Jane Jacobs

boogieknight

Yeah, MHA you wrong. Tell me, you flat-out racist or just wildly ignorant?

If you and some old timers can't afford Bristens or the new coffee shops or a $6 beer at Franklin Park - that's on you. Sorry but it is. You know those places rent, don't you? And those rents determine how much they have to charge customers so that they can stay in business and turn a profit? Since you won't or can't afford to rent those spaces and set up appropriate businesses, would you rather they sit empty?

People have got to stop hating on those who have more money than them. Or better put, they have to stop hating on people who legally make more money than them (you can hate on some narcotics kingpin all you want). If the current average salary for a person who works in NYC is $50K a year - you cannot begrudge someone for accepting that salary, even if you earn far less.

And you know what else? That $50k is eaten up by the fact that their rents are going to be more expensive than yours.

MHA if you're a longtime resident one of 2 things are happening. You own a building/brownstone in a desirable neighborhood and are sitting on property worth a small fortune. You can then choose to rent that property to Black families at way below current rent rates and you can use that property as collateral and open up businesses that are beneficial to your "Black ecosystem".

If you are in fact doing so, then good on you. If you're not, and you're just sitting there in your palace, perhaps renting for the most coin possible, then you're just a hypocritical windbag.

2nd scenario - you're renting either a rent-controlled/stabilized apt that no newcomer, even a poor one, ever has a chance in hell of renting. Because you and your family know damn well that you are never, ever going to give up a 2-3 bdrm apt that you only pay a pittance for.

In which case I have to ask you - Damn your rent's been basically frozen for ages and you haven't set aside a healthy nest egg yet? Or use that monthly cost savings to set up a business or get a college/graduate degree that leads to you and your family earning more so than you can afford to eat at Bristens?

Did you use that savings to open and run a free daycare center for poor working mothers of Color or a school for Black youths? What the hell have you been doing for the Black ecosystem all this time? Just flapping your gums about White people?

Real efficient use of your time there, pal.

boogieknight

Damn all that writing and just now upon re-reading do I see that MHA only moved in 3 yrs ago.

I'm dumb.

As a dumb as a person can't find an affordable cup of coffee or a meal and drinks at 95 South or Lily and Fig, or 3Ds or La Higienica )or whatever its called now), or Kelso's Cafe, or Liga Sports Bar or any of the many bodegas and stores that are owned/operated by Black and Brown people on Franklin Ave.

whynot_31

<<< gets popcorn, and quitely wonders if MHA is JAH's dad.

mha

Subject: Black Anger = Imbecility, Racism and Ignorance? Hmmmmm....

"...those Black folks who have, rather than complaining about the unfariness of white privilege.." Capt. Planet, what makes you think I limit my actions to complaining? Believe me, I am a very active member of this community, and what positive changes have occurred, I believe that my actions are a part of that change. I am pointing out what I believe to be the other edge of the sword of gentrification -- i.e -- that white privilege pushes out Black people, and to deny that reality is to deem the world is only rosy because those with money make it so. Have you ever thought of the folks who have been living here for years making legitimate attempts at keeping their neighborhoods clean? You think you have to be a gentrifier to want clean streets?

