Spike to the heart of Gentrification Agnst

Since everyone else is talking about fiery filmmaker and Brooklynite Spike Lee's expressive talk about gentrification during a Q&A at Pratt Institute (Alumni office I'm side-eyeing you for my lack of notice) I might as well post it too.

Besides simply saying gentrification is bad Spike addresses the issues of new people trampling the longstanding culture of existing residents, neighborhood renaming and my fave the "discovery" of places that already have people, culture and life.

A few highlights:

"Why does it take an influx of white New Yorkers into South Bronx, Harlem…for the facilities to get better?"

"The motherfucking Christopher Columbus syndrome… you can't discover this we been here."

Spike also references the Michael Jackson Tribute party planned for Fort Greene park back in 2009, and how it was turned away, by new residents to the area, which I wrote about on this blog: http://umbrooklynborn.blogspot.com/2009/08/community-is-bigger-than-one-person.html

Here’s the full audio, including the man’s response and Lee’s rebuttal:

https://soundcloud.com/daily-intelligencer/spike-lee-on-gentrification

All that's essentially the raison d'être of this blog, nearly verbatim. Wonder if Spike's a reader?

The whole breakdown from NYMag:

The filmmaker, wearing a Knicks beanie, orange socks, blue Nikes, and "Defend Brooklyn" hoodie, was at Pratt Institute for a lecture in honor of African American History Month, surrounded by locals, when he was nearly asked a question about “the other side” of the gentrification debate. “Let me just kill you right now,” Lee interrupted, “because there was some bullshit article in the New York Times saying ‘the good of gentrification.’” (See: “Argument Over a Brownstone Neighborhood” andNew York’s “Is Gentrification All Bad?”)

“I don’t believe that,” said Lee. And for the next seven minutes he explained, with passion, humor, and a fair amount of f-words.

Here’s the thing: I grew up here in Fort Greene. I grew up here in New York. It’s changed. And why does it take an influx of white New Yorkers in the south Bronx, in Harlem, in Bed Stuy, in Crown Heights for the facilities to get better? The garbage wasn’t picked up every motherfuckin’ day when I was living in 165 Washington Park. P.S. 20 was not good. P.S. 11. Rothschild 294. The police weren’t around. When you see white mothers pushing their babies in strollers, three o’clock in the morning on 125th Street, that must tell you something.

[Audience member: And I don’t dispute that … ]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And even more. Let me kill you some more.

[Audience member: Can I talk about something?]

Not yet.

Then comes the motherfuckin’ Christopher Columbus Syndrome. You can’t discover this! We been here. You just can’t come and bogart. There were brothers playing motherfuckin’ African drums in Mount Morris Park for 40 years and now they can’t do it anymore because the new inhabitants said the drums are loud. My father’s a great jazz musician. He bought a house in nineteen-motherfuckin’-sixty-eight, and the motherfuckin’ people moved in last year and called the cops on my father. He’s not — he doesn’t even play electric bass! It’s acoustic! We bought the motherfuckin’ house in nineteen-sixty-motherfuckin’-eight and now you call the cops? In 2013? Get the fuck outta here!

Nah. You can’t do that. You can’t just come in the neighborhood and start bogarting and say, like you’re motherfuckin’ Columbus and kill off the Native Americans. Or what they do in Brazil, what they did to the indigenous people. You have to come with respect. There’s a code. There’s people.

You can’t just — here’s another thing: When Michael Jackson died they wanted to have a party for him in motherfuckin’ Fort Greene Park and all of a sudden the white people in Fort Greene said, “Wait a minute! We can’t have black people having a party for Michael Jackson to celebrate his life. Who’s coming to the neighborhood? They’re gonna leave lots of garbage.” Garbage? Have you seen Fort Greene Park in the morning? It’s like the motherfuckin’ Westminster Dog Show. There’s 20,000 dogs running around. Whoa. So we had to move it to Prospect Park!

I mean, they just move in the neighborhood. You just can’t come in the neighborhood. I’m for democracy and letting everybody live but you gotta have some respect. You can’t just come in when people have a culture that’s been laid down for generations and you come in and now shit gotta change because you’re here? Get the fuck outta here. Can’t do that!

And then! [to audience member] Whoa whoa whoa. And then! So you’re talking about the people’s property change? But what about the people who are renting? They can’t afford it anymore! You can’t afford it. People want live in Fort Greene. People wanna live in Clinton Hill. The Lower East Side, they move to Williamsburg, they can’t even afford fuckin’, motherfuckin’ Williamsburg now because of motherfuckin’ hipsters. What do they call Bushwick now? What’s the word? [Audience: East Williamsburg]

That’s another thing: Motherfuckin’… These real estate motherfuckers are changing names! Stuyvestant Heights? 110th to 125th, there’s another name for Harlem. What is it? What? What is it? No, no, not Morningside Heights. There’s a new one. [Audience: SpaHa] What the fuck is that? How you changin’ names?

