Today I was directed to some good (and not so good) words written on gentrification in Bushwick. For the good (at least, as of the last time I got to look), check out Penpusher’s comment. Some of the good stuff:
But I think deep down, everyone knows that “Gentrification” might as well be called “Manifest Destiny,” as people with the power come in and take what they want from an area, leaving the natives to scramble to get whatever they can before they are completely forced out. What techniques are used to get people to leave? Whatever is available. A person is late with the rent for whatever reason. Maybe they didn’t get paid on time. Maybe they had to choose between feeding their kids and paying a week later. I don’t want to overdramatize this, but this sort of thing does happen. The landlord has an excuse to evict…
… I suppose there will be people who say, ah well, that’s just business and people are permitted to do what they want in our “free society.” But until you are in the position of those forced to move, for no other reason than the metaphorical 100 year storm came and forced you out, because you were doing ok but couldn’t afford to protect your home from the surge that came in and ruined everything, you don’t really know or understand what the other side of “gentrification” is all about.
thanks for the linkage 😉
As a native Bushwick Boy I’ve had some thoughts on what’s being said about Bushwick. My ode to Bushwick blog entry starts off with:
I’ve seen quite a few blog posts hating on Bushwick, Brooklyn. My heart goes out to the community of Bushwick. I was born and raised there. Spent my first 20 years of life in that community and saw it become what it is now. During those years I witnessed…..
i really love the frakk out of your blog! thanks for the info on the current gentri situation in bushwick. i’m a black queerchick from la who’s moving to nyc in the next few months and so i’ve been researching living locales and such. was quite dismayed to see that similar destruction of historical/cultural communities is taking place coast to coast. not surprised, i guess. but it’s nice to see there’s such a thriving queer conscious revolution going on…or in the works. i shall link to you on my blog!
No problem. Guess I should say thank you, too, for the linkage, even though I was the one who did the linking. 😉
Thanks for reading and writing, Allan. I read your post on Bushwick; good stuff.
Thanks, Faith! And yeah, sadly, gentrification like this is going on in cities all over the country. I’m most familiar with its effects in NYC and Philly, but reading about similar things going on in San Francisco and other cities, it’s all the same thing, basically.
And thanks for the link!