Making Atlantic Yards a Black-and-White Issue
The map that ran with the Atlantic Yards article in yesterday’s Times was pretty neat. Not that the results were particularly surprising (they were about what you’d expect) but it was particularly interesting for us to see that Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, which get so much press for being so racially mixed are still…
The map that ran with the Atlantic Yards article in yesterday’s Times was pretty neat. Not that the results were particularly surprising (they were about what you’d expect) but it was particularly interesting for us to see that Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, which get so much press for being so racially mixed are still predominantly black on a pure numbers basis. As for the article, it wasn’t much fun being reminded of the appalling amount of race-baiting that’s gone on in battle for the hearts and minds of Brooklyn residents over the Atlantic Yards issue. We thought Brad Lender from PACC summed everything up the best:
If you live nearby, you have a nice home and you have a job, you’re probably not that excited by the benefits, and you’re swamped by the drawbacks. If you live a little farther away, and you don’t have a job and a nice house, then you probably get a lot more of the benefits. None of that is about race per se. But when you layer on that the people who live nearby are more likely to be whiter and wealthier, and the people who live farther out are more likely to be people of color without good jobs or housing, the race elements have become stronger.
We agree. It’s much more about class than race. It just happens to be that economic stratification in the neighborhoods surrounding Atlantic Yards happens to occur along racial lines so it’s a convenient lever for the powers-that-be to try to manipulate.
AY Development Through the Prism of Race [NY Times]
“If you live nearby, you have a nice home and you have a job, you’re probably not that excited by the benefits, and you’re swamped by the drawbacks. If you live a little farther away, and you don’t have a job and a nice house, then you probably get a lot more of the benefits. None of that is about race per se.”
Of course its about race.. and you’re playing the race-baiting game with statements like, “it was particularly interesting for us to see that Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, which get so much press for being so racially mixed are still predominantly black on a pure numbers basis.”
Did you really think whites were a majority in FG/CH?
I am a little tired of people blaming predatory lenders, filthy mortgage brokers and other vermin for what are clearly cultural issues. Every mortgage has pretty bad penalty clauses if payments are not made on time. The problem here is that culturally (both white and black people) are much more concerned with fixing up the house, taking a vacation, etc. than with keeping the house. “Predatory lending” sounds like a really evil thing, but people have to take some responsibility for their own actions and shouldn’t always blame others.
Eryximachus,
we would love to come over and have tea sometimes. Should be lot’s of fun.
While we’re talking about predatory lending here, thank you putnam-denizen, one of the biggest problems in black communities like Bed Stuy, is that now that the real estate is worth a lot to those outside the community, the predatory lenders are coming out of the woodwork like roaches at night. These are the con men who offer huge equity loans, or second mortgages to our senior citizens, most of whom have paid off their mortgages. “You can fix your house, take a well deserved vacation, visit the grandchildren, etc, etc”. What they don’t tell them is that the loans have enormous interest rates, absurd fees and conditions, and loopholes galore that can make foreclosure a foregone conclusion. These people are criminals and legal loan sharks preying on people who do not have the financial savvy to know what they are getting into.
There are several programs starting up, sponsored in part by local non-profits, senior citizen’s advocates, organizations like CHNA, and local politicians, all geared to educate people about their rights and their homes.
Sure, people lose their homes for other reasons, some of them due to sheer stupidity, but more often due to circumstances beyond their control, such as getting laid off, or catastrophic illness. THis happens everywhere, to everyone. If it happens more in the black community, perhaps it is also due to the fact that last hired, first fired, downsizing of lower level workers, or the fact that white and blue collar jobs are disappearing all over. Foreclosure is not a by product of skin color. That is just out and out stupid.
Perhaps Eryximachus should consider a different moniker as s/he is certainly not living up to this one.
http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/symposium/section5.rhtml
Separately, I am suspicious of the NYTimes’ attempt to present a balance portrait of a controversial issue especially now that AY is almost a fait accompli. Where was this kind of analysis a year ago?
Getting back to the original content of this item, I thought that the NYT aricle was an excellent analysis of a very complex issue [opposition to AY–not race] and that is showed very clearly that attributing views on AY to race was a smokescreen to hide the real issues.
I thought it was a pretty good article, unlike that other Sunday feature they had a couple of weeks ago, where I didn’t recognize myself in the article at all. When I read things like Exy.. wrote up there, I wonder if it is somebody who has nothing better to do and just wants to see people get riled up for his/her own entertainment. A Jerry Springer for brownstoners. Most of us, black white and whatever are just so busy trying to work and take care of our demanding everyday lives that we don’t have time for silly people.
I agree with #1: race and class are inextricably joined (very unfortunately) in the good ol’ USA. But it’s much nicer and more PC to talk about class instead of race, so by all means, let’s just deny that race is an issue.
You know I read this board and take the comments for what they are worth. however, the comments above are some of the silliest and most ignorant comments I have read on this Board. Brownstoner, while comments like these may increase your hits, it really lower the Blog.