And we had the crystal ball, motherfuckin’ Do the Right Thing with John Savage’s character, when he rolled his bike over Buggin’ Out’s sneaker. I wrote that script in 1988. He was the first one. How you walking around Brooklyn with a Larry Bird jersey on? You can’t do that. Not in Bed Stuy.

So, look, you might say, “Well, there’s more police protection. The public schools are better.” Why are the public schools better? First of all, everybody can’t afford — even if you have money it’s still hard to get your kids into private school. Everybody wants to go to Saint Ann’s — you can’t get into Saint Ann’s. You can’t get into Friends. What’s the other one? In Brooklyn Heights. Packer. If you can’t get your child into there … It’s crazy. There’s a business now where people — you pay — people don’t even have kids yet and they’re taking this course about how to get your kid into private school. I’m not lying! If you can’t get your kid into private school and you’re white here, what’s the next best thing? All right, now we’re gonna go to public schools.

So, why did it take this great influx of white people to get the schools better? Why’s there more police protection in Bed Stuy and Harlem now? Why’s the garbage getting picked up more regularly? We been here!

All right, go ahead. Let’s see you come back to that.

Signs ahead: Atlantic Yards ready to steamroll over brooklynites

Several blogs are posting that residents in the way of eminent domain abuse aka "Atlantic Yards" ave been given 30 day eviction notices in the wake of a judge's clearing the project to proceed.

Update: According to DDDB blog which speaks for many of those residents;

"incorrect. no eviction notices have been given.

see: http://dddb.net/php/latestnews_Linked.php?id=2652"

Ratner plans to break Brooklyn hearts and Brooklyn ground with the project next week Friday Thursday, March 12th.

They've already taken the subway sign down in what will become Barclay's Arena Station. A basketball arena that will ironically add more blight to a thriving lucrative area than remove.

Photo Wednesday 02/09/10 : Snow Job Edition

As the flakes of NYC Blizzard 2,10 start to fall... the sign seems to be saying something....

Canceling school. A day early. Mannnnnnnn..... the Mayor must be missing my rants.

But I won't give in to the Mayor or anyone else. (I'm not your MONKEY!)

Nope.

But I will say the idea of school closures in New York City, shock and annoy me. Instantly I can't help but question the toughness of today's kids, and my peers, their parents. My sole anecdotal utterance would be that I once walked to school in nearly two feet of snow two miles and in two hours time. True story. If the city didn't closed the schools, I had to go to school. So I went. During that trek the swirling snow and I were the only things moving. When I finally got to school, I was one of about 37 students who showed up. We sat in the auditorium watching 16millimeter Bullwinkle films. I never liked Bullwinkle.

I found this in the NY Times coverage of the school canceling decision:

"On Jan. 8, 1996, officials closed schools as a huge northeaster approached, and kept them closed for two days under a blanket of 20 inches. It was the first time since 1978 that a snow day had been declared the previous day."

And just like that the light came on. Within that period fits my entire Public School existence. All those mornings listening to the radio, watching the news waiting for my school's name to be called as closed. It never happened. No matter how bad, I never got a snowday off. Just left out in the cold.

An open letter to Nicolai Ouroussoff

The New York Times lead architectural critic Nicolai Ouroussoff has come out definitively against the Atlantic Yards Project in its current form. He sites as reasons, the fact that star architect Frank Ghery and his designs will not be part of the proposed project as of a recent announcement and the fact that the developing company Forest City Ratner has most likely made the decision months ago while telling the city (which provides a portion of funds for the project) that everything was still as promised when it wasn't.

Of the new design and project, Mr. Ouroussoff states,

"If it is ever built, it will create a black hole in the heart of a vital neighborhood."

he continues describing the current plan as:

"A colossal, spiritless box, it would fit more comfortably in a cornfield than at one of the busiest intersections of a vibrant metropolis."

Mr. Ouroussoff goes even further stating simply,
"Building this monstrosity at such a critical urban intersection would be deadly. Clearly, the city would be better off with nothing."