Take Franklin Park, do you know how many complaints the Black tenants of the brownstone it abuts have made about that place? They have complained about the noise, and the cigarette stench that they have to put up with almost every day. The police have turned deaf ears and blind eyes to those quality of life infractions. In contrast take I95, the Black-owned club on Franklin Avenue: Do you realise how often they are subject to police regulation? Why is that? If there is going to be regulation of one, why not the other? I will tell you why: Because the ownership of one is Black, and the other is white. The patronage of one is Black, and the other is predominantly white, that's why. And to say it has something to do with 'gentrification' is disingenuous. It has everything to do with race. So yeah, dismiss me as racist or an imbecile, or even Archie Bunkeresque. It won't be the first time an angry Black person is called names just because he/she is angry. In fact, history has taught us that to do so is racist.
And the Black criminals you refer to, have you ever thought about why they exist? They exist because of a police force that will repeatedly say they are doing something about it, but instead they are being tolerant of the criminal element. You and I know let one white woman be accosted by any of these young guys on the street, and see how quickly a change will come. Have a conversation with police officers who patrol the neighborhood. They'll let you know that as long as these local thugs leave the whitefolks alone, everything is okay.
Gee whiz Clayfilms, I guess I am a racist just because you say I am. Go figure. I didn't know it was that easy. Ad hominem responses are not rational, sir/madam, they are just noise. I live right beside a drug spot. I've been living there for 3 years, and I have consistently told the police about the activity. I've heard it directly from the Crow Hill Community Association that for years they too have made complaints about the criminal element on my block. Tell me, what prevents police action? You know what does? My complaints, and the complaints of other Black people who have been living here for years. We don't mind the improvement of the neighborhood, but why must it come when white folks open their mouths? Why is my life, and my attempts at improving my neighborhood not lauded, and not valued, but when the gentry come in, implicit in their actions is that people who have not been here for years have not been trying to make change? Every day I have to deal with garbage tossed out the windows of my neighbors. Everyday I am picking up dogshit and diapers that my neighbors casually throw out the window. I even change their garbage bags when they refuse to do it. I don't have to be a member of the gentry to do this. And when I make complaints via 311 or even 911, nothing happens. I bet you, one of you whitefolks do the very same thing and see what happens. Why is that? That isn't supposed to make me angry? There is a difference between racism and critique. I am not a racist. I resent being called one. If you want to stifle debate by throwing out that word, then go right ahead. I made mention of white people moving into the neighborhood to make a nuanced point: The great majority of Black people cannot afford to! Just minutes ago I witnessed a white dude with his father move into an apartment that I know firsthand a Black family was trying to move into, and the owner of the property is Black. The person who was trying to move into it kept on getting the runaround from the owner, and lo, here is some white dude from Jersey moving in. Now, she has been living in the neighborhood for years, and she has been a pillar here for years. She works in the neighborhood as well, but what will prevent her from moving in: some Obama-voting white dude with more money in his pocket. All I'm doing is pointing out the hypocrisy of gentrification. And when the same white dude gets tired of these 'niggas' (as they like to call themselves) selling 'trees' , all he has to do is open his mouth and they will disappear. White life is considered more valuable then Black life, and to say such is not the case is disingenuous. And that's why the Black woman who owns the property deferred to the white dude and his rich papa - who are not paying more rent by the way -- because she also presumes that there is more value to whiteness than to blackness. Yeah, I know this is anecdote, but there is truth to subjective experience.

mha

Actually Whynot_31, I frequent all of the places you mentioned, and I am none of the things you presume me to be, and if we are going to devolve into name calling, then I really don't want to get into a debate with you. I don't think being called racist or ignorant helps here, even if that is how you feel. The problem with discourse in America is that it always devolves into name-calling, and that solves nothing. It prevents problem solving, actually. If you cannot disagree without calling someone a name, then you're not debating, you're arguing. I go to Franklin Park all the time, I'm often in Bristen's, Breukelen, Kelso's and other places. I'm not 'hating' on anyone. I'm simply pointing out the contradictions in gentrification. Also, my initial email about white folks moving in was tongue-in-cheek, and I guess most of all of y'all just didn't get the joke. That's cool.

whynot_31

MHA, I think you are confusing me with a different poster.

I'm the guy eating popcorn.

But, even though I think you are mistaking me for a different poster, I'll treat you as if you've "sort of asked", and I'll "sort of answer".

I have never been in Bristens, Kelsos, or Breukelen. I think I haven't been to Bristens or Breukelen b/c I don't drink coffee, but its good to know they are black owned.

Kelsos has been on my list for a while, but I always end up eating at the Indian place on the same block.

I've been to Franklin Park twice, but found it to be too loud. When I was at I-95, I found it didn't have a big beer selection, so I didn't go back. I could list all of the places I go to locally that I think are non-white owned, but I don't have that much time. Or interest.

P.S. After your last post, I've decided you are not JAH's dad.

lnelson

Subject: Re: Black Anger = Imbecility, Racism and Ignorance? Hmmmmm..

MHA wrote:

I bet you, one of you whitefolks do the very same thing and see what happens. Why is that?
...
There is a difference between racism and critique. I am not a racist. I resent being called one. If you want to stifle debate by throwing out that word, then go right ahead...
...
some Obama-voting white dude with more money in his pocket.

