SJSinNYC: I agree with some of your points, and disagree with others. Here’s my take on ambush’s post:
If I go to Meah Shearim, I am a visitor. The people living there request that I follow their rules, and it would be nice of me to do so. However, I’m not REQUIRED to. If I don’t, yes, I may get screamed at, etc., even attacked. That’s wrong. They have no right to attack me, and I can have someone who does that arrested.
If I actually move into a neighborhood, now I am a resident, and I have the right to make myself comfortable. Get enough people who share my views, and it gets much easier to reach my comfort level.
That’s what happened in Lakewood: other people moved in, who have different views than the Yeshiva. As residents, they have every right to do what makes them comfortable. After all, Lakewood is their home also.