Closing Bell: There IS Someplace Like Home
Behold a snippet of the video chronicling the fight against gentrification in downtown Brooklyn, Some Place Like Home. Families United for Racial & Economic Equality, a Brooklyn-based group made up mostly of women of color, is behind the movie, which “tells the stories of community residents and small businesses that are displaced to make way…
Behold a snippet of the video chronicling the fight against gentrification in downtown Brooklyn, Some Place Like Home. Families United for Racial & Economic Equality, a Brooklyn-based group made up mostly of women of color, is behind the movie, which “tells the stories of community residents and small businesses that are displaced to make way for high-end retail and luxury condominiums to the area,” and chronicles the impace of the Downtown Brooklyn plan.
It depicts the pulling out of Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene’s legacy of being a once-forgotten neighborhood built from the ground up by generations of low-income and working families from all walks of life. Small business owners that have helped to make the area the 3rd largest retail district in New York City talk about the deferment of their dreams as entrepreneurs. It reveals practices and policies used to support massive real estate projects as the historical, economic and cultural fabric of the area is torn apart. It follows the battle of community residents and small businesses as they fight for some place like home.
The film will premier on December 5th at Medgar Evers College. More info here.
What, I wasn’t hatched out of the cotton patch last night. I can tell the difference between genuinely nice people, and liberal wannabe poseurs. There were none of the latter that I met at Union Hall. For what it’s worth, you may have been the initial topic of conversation for some people, but after we all got to talking to one another, our lives, jobs, families, and interests took presidence. I had many more conversations about architecture and home renovation than I did about your identity, or Brownstoner.com, for that matter. If you had showed up, you might have actually enjoyed yourself. I had a great time, and don’t consider myself anyone’s tool, or anyone’s fool.
“the MAJORITY of the landlords in CG and this stretch of Brooklyn are the very greedy overcharging opportunistic people you refer to. Whos selling the majority of 2.5 million dollar brownstones? Italian old timers working with Italian old timer realtors.”
Mmmm. Just maybe your attitude is the reason the “the stoop sitting neighbors” scowl at you.
Or maybe you’re one of the entitled precious ones who got too many trophies for just showing up.
“They sell to whoever can afford the price.” Well yeah, that’s business. It covers just about anything that’s for sale. Greed has nothing to do with it. It’s the market that sets the price.
And just so you know, Carroll Gardens was just about the only brownstone neighborhood that didn’t deteriorate after WW II. And that’s because all the Italians (you know, the ones you denigrate) didn’t run to the the suburbs. You didn’t discover CG; the natives have always known about it. Maybe if you built relationships instead of grievances you might be happier here.
I bought in CG in the ’80’s and no, Carroll Gardens wasn’t a dump then. Nor was it unsafe. Smith Street was not developed for retail but Court St was vibrant – more so than today – and the residential streets were always nice.
There seems to be a lot of misinformed ranting around here lately and it’s getting tedious.
Sorry, Sam…I was still stuck on my Carroll Gardens diatribe.
-Downtown- Brooklyn? Yeah, Newark works for me.
suburban california?
ha!
you’re nuttier than a fruit cake!
It’s downtown Newark without the parking.
No, Sam.
Downtown Brooklyn is looking more like suburban California.
Is it me or is downtown Brooklyn looking more and more like Palm Beach?
Message for Vinca and for Cobblehiller-
You are missing a HUGE part of the story. Lets look at Carroll Gardens. You mention the realtors and the greed. Do you realize that the MAJORITY of realtors in the area are all owned and run by old school, been here for generation LOCALS? There are only a handful of newcomers as far as real estate offices go. And they ALL overcharge and they ALL are greedy and they ALL are part of the problem and they ALL carry the guilt.
A question for Vinca: in the 60s- 80s when NYC, and Brooklyn and Carroll Gardens were truly in the toilet, where did the Italian 2nd and 3rd generations go? They moved to Bay Ridge, they moved to Jersey, they moved to Florida. The point is, the majority of them MOVED. Sure there are old timers in CG. Sure there are SOME families who have hung on but the MAJORITY of the landlords in CG and this stretch of Brooklyn are the very greedy overcharging opportunistic people you refer to. Whos selling the majority of 2.5 million dollar brownstones? Italian old timers working with Italian old timer realtors. They sell to whoever can afford the price. Vinca, you refer to a new generation of owners who SQUEEZE to barely cover costs. Lets see…do the math. A newcomer yuppie has got an 8-10K a month mortgage on a house he just bought for millions from an Italian realtor who has been in the hood for 30 years. What kind of rent do you charge? 900 a month? Is that fair? NO. That won’t cut it. Get real.
And by the way, if the old timers do NOT charge market value, please cite some examples. Because it won’t be ANY of the old timer realtors who do business in Carroll Gardens.
The only thing I can agree with you is that “That we far preferred our butchers, bakers and stoop-sitting neighbors ” I prefer them too and am sad that my yuppie brethren have such bad taste. But the stoop sitting neighbors are usually the people that scowl at me for not being Italian and for not being born in this neighborhood.
So screw them.
And the award for the World’s Shortest Self-Imposed Exile in History (That We Knew Wouldn’t Last a Day Anyway) goes to….
“I going to take a break from posting here. Brownstoner has jumped the shark and when you take down my post on the economy I think it’s time to go. I have other things to worry about and I not going to waste my energy and time posting here. America is full of Asshats and they will be shocked how fast this thing implodes! 306 Billion to Citibank just disgusting!
The What (I’m done)
Someday this bullshit is gonna end…”
“And The What, we weren’t “partying” and “laughing” at you. Don’t be so paranoid. We were simply meeting each other.”
mopar, it’s impossible for The What to believe it’s not all about him. He’s completely delusional.
Mister Crabs would not let change sink him. He’d still make a buck.