MHA, as an Obama-voting whitefolk, I want to thank you from the bottom of my money-filled pocket for your enlightened observation about the difference between racism and critique and the debate-stifling effect of throwing out words without knowing the humans being you're labeling.

(Ooops, hypocritical me, I just publicly announced that I voted for Obama. My bad.)

clayfilms

Subject: Re: Black Anger = Imbecility, Racism and Ignorance? Hmmmmm..

MHA wrote: Gee whiz Clayfilms, I guess I am a racist just because you say I am. Go figure. I didn't know it was that easy. Ad hominem responses are not rational, sir/madam, they are just noise.

i apologize for calling you a racist..thanks for taking the time to respond in a civil manner. however, i do think that you're blaming the wrong people. from what you describe, it seems that the people at fault are:

1. the police commissioner
2. the local police
3. your "neighbors"

kudos to you for being involved with the local community board. i pray that more people like you proactively initiate community involvement and continue to care and advocate for change. but again, white residents who have moved into crown heights over the past 5 years are not the problem. but it seems that their presence is just exposing the lack of consistent policing (with regard to quality of life crimes), and true community.

MHA wrote: Just minutes ago I witnessed a white dude with his father move into an apartment that I know firsthand a Black family was trying to move into, and the owner of the property is Black.

whose fault is that? surely not the white guy from jersey. the landlord sounds like the prejudiced party. but maybe he's just been burned by alot of black diaper tossing tenants and that poor upstanding women just has the misfortune of being labeled as such by him. or maybe he's just filled with self-hatred.

capt. planet

MHA, I think you just plain miss the old "black ecosystem". When crime, unemployoment, drugs, etc. were just an accepted part of the landscape, when police harrassment was predictable and it could all be conveniently blamed on "the man".
A lot has happened since then. The man has crawled back into his cave, and black folks are expected to be part of the community. Calling 911 (a telephone service, hence color blind) works the same for everybody. Folks know that you have to call more than once to get attention. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, and traditionally black communities have been the least squeaky. To change that image and reality, then black folks will just have to get a lot more involved.
As a member of the community board in Crown Heights, I can see it happening. A lot of black folks are starting to get it. They're not taking the crap they used to take, they're demanding that their elected officials and police commander deliver the goods and they're not backing down. Perhaps you're one of them. it's really cool. And it's not the same old Crown Heights.

ishtar

BoogieKnight wrote:
If you and some old timers can't afford Bristens or the new coffee shops or a $6 beer at Franklin Park - that's on you.

$4 Modello on mineS. It's the only way I can afford to order from Bristens.

catwalkertexasranger

MHA..They can tell the difference between Archie Bunker and George Jefferson at 311 or the police dept? Whitie's call will get a street sweep for "tree" salesmen?
I would love to write more but I am right in the middle of watching Blackula! Soul train will be on soon so I better hurry. Those big apt bldgs on EParkway where built for a whole different world.When the original occupants moved out the complaining started and has not stopped. Italians,Irish,Asians, Germans,Jews,Arabs,Caribs we all get are chance to be complained about.It's part of the NY experience. You should read about some Brighton Beach history, Things moved so fast that "those people" refers to 3 groups within 15 years all of them unwanted by the locals.

vaportrail

MHA - you've been living in the hood for 3 years and you're trying to claim that it belongs to you and what ever people you think you're a part of? Please, tell me about the olden' days of 2007. I'm all ears.

sweet tea

Bristen's is black-owned and, in my experience, has a very racially mixed clientele.

the grocery on franklin and st johns -- Nam's fruit market -- has been in the neighborhood longer than i have, and i've been here longer than you.

their vegetables and fruit are fresher than anything else i've seen in the immediate area and no more expensive.

cool the kid

Man the knucklehead teenagers are w/o a doubt the worst part of this neighborhood

I don't fear them as their bodies aren't fully developed, but my girlfriend has already fallen into the cycle of fear (she fears them -> they see it -> some harass her -> she fears them more)

What the hell are some nosy old ladies gonna do to keep kids who mug and sexually assault in check but call some jaded cops?

