Bed Stuy's Star Continues to Rise
According to The Sun, things got so bad in Bed Stuy back in the 1980s that one local precinct spray-painted (officers tagging?) the words “The Alamo” on the wall of the station house. Two decades later, crime is down and property values are up, though not everyone–including long-time renters and property owners who resent newcomers…
According to The Sun, things got so bad in Bed Stuy back in the 1980s that one local precinct spray-painted (officers tagging?) the words “The Alamo” on the wall of the station house. Two decades later, crime is down and property values are up, though not everyone–including long-time renters and property owners who resent newcomers benefiting from what they see as the fruits of their labors–think the trade is worth it. Crime’s down 70 percent or so since 1990, roughly in line with city-wide trends, while brownstone values have just about doubled since 2003. “People don’t feel quite as safe as the police reports, but they feel a lot safer than five, ten or fifteen years ago,” said Colvin Grannum, head of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Project. Change is coming from out as well as within: In addition to the Home Depot that opened last year, spots like Bushbaby, a gourmet coffee shop started by a Bed Stuy native, are starting to replace the nail salons and bodegas.
Renaissance Comes to ‘The Alamo’ [NY Sun]
11:21, you bet subtle racism is alive and well in this country, and is experienced by many of us each and every day to some extent. Someone doesn’t have to have to shoot me to prove that point. And yes, FORCED segregation is a form of racism, no doubt there either. And no one should choose their friends by their race. We should be one people. I’d love that to really be true. You are preaching to the choir, my friend.
BUT it is not racist to be comfortable with other people who share your language, customs, experiences,religion, history and culture. That is what makes us who we are, that connects us to an extended family of fellow travellers. That is our tribal nature, a fact of anthropological human history. We all have our tribe, and most of us belong to more than one, and we pass from group to group as we all interact with each other. We all belong to the human race, and you are right, we are all one people.
Racism occurs when the tribe over here hates the tribe over there because their skin color is different. That difference is seen as enough reason for tribe A to be superior over tribe B, and all hell breaks lose after that. If we accept that we can all be different, and that the differences make us interesting and varied, but those differences don’t really matter, then we can be about the business of creating that society that we all would love to live in. I’m certainly with you on that.
CHP,
Do you really believe that racism has not been committed unless someone is enslaved or killed? Isn’t more suttle racism much more pervasive in our society?
IMO segregation is a form of racism. So is prefering to be friends with someone because of their race. When are people going to realize that we are all one people?
BB – that’s all? Hope to hear more from you on this one, my friend!
7:10, I think the most truthful thing I’ve said on this topic is the one point you seem to see as racist. I don’t get it. Why is it racist for someone black to see other black people in a flattering light? If you, as someone white, congratulate Bill Gates for his success, does that make you a racist because you didn’t include Oprah in your congratulations? I hardly think so.
Let me also say something that’s been bothering me for sometime. If you asked the Devil what his proudest accomplishment had been, he’d have to say racism. It is an evil that has caused as much hatred, death and atrocity as anything else that’s wrong with this world. Racism, and I include religious hatred in there too, because they are very tied together, is the excuse for all kinds of slavery, exploitation, genocide and degradation possible by every nation on this earth, throughout human history. It is the excuse for massive greed, and massive death, it justifies war and cruelty. It is pure evil. Period.
As such, a word like that has power, and should be reserved for the real thing. We, in this country, and on this forum call everything racism. So many of us want to be so politically correct, and sincerely try to be so fair and openminded that we have tossed that word around like a basketball. My fictional shiraz drinking Yalie may be a jerk, but he is not a racist. My next door neighbors may not see me as a gentrifier, but may see my white tenants as such, but that doesn’t make them racists either. You may not like my example of either one, but my using them to illustrate a point does not make me a racist either. That’s also not to say that I don’t think that genuine card carrying racists haven’t posted on this blog, because they certainly have, and will continue to do so. That is their right, and it is the right of those who disagree vehemently with them to do so, as well.
It is not racist to be proud of your own, or even to prefer to live with your own, or to want to preserve an historical identity or place. That is our tribal human nature. Prejudice is born in thinking that someone other than your group member is inferior, or dangerous, or stupid, or somehow a threat. Not because you know that to be true, but because another member of that same group is dangerous, etc, therefore all members of that group are. Prejudice is born of ignorance and fear. Racism is born in giving action to that prejudice.
I’m dizzy…. Time for bed. Despite the unnecessary tangent it was a good discussion.
Hmmm, this has been a very interesting conversation…even with the little debates and flare-ups 🙂
The issue of gentrification in Bed Stuy is something that’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. I love the Brownstoner blog, I check it obsessively! However, when Friday comes and I see the open houses, I kinda cringe a bit when I see the BS postings. Obviously, I don’t think anyone here (Black/White, new/old etc) has any issue with the neighborhood improving, but like so many others have said above me, what technically counts as “improving”? I take improving as lower crime rates, better social services and especially improvement in the school systems. New Starbucks and Home Depots doesn’t really spell “improvement” to me. That’s not to say that I’ve never frequented either establishment, but this an area that is especially focused on locally-owned businesses because it’s such an insular community. Since the owners of these businesses live in the neighborhood, they have a vested interest in giving back to the community.
