Group Trying to Retain Southside's Latino Population

The organization El Puente has received millions in grants for a program that aims to improve the quality of life for Latino residents in south Williamsburg and celebrate their culture, according to the Daily News, thus keeping them in the neighborhood despite encroaching gentrification. The head of El Puente, Luis Garden Acosta, has this to say about fighting displacement: “The buzz is about the culture that is coming into Williamsburg, not from Williamsburg…If people are not feeling like this is their community then they won’t feel like they have a future here.” The article also has the usual gentrification-story details about longtime residents being priced out and “hipster” businesses like Pies ‘n’ Thighs being popular with newcomers. Think El Puente’s plans to bolster Latinos’ identification with the neighborhood and promote things like healthy eating will be effective ways of retaining the Hispanic population?
Gentrification Meets Resistance From Longtime Latino Residents [NY Daily News]
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