A Successful talk about renters rights in the wake of Gentrification

Before the event (I'll post a better photo later)

Last night's talk about Gentrification was better than I'd hoped. The organizer of the meeting Neta Alexander screened two films "Rent Freeze" which documented the struggle to install a five year rent rate freeze for all stabilized and rent controlled apartments in New York City. And "A Snowboarding Day in Brooklyn" by Jason Scott Jones, which captured a moment of bless ruined by the inequity certain New Yorkers often face.

The event was well attended with an active audience and four guest speakers Donna Rachel and the filmmakers. Topics of renters rights were heavily discussed. I met great people and came away more optimistic and with specific ideas on what we can all do to increase the sustainability of longstanding communities while uniting with new comers to the neighborhood to make Crown Heights in particular and the once neglected neighborhoods of New York city as a whole, vibrant functioning places again.

I'll post more about the discussion event, and some inspired thoughts that came out of it, and hopefully some new ongoing reporting that may be featured on this blog.

TOMORROW PUBLIC TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION IN CROWN HEIGHTS - ALL INVITED

TOMORROW -  SATURDAY 9/27 7:30pm a public talk about Gentrification - Rent Controls & Resistance - will take place at the FiveMyles Gallery at 558 St. Johns Place in Crown Heights. 

Everyone is invited to come down and join in. Two short films on the topic as it relates to Brooklyn will be shown, come down and meet the contributors to the Brooklyn Born blog as well as the filmmakers and Rachel Godsil, Director of NYC's Rent Guideline Board, and lenders of the Crown Heights Tenants Union.

Details on the flyer for more information contact Neta Alexander (NA889@nyu.edu)

A PUBLIC TALK ON GENTRIFICATION in CROWN HTS - THIS SAT 9/27 7:30 ALL INVITED

THIS SATURDAY 9/27 7:30pm a public talk about Gentrification - Rent Controls & Resistance will take place at the FiveMyles Gallery at 558 St. Johns Place in Crown Heights. 

Everyone is invited to come down and join in. Two short films on the topic as it relates to Brooklyn will be shown, come down and meet the contributors to the Brooklyn Born blog as well as the filmmakers and Rachel Godsil, Director of NYC's Rent Guideline Board, and lenders of the Crown Heights Tenants Union.

Details on the flyer for more information contact Neta Alexander (NA889@nyu.edu)

Summer! Mermaid Parade today Gentrifying Brooklyn tonight Events all over

Ah summer time of fitting in more temperate joy than there are hours in a day..

I'm thinking of hitting up the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island in a few hours and giving some love to the Brooklyn Boardwalk.

Also tonight at Coney Island is the season opening for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets' minor league team, they face off against, who else, the Staten Island Yankees!

There's a screening tonight of a film called Gentrifying Brooklyn at FiveMyles Gallery in Crown Heights

In Prospect Park tonight at the bandshell there's a revisiting of "Bitches Brew" a celebration of the original Miles Davis release, part of the "Celebrate Brooklyn" series.

Habana Outpost is always a good look for good lookings in Fort Greene

The green markets at Fort Greene Park and Prospect Park's entrances are underway

The Brooklyn Flea is going on of course at Bishop Loughlin Field in Clinton Hill

and whatever more is happening give a shout and I'll post it

In the city at SummerStage in Central Park there's a NYC Pride Rally with Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Martha Wash, The New York Gay Men's Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers, Bruce Vilanch, Wendy Williams and More. That's a good look, Me'Shell Ndegeocello is a musical genius.

Photo Wednesday 05/26/10 : Native Brooklynite Edition

Above: Brooklyn Natives? (photo from a performance at the FiveMyles Gallery in Crown Heights, 558 St. Johns Place)

Photo Wednesday will have to be a little abstract this week. too much outside work to do, but below are some links I found amusing about the B the R the O ta Okay....

http://www.observer.com/2010/brobos-paradise

http://gawker.com/5547241/brooklyn-is-cool-until-you-start-reading-about-it

note both links discuss the recent trend of over analyzing Brooklyn an whether we are more clever or ridiculous for our efforts. Cause when I say Brooklyn you say pseudo-sociology, am I right?

The comments are fun on the gawker page. I like (and relate to*) this one from OrneryBabe:

I was born and raised in Canarsie and have lived in Cobble Hill for 15 years (read: before it became annoying). Growing up, Brooklyn wasn't particularly special. It was just a nice place to live and go to school. No one was particularly aspiring to move here.

I despise the people who just got here last year from Nebraska/Iowa/North Dakota and regard themselves as oh so fucking awesome because they live out here. Suddenly they're the New Yorkiest New Yorkers evah. Never mind that they couldn't tell you how to get to Flatbush, or Church Avenue. Or that they have no idea what the Junction is or where to find it.

I find all the articles proclaiming the coolness of Brooklyn pretty amusing. How exciting it is that the hipsters have put us on the map!

I especially love when the new arrivals stare as they're trying to figure out just what the fuck I'm doing in their nabe (it happens a lot). It annoys me so.  

(except that I did grow up thinking B'klyn was special)

Artistry in Crown Heights thru May 3rd

This past Sunday the weather provided an otherworldly exterior of dense fog while just a few yards inside of Crown Heights western edge, (yah it used to all be Crown Heights...) at FiveMyles the ten year old Crown Heights gallery and performance space nestled into St. John's Place, Artists constructed and project introspective visions of art.


The two person show features the works of Anita Glesta
(above: Expulsion - video Installation)

Andra Samelson (above and below: Down to Earth – sculpture)



The exhibition naturally inhabits the space as it features video projections, formations of wood and wood borne sculpture, which muse about classical narratives and existential questions.

A diverse crowd of seasoned artists, friends, well-wishers and youthful neighbors made for a well attended opening.


As the event was coming to a close, the wine was displaced by a spread of fried fish and cornbread laid out by gallery owner Hanne and her family adding new flavors and a cozy Brooklyn accent to the well known gallery experience.

But you don't need me reporting in my curator voice, peep the pics and see the exhibition, it'll be up through May 3, 2009.