Like Oh Lord! has said before me, many of the newcomers don’t seem too intersted in actually being a part of their neighborhood, they just want to enjoy their beautiful brownstone they bought for cheap. Which is fine, if that’s your priority, but THAT is why people are so worried about the future of their neighborhood-if the majority of the people moving in share that attitude, what does that future hold?
I don’t know, I’m a young’un, so I could be very misguided in some of my beliefs. Personally, I’m one of “those people” that have moved back into the neighborhood-however, it’s different for me because I’m young, female and Black. I’m sure that when people see me they don’t automatically think “gentrifier!” simply because of my skin tone. However, like CrownHeightsProud said earlier, I’m more “coming home.” My family is originially from Harlem (my father left to join the military) and I still have connections here. However, even for Black people with no ties to the neighborhoods, I think the old residents accept them more because they think that they probably have a better understanding of the history and the culture of the neighborhood. I’m all for cleaning up Harlem, but to be honest, it hurts my heart a little when I’m shopping and I hear a Columbia student (I’m assuming, they were wearing a Columbia sweatshirt) inquiring about the Harlem Renaissance because they thought it was some kind of street fair…I mean, come on! First of all, I questioned the fact that this person was accepted at Columbia 🙂 But in all seriousness, that is my only issue with gentrification-losing that special history, culture and CONNECTION that so many African-Americans feel to these neighborhoods.
And there, that’s all I have to say. Sorry about the loooong post everyone, I just wanted to put in my two (ten? haha) cents!
“I think it is great that they welcome their own, but extremely sad that their own prejudice (probably based on experience or anecdotes from friends and family) would make them not as welcoming to anyone who is not black.”
You’ve lost me on this point. I don’t think that CHP said that residents were less welcoming to white gentrifiers than to black ones. What she said was that there was a shared recognition with this group of people that made their acceptance easier (its easier if the guy from Yale buying the house next door is the little kid your son played with growing up).
I don’t think it racist to want the new people in the neighborhood to be brave enough to come to my church on Sunday, or to be open-minded enough to sit down for dinner a a neighborhood restaurant like Sugarhill, or to bring their kids to the park to play. I consider that to be a sign that one is interested in the community they live in, and not just in getting a well preserved brownstone at a relatively low price.
I’m glad to hear that CHP. All I’m saying is that the following statement makes me think that you are saying that most black people in a mostly black neighborhood are essentially racists.
“Linus, in answer to your question, I am of the impression that most black people don’t see gentrifying black folks as such. Especially those of the generation to see most of the black newcomers as being the same age as their own children. To them, black newcomers are just “coming home”, and they are proud of those who have made good and want to invest in the black community by buying homes, renovating, and raising their famililies in Bed Stuy (or wherever).”
I think it is great that they welcome their own, but extremely sad that their own prejudice (probably based on experience or anecdotes from friends and family) would make them not as welcoming to anyone who is not black.
I’ve said this before, and on this I’d imagine you’d agree. An explanation for bad behavior is not always an excuse. I can understand the wariness to a degree but can’t really excuse racist attitudes. I don’t think you excuse it either. It’s just the forum.
And for the record, I’m friendly with all of my neighbors. I’m white and theres a good mix, mainly black. We say hi etc. However, I must say that yuppie white gentrifiers do not have a monopoly on being unfriendly. I’ve had plenty of people not say hello or refuse to make eye contact even when I say hi. I just assume they either preoccupied or a jerk. I have problems with those who take such experiences, not matter what your race, and assume everyone in a particular race is like that.
6:12, huh?
As I clearly said, that was a gross exaggeration. If someone has an opinion, it is bound to upset someone, somewhere. You can’t make an omlette without breaking some eggs. Race relations in this country is a topic that is bound to cause controversy, and not much can be said, outside of a polite “Can’t we all get along?” without ruffling feathers. I’ve been around long enough to see that both sides of the issue have valid points. There are black people who don’t want anyone who is not black in the hood. They are as wrong as my highly overdone caricature, and I fight them as hard as I fight some idiot who writes that Crown Heights is crack city, and that any white person takes their life in their hands if they go there.
But let’s at least admit that everyone, black and white alike, is coming into this discussion with our own experiences and biases quite intact. We all have them. I’ve been called the “N word” enough in my life to know that not everyone accepts me because of my intellegence, education, income, or charm. That doesn’t make me give up on humanity, or make me a racist or a hater, it just makes me a bit wiser, perhaps, going into the fight.
Linus- I know. I can get into trouble all by myself. How else to explain how good I am at hopping with one foot in my mouth? Practice, practice, practice. 🙂