I don't want to be a part of that cycle. I actually have really grown to like and interact with the older folks, people with families etc on my block, but the damn teenagers... if you're not involved in the lifestyles of crime and materialism they're been indoctrinated into, at best you're a nobody (like me), at worst you're a future victim (like my girlfriend). My rent is cheap, but it will never be cheap enough for this. I am looking forward to leaving CH.

capt. planet

Hey CTK, why don't you attend the next meeting of the Crow Hill association? Their main focus is the Franklin Avenue shopping strip and I'm sure you'd find a lot of sympathy for your concerns. Crow Hill has been instrumental in cleaning up Franklin and would love to talk about how to get rid of the criminal element you cite. Their website is:
http://www.crowhillcommunity.org/
They've also started a blog to help exchange ideas. You can access it from their website.

cool the kid

Capt. Planet wrote: Hey CTK, why don't you attend the next meeting of the Crow Hill association? Their main focus is the Franklin Avenue shopping strip and I'm sure you'd find a lot of sympathy for your concerns. Crow Hill has been instrumental in cleaning up Franklin and would love to talk about how to get rid of the criminal element you cite. Their website is:
http://www.crowhillcommunity.org/
They've also started a blog to help exchange ideas. You can access it from their website.

I will check it out.

parkplace

Wow. I am really surprised to read the reactions to MHA's post. I am of the school that says its not possible to be racist against white people, as being racist is not just about negative generalizations by involves power differentials.

But also, a lot of MHAs points are right and important. It is important to think about the impact of gentrification on the longer term residents. I've been renting in CH for about 4 years. I thought I was getting a decent rent when I moved in but found out others in the building had been paying half what we pay. The landlords have a lot of incentive to get the long term folks out, make some 'renovations' and double the rent.

But MHA, I don't think that this phenomenon will be solved by individual choices, such as one white person choosing to move to Park Slope instead of CH. And let's be honest - MANY white people don't have a lot of money so its not like they can just choose to live where they want. I think things can only change when there are real social movements for keeping/expanding affordable housing; movements to raise wages through unions and legislation; movements to expand public transportation with more lines and more affordable fares, etc. I don't mean this as a cop-out but really don't see how individual actions about where to live or shop can really change these dynamics.

catwalkertexasranger

Community standards are hard to overlook as part of this post. CTK says his girlfriend is afraid and he looks forward to leaving the area. Sad. In better soc/econ areas intimidation takes place as well but is responded to differently by everybody involved. Teen boys no matter what color are going to do impulsive things.The reaction is what is so different. In a word fear. Anger and outrage take a backseat in poorer areas. The nosy old lady is afraid to get involved,the police are afraid, the victim,and the parents are afraid. As you walk down the street you can see the absence of any civic thought from litter, a subway seat,holding a door.loud and vulgar speech. Listen for a really loud radio in your apt bldg, the person doing it is inconsiderate and the people not responding are numb and afraid to even start to address people for fear of something far short of a civil exchange. My opinion is most of this has little to do with race but standards and expectations. Trace back the origin of the discarded chicken box and bones on the street or subway platform and you will find your problem. It's not race but intellect.

domino

I beg to differ about you cannot be racist against white people.
Racism is hatred based on stereotypes (usually wrong) which are associated with one race. Largely due to no interaction or actual knowledge of said race.

Please refer to the statements:
"Realise that you got your job because of your connections, and be 'historically responsible'. . . . You guys have Park Slope now; why not stay there?. . . And that's why I can't stand most of you."

Sounds a lot like hated based on a stereotype that each white person coming to CH is a "trust fund" baby with just gobs of cash and a postion they did not have to compete for or struggle to maintain. If that were the case, why not go the easy route and go to an already gentrified neighborhood? To a hipper neighborhood?

I actually had an older relative that since passed that lived on Sterling back in the early '60's. She fled the area, despite her low rent and spacious apartment, due to the increasing crime rate and deteriorating conditions. Yes, she rented and finding a comparable rent was difficult (ultimately ended up moving to North Bay Ridge/Sunset Park at a higher rent). She just got tired of reporting crimes that fell on deaf ears, trying to keep the front of her building clean (no, she was not the janitor but took pride in her home) against a never ending tide of garbage and having to travel further and further to find a market. She was also more and more fearful for her safety. Rather than stay and fight, she just left. Given her age - I could appreciate that.

