crown heights north

I love that block. I can't say what its like at night, but during the day its a quiet little sleepy street with some really nice little houses.

I'd agree with Daver, you've got to go over there at night to get a real sense as to what its like. Also, you should probably talk to some of the merchants on Franklin and Lincoln as they can give you some perspective on how hot the block gets.

I moved into a place on Bedford and Lincoln back in August and I've had no problems. It felt a little sketchy at first, but so far me and my roommates have felt pretty comfortable in the neighborhood. Even in my short time here, I've seen things change: new faces and new businesses seem to appear daily. But yeah, a visit at night would be a good idea to get a feel for it. During the day its quiet; at night there seem to be more people out than there was when I moved here. As always, just keep your wits about you and you'll avoid trouble.

Subject: Re: block safety

45py7x wrote: OK Daver. I have to ask why your gray pants were the wrong color.
I can understand blue or red...but gray??

Hey, I asked that too.

Black and red are blood colors.
Blue and gray are crip colors.

Don't ask me because I don't know.

The red flashing folk were really friendly, and seemingly interested in separating me from my perceived money. I said thanks but no thanks, as I was in no need of weed or ho's. They said that they had white ho's too if that was the problem. And they offered to smoke out for free first. I moved along. Lol.

Honestly, while I have no doubt that they were real drug dealers and possibly pimps, I got the distinct feeling that they were possibly Blood pretenders. But maybe that is because any other Bloods that I have been exposed to have been on the west coast and it has been totally different. Those guys always seemed way more interested in kicking your ass and taking your money than selling you something to get it.

Subject: Re: safety/gentrification

dawta wrote: Uuuugh! All you people make me sick. This neighborhood is safe, unless of course you are afraid of black people, which is the impression I get from all you writing in saying stuff like, "I moved here last August... " or, "I've been living here for a year now and I've never had any problems..." Just becasue this was and is a majority black neighborhood, does make it skethy or ghetto. (This long demographic history is rapidly being threatend as white folks move in looking for cheap rent, staying in apartments for only a year, and complaining about not being able to get expresso and fresh baked muffins.) Get a clue people, this is a working class neighborhood. Drug deals happen in Park Slope and the Upper East Side all the time too, the only difference is that dealers are allowed inside the apartments of their clients. I wish you fools would get a clue and stop moving here, especially when you think that the presence of more than 3 black people at at time in one place constitutes a major threat. I have lived here for a long time, and these posts make me sick. Wake up. Just because you are voting for Obama does not mean you are not racist, and the nature of your ramblings and ignorant questions prove that.

I am very willing to own up to my privilege. I will be the first to admit that I have been given many opportunities based solely on my appearance as a middle-class heterosexual white male. I see the common means that privileged white men use to deflect criticism. Through this, I have only begun to see that I share many of these same strategies when trying to deny my racial privilege. The discrimination I face sporadically for being white/overweight/young/whatever else is nothing compared to the trash that is dumped daily on the average person of color.

Now, I don't think concern about safety and relative awareness about privilege are mutually exclusive. People who say "I've been living here for a year now and I've never had any problems..." could be of any race, gender, age, or other human "category." People who have concerns about these things could also be any combination of any/all of those things. Regardless of any majority/minority relations, this neighborhood has crime statistics much higher than some places, which I see as a valid concern for people looking to move in. Just because this was and is a majority black neighborhood does not make it sketchy or ghetto. True. But, I believe, people not too infrequently hurting and killing other people in this neighborhood makes it a valid cause for concern, regardless of the race, creed, color, or national origin of those people.

Race is an incredibly sensitive subject to many people. No white person will ever know truly how it feels to grow up black. To constantly struggle to be seen as more than a color. To be systematically and unfairly prosecuted, disenfranchised, and limited. To be pigeon-holed and boxed. No black person will ever know truly how it feels to be white. To not be allowed not to be racist. To deal with the guilt of responsibility for the actions of their ancestors. To be pigeon-holed and boxed. There is so much ignorance, misunderstanding, and hurt.

Oh, also, go Obama!