Mr. Ouroussoff seeks to call our attention to another problem, that of the vicious cycle of 'bait and switch" that occurs when a developer promises grand multifunctional design only to deliver on the bare minimum of their promises, or none at all. And Mr. Ouroussoff names names, in detailing which groups (politicians, developers) are responsible for these constant disappointment in urban development and he even names himself (as a critic) somewhat responsible when he writes:

"Typically, a developer comes to the city with big plans. Promises are made. Serious architects are brought in. The needs of the community, like ample parkland and affordable housing, are taken into account. Editorial boards and critics, like me, praise the design for its ambition. Eventually, the project takes on a momentum of its own."

Mr. Ouroussoff's article is an amazing rejection of Atlantic Yards by a person in a position to sway important opinions as he is the lead architectural critic of the New York Times, especially when he admits his own complicity in the momentum of projects like this. Now people likely won't agree with me (I don't totally agree with me) on this but to a degree I am impressed and uplifted that Mr. Ouroussoff was willing to be sincere enough and equally aware of his complicity in a terrible process and yet still inject himself as a culprit, although to a much smaller degree than the developer, local government and I guess the rest of us citizens for not demanding more of our local government.

To include yourself as a party to this terrible overblown and under approved project, still takes guts Mr. Ouroussoff.

Now the part where I become conflicted to a personal degree is where I want to point out how hypocritical it is of the lead architectural critic of the New York Times to basically say I played a part in the process of selling the public on celebrity/aspirational architecture that is out of scale for it's intended surroundings and may actually be harmful when complete; but then end his article as if we all need alter our behavior and learn from this failing project.

To end on that note is to cast responsibility on everyone as if we are all equal players in this play. Yes the public needs to hold local government accountable in many instances. But to put the accusation on us so to spread blame is wrong because the responsibility for this lay with a few. The public needs to be well informed and the public needs to be able to vote. In the Atlantic Yards proposal the public has had no binding vote, and the amount of straight information about this project has been sorely lacking (especially in the beginning) except for a dedicated few local groups; Notably, Norman Oder's Atlantic Yards Report and Daniel Goldstein's Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, both of whom have written about this topic and this article with facts and information.

To their credit they seem less willing to brow beat you on your new position regarding Atlantic Yards but I'm not them and I am tired of people in positions of responsibility not being responsible and then offering a "what we all need to learn from this..." message when in fact we all didn't support this mess.

So saying that we need to learn to be better in effect, when choosing our architectural reimaging, on a project where developers and politicians didn't include the public in the process, and casting only a flickering piece of the white hot light of accountability on yourself, when you yourself Mr. Ouroussoff, have the architectural bully pulpit in New York City is disingenuous to say the least.

A throw away mention that the same developer behind this Atlantic Yards projected bait and switch is the same developer who built the recently constructed, 80 52 storied, tax break having, skyscraper headquarters for the New York Times, which you Mr. Ouroussoff lauded as having a "healthy sense of civic responsibility", may resolve the calls of conflict of interest officially, but for whatever reason Mr. Ouroussoff, you in fact championed this developer's plan for Atlantic Yards when it seems evident in your current piece that you willful ignored the faults of the development's design essentially, limits of space, finite resources in the neighborhood, traffic (to say nothing of eminent domain). You over looked all of that by essentially saying its going to be great in the end and it will increase great architecture in the city and that's what matters overall.

This city allows building without regard for architectural impact frequently, primarily because the priority is to increase tax revenues. In many ways that mentality makes cents. But it's interesting to me that you express so much desire for "thoughtful architecture" in mega projects and say so little about the ongoing boom and blight of "fedders" brick boxes littering the outer boroughs, which I think even you can see from your 80 52 story glass tower. The outer boroughs are drowning in poor architecture and it lowers the value of those neighborhoods by creating depressing streetscapes like these:

or these:

or these:

(the above photo is of the Atlantic Center development built by the people who want to build Atlantic Yards)

But more often then not there is no alarm sounded when actually blighted neighborhoods are finally renewed and get them buildings like these monstrosities that arguably are destined to depreciate and become blighted again.

To write a piece that says "we've seen it all again" and then imply that it's our collective fault as a city, when in fact the emperor's new clothes are blessed and certified by people like you, is dodgy at best. So often you and critics like you are the eloquence in the argument for these monstro-cities. That's not a small role. Your words lend legitimacy to these projects.

Overall I think what we really need to do collectively is decide whether persons such as yourself should continue to hold any relevance in the process. As with the Atlantic Yards proposal, perhaps our expectations of critics who are supposed to not only praise ambition but inform the public "demands a profound shift in mentality" as well.

Crime. WTF peoples?!?

"Bailout by Shank" The now negotiation tool on the streets. bitch.