As I can appreciate MHAs complaint of where are the BLACK people to go - lets broaden that to include POOR people and elderly people since those are the groups who have limited options for improving their incomes and housing choices.

One of the biggest problems facing PEOPLE in NYC is affordable housing and quality of life. An individual is just one voice, but individuals who act as a community harness the power of numerous voices. Rather than be exclusionary (based on racist notions) why not strive to find solutions for the community as a whole? Try to welcome change that ENHANCES the neighborhood rather than wanting to stagnate and isolate.

parkplace

Well, there are different definitions of 'racist.' I'd say what you are taking about is prejudice, but that is different from racism (here's an article that shares the view that they are different:
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/caleb/racism.html).

I'd agree with you that affordable housing is a problem for many people in NY, and that it is an issue for poor people and elderly people in particular. I just think it's important to acknowledge that unemployment rates, underemployment rates, poverty rates, average wages are all strongly correlated by race. There is very solid empirical research that shows employment discrimination by race is still very much alive and well. Read Devah Pager's book - she shows that black (and latino) men have to search a lot longer to find work than white men with the exact same education and qualifications. She even found that white men with a felony record were more likely to be interviewed and hired than black men with no criminal record.

I too want a broad class-based movement that fights for affordable housing for all, but we really can't reduce everything to class. Racism against black people is still a major and serious problem in this world.

holla peno

Domino wrote: I beg to differ about you cannot be racist against white people.
Racism is hatred based on stereotypes (usually wrong) which are associated with one race. Largely due to no interaction or actual knowledge of said race.

Er, no. what you just defined is "prejudice". "racism", by contrast, is a a prejudicial attitude, or your "hatred based on stereotypes", or whatever you're calling it, PLUS an institutionalized disadvantage towards those who are "hated". I.E. it's not about the "hater"; it's about whether the systems of governance, society, infrastructure, etc. reinforce and encourage their "hatred".

Or you could just say, "hating white people is the same as hating black people, period." Despite the you know, overwhelmingly different circumstances under which they have lived for the last, dunno, four centuries.

You could do that, and so can Glenn Beck.

ishtar

Holla peno wrote:
Er, no. what you just defined is "prejudice". "racism", by contrast, is a a prejudicial attitude, or your "hatred based on stereotypes", or whatever you're calling it, PLUS an institutionalized disadvantage towards those who are "hated". I.E. it's not about the "hater"; it's about whether the systems of governance, society, infrastructure, etc. reinforce and encourage their "hatred".

Thank you!!!!

This is what most people fail to realize about "isms" of all types. I usually tune people out when they use "isms" incorrectly because it's pretty clear at that point they don't know what they're talking about.

cool the kid

catwalkertexasranger wrote: Community standards are hard to overlook as part of this post. CTK says his girlfriend is afraid and he looks forward to leaving the area. Sad. In better soc/econ areas intimidation takes place as well but is responded to differently by everybody involved. Teen boys no matter what color are going to do impulsive things.The reaction is what is so different. In a word fear. Anger and outrage take a backseat in poorer areas. The nosy old lady is afraid to get involved,the police are afraid, the victim,and the parents are afraid. As you walk down the street you can see the absence of any civic thought from litter, a subway seat,holding a door.loud and vulgar speech. Listen for a really loud radio in your apt bldg, the person doing it is inconsiderate and the people not responding are numb and afraid to even start to address people for fear of something far short of a civil exchange. My opinion is most of this has little to do with race but standards and expectations. Trace back the origin of the discarded chicken box and bones on the street or subway platform and you will find your problem. It's not race but intellect.

Yep

It's not even a matter of safety really, just a matter of the attitude of the people here. If I didn't feel safe here I wouldn't live here, period. It just seems like nobody cares or wants to be here, so it's like, why am I here myself? Loud music in the streets, litter on the sidewalks etc. I've had some pleasant convos with people and made some connections but the general sentiment here just isn't positive. That's the root of the problem, and that has to be addressed before anything. I am taking my money to one of those high rises in LIC or Manhattan.

domino

But I go back to the question, would you define MHAs attitude against the white newcomers to CH as resentment bordering on hateful? How does hatred and resentment against the new white residents of the neighborhood actually solve any of the problems of racism against black people? If the above posts are justifications for MHAs attitude against the new residents to CH would similar attitudes be acceptable - say for example, in Bay Ridge against the Arabic newcomers, in Sunset Park against the Chinese newcomers, in Bensonhurst against the Russian newcomers?

