off their rocker and neither side is listening to, or even wants to acknowledge, the other side unless arguing about how wrong that side is for their take.

I am absolutely NOT a BL troll (or naive, just ask my wife) nor am I a SLH troll. Just a concerned Lakewood citizen that is worried about our city and the vitriolic debate around the hospital.

Peace.

Matthew Lee wrote: if everyone thinks that Build Lakewood is evil

BL wants to demolish our hospital and put hundreds of people out of work.
That's pretty evil.

BL is looking to play the "moral equivalency" game....pretending that there are two equally valid points of view. That's one reason they have launched this "Faces of Build Lakewood" nonsense.
It reminds me of how the the tobacco lobby did its PR for many decades.

Michael Deneen wrote:

Matthew Lee wrote: if everyone thinks that Build Lakewood is evil

BL wants to demolish our hospital and put hundreds of people out of work.
That's pretty evil.

BL is looking to play the "moral equivalency" game....pretending that there are two equally valid points of view. That's one reason they have launched this "Faces of Build Lakewood" nonsense.
It reminds me of how the the tobacco lobby did its PR for many decades.

No, that's actually not evil. If you think it is, then there is no way I can dissuade you. Just like you cannot convince me it is evil. Is it something we should discuss in a rational manner? Yes. But is it pure evil? IMHO, no. But if you think so, I cannot change your mind.

Matthew Lee wrote: But if you think so, I cannot change your mind.

Matthew,

Just curious, Do you think that it is possible that one side is right and another is wrong?

Brian Essi wrote:Just curious, Do you think that it is possible that one side is right and another is wrong?

Nope. I think both sides are shades of gray. Just my humble opinion but I do not think there is a "right" or "wrong" in this issue.