Despite Objections, CB3 Backs Bed Stuy Bar
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and…
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and her ability to create a tasteful establishment would be welcomed by Bed Stuy residents, but a Community Board 3 meeting on Monday night revealed widespread disagreement within the community about the bar in particular and the future of the neighborhood in general. Some of those in favor of the application said they were tired of going to Park Slope and Harlem to find “more sophisticated bars.” Other supporters argued that the community should be backing an African American woman wanting to open a business in the area. (“We should be supporting someone who looks like us,” said one person from the audience.) One of the arguments against the bar was that there are some schools nearby, though it was later pointed out that the closest one was an adult learning center. Others worried that adding alcohol to an already dangerous block (dangerous? really?) had the potential to increase violence in the area. A man in his late 20s, whose parents lived nearby, argued that he didn’t want them to worry about the same type of violence he felt growing up nearby. Despite the naysaying, the community board ended up supporting the application for the liquor license, so now it’s on to the State Liquor Authority for Surpris, who, ironically, plans to call the new spot Nobar. GMAP
kimcheater, what is “reverse racism? Is that when you think another race is superior to your own?
you mean racism right?
As to the distinctions between racism and racist thinking, the point is well taken.
Of course racist thinking needs to be exposed and countered however. There are already enough worldwide examples of “impotent” racist thinking becoming malevolent racism when, for whatever reasons, the power dynamic has changed. You don’t get a pass on being a racist just because you don’t have the power to effect racism.
Dave thats not what the person said.
you are twisting it again.
wow – some thread here…
I’m not a fan of opening an outright bar on that location -I think a great restaurant is more suiting and needed and could be very successful – hopefully they will expand in the future. I know Daphne (who is Haitian – is that black?) and I wish her and her partner much success – they’ve done a great job with the coffee shop to date.
you’re right dibs, but you’re missing the historical precedents.
I still contend that there’d be a far harsher response if I got up and said I wanted someone who looks like me (white) to run a business.
If you don’t agree then you have your heads in the sand, each and every one of you.
It’s all fine and dandy for someone in a majority race or gender to be clamoring about equal treatment when there is a perceived bias working against them, but I wonder if people live up to that standard all the time. Would you turn to your mortgage officer and say, “Actually, this pdarker-skinned person has the same financial profile but his 30-year fixed is 30 bps higher than mine–can you raise mine, too?” Would you turn down a raise because your female counterpart earns 20% less? Sure, in a perfect world, reverse racism is just as bad as old-fashioned racism, but in the world we live in, it’s still old-fashioned racism that’s doing a lot more harm. I’m not saying that reverse racism of any sort is right, but you’ve got to look at the context here.
That being said, I feared this would degenerate into a tired argument about gentrification again, but a lot of the comments on this board have been pretty smart.
There’s a difference between racism and racist thinking, or the use of racist language, etc. The latter is a funtion of attidude or mindset — even if only momentarily. The former is a function of real power. IOW, racism is far more potent than merely thinking in a prejudicial way. In a diverse society, we’re all capable of entertaining a rich variety of “isms” in our private thoughts. Indeed, the tendency to simultaneously identify with those who “look like us” and to distinguish ourselves from “others” — by way of age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, and, yes, race can be quite strong. However, the challenge among so-called socially progressive or “conscious” people is to first recognize the very human possiblility that we have such prejudicial thoughts and, secondly, to exercise the discipline and sensitvity towards others to keep those thoughts in check. Bottom line, the ability to think as a racist is one thing; the power to execute one’s racist beliefs is another.
The woman at the CB meeting did not commit racism by arguing that the board should support those who “look like us.” (As to the content of those remarks, I’ll defer to cillmylandlord’s comments on the matter.) However, if the CB were to vote to grant or deny business licenses only on the grounds of whether or not the applicant “looks like us” — well, that would be an act of racism indeed. And, of course, it would also be illegal.
Got you going there, eh Biff? lol…
As for the first part, namely, “racism is hate + power”, again that is not what I believe. There are a ton of “good hearted” and powerless people who are racists. Again, it all comes back to racism = ignorance. And this is a silver lining because it’s a lot easier to change ignorance than it is to change hatred.