MOD

whynot_31 wrote: [quote=jeffrey][quote=arches]Ah, so you are no longer a "moderator" but now a "gentrifire extinguisher"

NICE!

***edited to add:

As in:

Somebody call 911...
gentrifire burnin' on the CH board...
wo-ho-ho....

:-'

I hereby propose that Jeffrey change his title from Lint Collector to "Gentrifire Extinquisher"

Fine, we gave Jeffrey plenty of time, someone had to do it!

parkplace

I rarely think anger and resentment solve anything. I just thought that many of the responses to MHA focused sounded angry themselves - some defensive, and some focusing on whether MHA was racist.

Instead, it seems more helpful to try to hear the thinking and feelings behind the anger and resentment, and try to work on the collective solutions that would help improve conditions for everyone in CH.

boogieknight

parkplace wrote: I rarely think anger and resentment solve anything. I just thought that many of the responses to MHA focused sounded angry themselves - some defensive, and some focusing on whether MHA was racist.

Instead, it seems more helpful to try to hear the thinking and feelings behind the anger and resentment, and try to work on the collective solutions that would help improve conditions for everyone in CH.

But according to MHA's post and those of similar minded -they are NOT interested "on collective solutions that would help improve conditions for everyone in CH". They only want to improve the situation for Blacks in CH, and just the long-time residents (or in MHA's case, those who moved in 3 yrs ago).

CH would be closed off to any non-Blacks and rents frozen at current levels or perhaps rolled back to 1980 levels. These jobs that Whites and others have only gained through connections (and never through hard work, student loans, natural ability and constant training and maintenance) are they to be given randomly to CH Blacks or would the holder of these positions just have to pay a regular "CH Black Tax rate" on their undeserved salaries?

Would landlords who purchased a brownstone for $600K and need a minimum of $1000 a month rental income to pay their mortgage be restricted to charging a much lower rent, even if there are people willing to pay asking price? And would the prospective tenant only be Black?

There's never any solution offered in these types of posts, just bitching and hating. And when people react negatively to all of the bitching and hating, those people are then accused of being defensive or insensitive to racial history or reverse racists.

There was never any meeting of White people where its agreed upon that the White community would send 10,000 trustafarians to CH with the express purpose of driving up rents and establishing expensive coffee shops.

Just as my Dominican community never held an island-wide meeting and agreed that we'd send 50,000 Dominican families to Washington Heights.

People, all colors all races all creeds, go to where they can afford to live that's hopefully not too far from where they have to work. If they can avoid catching a regular beating and not have their property stolen, well that's a plus.

holla peno

Subject: somehow

Seems to me that capitalizing the words white and black, bringing up "reverse racism" (which will pull a lot of ears at a teabagger rally), talking about something called a "Black Tax" (huh?) and basically accusing everyone in sight of operating in bad faith vis à vis their neighbors, isn't all that, i dunno, constructive?

Who's more offended by the "trustafarian" reference, the white hipsters who revile hippies or the actual Rastafarians over on Nostrand?

Or can we all just crap the bed together?

Frankly, the people in my building, and who I see at at the bodega, jerk chicken place, and (gasp) coffee shop (which yes, they do visit, often)? They seem cool with me, and vice versa. Basically, I fail to see what you're getting at, Boogie. That there's some kind of inherent black or white conspiracy to ruin each other's chances of being the "real" CH? Or that you dislike perps (er, yeah, so does everyone)?

mha

Subject: MHA is a Racist?

