Open House Picks: Townhouses

I find it truly amusing to hear people lump areas like PS. FG. CH with areas like PLG, Crown Heighs, and BS. There is no comparison–in quality of life or price.

The vast majority of the rants on this site are from residents of PLG, BS, and Crown Heights who can’t stand the fact that their nabes have not increased in value nearly as much as the rest of Brooklyn. They rant against yuppies, they call everyone racists, they rant against gourmet food shops and cafes. But all it is really about is them wanting people to want their houses. It must be hard to see other homes triple and quadruple in price while yours doesn’t. But please stop whining!

So how come the crime rates in bed stuy, percent recieving welfare, project buildings, gang related activity and school districts are SIGNIFICANTLY worse in bed stuy than any of the above mentioned ‘architecturally insignificant’ areas? Just explain that fact.

Amen, 4:14. Amen! That was some well stated, down-to- earth, tell-the-truth commentary on this subject. Although I gave up on trying to deal with this topic on this blog long ago, it’s tremendously refreshing to see that there are others who share this opinion and have not. Thank you!

Why are folks so concerned and pre-occupied with the fact that some people are afraid to live in majority black areas in Brownstone Brooklyn? Who cares? Some folks are just weak and fearful by their very nature. You can’t change them. These are the same people who bypassed or would’ve passed over Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights in the ’80s and ’90s.

Like Jerry Minsky, Antoon Scholee and other trailblazers, I am not afraid of black people as I made the decision to live and invest in these nabes over 15 years ago. Trust me, I did quite well for myself as did many others; whether white, black, artist or professional. Looking back most of my friends and business colleagues wish they had done the same but they didn’t because they allowed their unfounded fears and prejudices get the best of them. Get real people. New York is New York. Urban life is urban life. You either can handle living in a diverse environment or you can’t. If you have the money, want more safety and want to live in a more monolithic and homogeneous environment go move into PS or BH if you can afford it. But most of you can’t so stop the bitching and moaning about other people’s decisions.

A lot of the nabe bashing that you read on this site is from home owners in other parts of Non-Brownstone Brooklyn who desperately want their nabes to be hip and chic as those located downtown. I’m talking about residents of Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, South Slope, Ditmas, Midwood, etc. – the white neighborhoods outside the periphery of Brownstone Brooklyn. A lot of these residents look at the property values in majority black neighborhoods like FG, CH, PH, CHN and PLG and they can not believe that Manhattanites are choosing to live among minorities in these nabes and have taken home values to present astronomic levels. Their argument is basically “why spend so much to live around “them” when you can spend the same to live around “us” – albeit in architecturally insignificant neighborhoods. The bashing is so baseless and nonsensical that it’s hilarious.

Everyone wants “THEIR” nabe to be the next “It Neighborhood” but they understand that architecturally significant neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights North are the logically next bet because of the sheer size and beauty of the homes, tree lined blocks and proximity to Manhattan. This reality puts them on the defensive as it places them further down the pecking order – it drives them nuts. So what do they do? They pull a “Willie Horton” on the brownstoner.com readership by insisting the whites who move into these nabes are in “GREAT DANGER”! Give me a break. You want to know who’s really in danger? Young black males between the ages of 16 and 24. That’s who! Not Buggaboo pushing stay at home moms or their Goldman Sachs?Morgan Stanley banker husbands! I’ve never felt threatened in these neighborhoods and nor have my friends who have increasingly made the decision to call nabes like FG, CH, BS and CHN home. For those who don’t know, black people respect white people who view them as equal, are not afraid of them and view living among them a true benefit. What they don’t respect is some hyper sensitive/paranoid white person looking for police escort while they take out the trash at night! IMHO, nabe bashing is essentially promoted by those who live in less desirable nabes looking to pump up their own property values or buyers who truly want to move into these nabes but wish that prices were lower. Stop the bullshit. Please. It’s embarrassing.