Generally aside from things happening at the moment, I have no interest in writing about violence and crime in the city. Not out of disinterest, but simply because we're nearly ten million people, mostly in tight spaces and close proximity and crime is very likely. No matter how many of us dance in the streets after an election, there's always the chance of that one dick, still hanging in the bar, who's digging through strewn coats looking for their idea of change.

Crime happens, and while we should work toward it being a thing of the past like Bloomberg and superblocks, until we do away with crime, it shouldn't surprise us. I mean not for nothing but in a city of this size and circumstance you got personal beefs, financial fall-outs, road rages, idiot athletes, then toss in the amount of drunken partying potential crime victims teetering through the night and top it all off with the fact that this city has the highest disparity between wealthy and poor who live in the closest proximity (less than a mile separates Housing Projects and Luxury Condos on Park Av in the Manhattan) and it's a wonder any of us make it home at all. In fact those of us who do make it home should encounter rats, pigeons and fat raccoons sitting on our futons and Murphy beds, watching our Mac enabled netflix and ordering soy sausages from fresh direct while quizzically asking us what we're still doing here. So crime, even in post 9/11, post gentrified, post Obama NYC, shouldn't surprise us.

Unless it's happening more often.

Maybe it's those last two items in my rant, the financial crisis and proximity (not the rats or fresh direct) that are the catalyst. But even to my jaded eye, people are seeming extra desperate and foul these days. I don't claim to know how much current events are affecting the minds and pockets of New Yorkers, maybe it's the suggestion of financial crisis, if not the real thing that has seeped into the minds of the weak and not well off.

How else do you explain this story "Man, 55, Is Shot to Death Delivering Meals for Charity" [NYT]. This is an old story, (from Nov10th) I don't know why I just noticed it today but I'm outraged just the same.

Basically the story is a man goes to a housing project in Brownsville to DELIVER FOOD TO THE HUNGRY, and he's shot dead?!? REALLY??

So it's not safe to volunteer?!? Somebody tell Obama!

No, we can't accept this. Fuck outta here with that, whoever did that shit is a depraved animal. straight up barbarism. No excuse.

Which makes me ask out loud, WTF is going on lately? In the last week you have a holiday shopper stampede at Wal-Mart resulting in some poor temp getting trampled to death, and reports say it was instigated by a shouting argument about who was "cutting in line" That was the cause? Arguing about who cut the line? Like when you were trying to buy the last pack of "Butter Crunch" cookies from the Junior High School cafeteria?

People?! are we people?!?

Then in Bedford-Stuyvestant you got the equally sad and depraved:
I-can't-get-no-transfer-for-free?-okay-umma-punch-you-and-leav---no-wait-umma-shank-you-like-an-extra-on-Oz-to-get-my-angst-out mentality.

Stabbing the bus driver who let you ride free, because after your free ride, he wouldn't give you a $2 transfer, essential paying you for your theft of service? What street was this mad man from, wall street? Really, was the assailant from a hedge fund? That's some really insane profit taking. Is this the point we're at, Bailout by Shank?

In Fort Greene, in October a broad day light gun battle between three people spilled into a beauty parlor around the corner from the James E. Davis building (although for what it's worth, this story sounded less random than the others and more like like no honor among thieves)

James E. Davis who was a community organizer that held rallies in Brooklyn against gun violence (and crime in general) was later elected to city council and months after gunned down by a rival in the council chamber. In November stray shots rang out on Hanson and South Portland, around the corner from the aforementioned shootout, and while it seems nobody was hit and the two incidents aren't related (it was late) the wild gunfire hit the James Davis building on corner shattering the windows of the museum, Mocada located on the first floor. That of all buildings this one is hit by random gunfire makes it even more of an affront.

This isn't what I intended to write about and I accept it's become a rant but that story about the guy delivering food just did it for me, especially when I've read so many stories recently about how food banks are struggling to help communities in need, many in Brooklyn and the like, and then this, fuck man I dunno...

I'm not writing to prophesy doom, or divide and disdain but really man, I wanna know what the fuck is this? These people regardless of what motivates them, are harboring some animalistic tendencies. Which frankly I hate admitting, because the preps might be young men or woman of color and we know how forces will leap on the chance to cast all of us in the same hole as the worse of us. But maybe we can do it now, maybe with an Obama in office, with something as attractive in our society as that we can get over whatever stigma maybe, wade through the stank of "dirty laundry", look at this ugliness and have a louder conversation to deal with what is happening to segments of our community.

So is this all a reality? Besides an increase in rambling blogs, are people acting out in more publicly aggravated ways?

Really, what the fuck, people?