Wow, I used no epithets here. I don't see how it's racist to note that there are more white people moving on my block than black people; nor is it racist to see how the changing demographic reflects broadly one group's ability to afford a rent hike, and the other to not afford it. I am frustrated by the change, but I am certainly not hateful. When I hear the word 'racist' used, I think of epithet, and I think of the desire to do physical harm. Having been subject to epithet and harm by others because, yes, I am Black, I can assure you, I am not racist. What this is, is what is aptly known as an ad hominem response. It's typical when someone doesn't want to address the issue at hand, but instead label the person who raises the issue. It mitigates discourse. It's a common parlor trick that promotes visceral reaction. It's akin to Orwell's 'Two legs bad, four legs good!' in Animal Farm. Am I angry? -- sure, I am very angry, but I am not hateful. I've not said I hate white people, because I do not hate white people. I am frustrated by the nature of lving in a country where I have seen since cognizance other boats rise and mine purposely filled with stone to sink, to use a metaphor bandied about earlier. I've worked in corporate and mom and pop America, and anecdotally it has not been easy. It's hard to swallow the acculturated sense of entitlement most white people have, and it is disingenuous as a Black person to NOT say in this forum that I have the sense that this exists in America, in the boardroom, and in Crown Heights; it does. It frustrates me. So yes, I am being prejudiced, in the technical sense of the concept; I am 'pre-judging', or stereotyping.But so are all of the naysayers here who attribute the desire to change the neighborhood as a characteristic of the gentry (despite the fact that I have to pick up their dogshit and their filtered cigarette buts) As Clooney's character said in 'Up in the Air' 'it's efficient'. (I'm paraphrasing here). The tension between my words and the words of many who disagree with me is why gentrification, as it is termed, is such a touchy issue. The term itself is used clinically, but implicit in its usage is that the people the 'gentry' replace are sundry in type, and that the 'manifest destiny' of their replacement is for the good of all. Many comment about the new services in the neighborhood, and how the gentry's seemingly collective will created it, however as an old resident of this neighborhood has said, the need has always been there, but those with the money never wanted to invest in the neighborhood because there is this arbitrary value accorded to whiteness that blackness, regardless of hue does not imbue; this is a product of the history of this country. It's a fact, whether many responding to my comments want to accept or not. What irks me, and many who look like me and live here, and in other neighborhoods like this one is this: Damn, I had to struggle to get here. I had to fight every day for excellence and achievement in my own life, I have to work twice as hard to live half as good, and now these whitefolks who I know from a macro-perspective have not had my battles are going to ultimately price me out. You want to know why these young brothers are the way they are? Think of their households, think of their schools, think of the number of historical indignities that they have suffered, and; they are now for the most part under-employable, and the criminal world is the only one left for them. This is the underside of white progress. And it's not racist to say that. You ever wonder why so many whitefolks live in Long Island? They live there because their ancestors came back from the Great War, and they were afforded G.I. bills that gave them access to housing in Long Island. Black veterans who fought in the same wars were not, and for the most part they were denied access to the bliss of middle-classdom. To say that access to property ownership isn't a historical element of what's happening in this neighborhood now is to disconnect the past from the NOW. So, call me a racist, call me hateful all you want. It's easier to call me a racist but not to illustrate my racism. It's easier to say I'm hateful, but not to show me the hate. Notice, I have not done that to the naysayers here. And trust me whitefolks, when you walk down the streets, take great comfort in the notion that when we Black-volk see you, the general feeling about our perceptions of the conglomerated 'you' are in my words. They are; I've taken a poll.
As the great Bob Marley said, "The truth is an offense, but not a sin."

catwalkertexasranger

MHA, your honesty is hard to shake. You are mad about returning black war vets? What about an even older starting line. When the slave owners said you are free, no money or mule, but a non heart felt "good luck" go make a new world of it,many examples and attitudes you have sighted are the history we have so far. While you are distracted by the obvious,whiteness, blacks and browns with higher incomes and expectations are also disrupting your boat and it's upward float. You should probably look a little closer at some of the newer black families that have moved to the area . Your black people polling data looks a little limited .Middleclassdom bliss is being denied to lots of people currently regardless of race.You continue to assume that whites have a better ability to pay,this is correct on a whole. Whites moving to marginal neighborhoods with low graduation rates,higher crime,fewer services, poor performing schools just to name a few..are here out of necessity. Whites are not moving in to be king of the ghetto or to fill your boat with stones intentionally or unintentionally.