On Gentrification

Ladies and gentlemen, I have just finished reading a rather interesting article in The Atlantic magazine.  The article is basically a defense of gentrification, as we are seeing in neighborhoods such as Harlem and The South Bronx.  The writer of the piece believes that we have the narrative of this subject wrong, and that not as many people are displaced by gentrification as we may think.  This is according to studies that are highlighted in the piece.

This may ring true (at least to the writer of the piece) that neighborhoods that are seeing gentrification may see some progress.  However, when neighborhoods are left out of the planning to bring in people with higher incomes, understandably, controversy can ensue.  There are articles on http://welcome2thebronx.com/ that detail the borough's struggle with gentrifying neighborhoods.

While gentrification may make some neighborhoods get better, they also bring amenities that are fiscally out of reach to the poor residents.  And while I have read articles about upper class people appreciating the culture of neighborhoods like Harlem and The South Bronx, and saying that they are not trying to push anyone out, I don't see these folks really interacting with people who spent entire lives there.

I also see a bit of irony in gentrification.  Yes, I find it ironic that wealthy white people (and yes, most of them are white) suddenly want to live in neighborhoods filled with people of color.  After all, wasn't these same people rushing to get the hell away from us, by moving to more "racially homogeneous" parts of cities?  Or the suburbs?

I most certainly hope that upper class folks have good intentions when deciding to move into neighborhoods that others might have deemed too seedy before.  But now we have local media and real estate firms declaring that "Neighborhood X" could be the next Williamsburg, or SoHo.  While some may see this as a good thing, longtime residents have plenty of reason to worry.  Because with a change of people, comes a change of character, and possibly erasure, to a neighborhood.

On "Respectability Politics"

Over the last few days, America has heard about the high school student who was tossed across a classroom by a "school resource" officer.  The video of the incident has led people to take sides.  There are those who say that the officer used excessive force in his handling of the student.  And then, there are others who believe that the student got what she deserved, for being disruptive in class, and not following the orders of the officer.  The officer was fired following a review of his actions.

But what if the student in question did what was asked of her by the officer?  I wonder now if that would have changed the outcome of this whole situation.  Keep in mind that the student is Black, while the officer is White.  Meanwhile, at least 100 students led a protest to have the officer reinstated, which included some black students.

This brings me to the issue of "Respectability Politics," which dictates that if a person of color (specifically, a Black person) acts in a manner that is "respectable," then (s)he should little to nothing to worry about when it comes to interactions with white people (specifically, white police officers).  Some people, mostly political and social conservatives, hold this to be true.  Others, though, don't think that respectability matters, especially if some white people already hold negative views about people of color.

Count me as one of those who don't seem to think that respectability matters.  Having lived in New York City, which is supposed to be a beacon of tolerance (it's not; the City can be just as racist as any other city in America), I have some experience with this.  When I was in high school, I was stopped by a police officer inside a train station in The Bronx.  After showing him my high school identification card, he made the claim that I looked older than I actually was.  In another incident, this time in Manhattan, in 2006, I was stopped by another police officer as I was leaving Grand Central Terminal, and I was detained for about twenty minutes while they verified my identification.  I would be told that I looked like someone who passed through there earlier.  In both incidents, I was "respectable," but as I mentioned before, if someone has a negative view of people of color, it doesn't matter how "respectable" one thinks (s)he is.

I always carry myself in a civilized manner, but if I learned anything from my time in the so called "greatest city in the world" (it's not), it's that racism exists even in the most "liberal" or "progressive" of places.  Wherever I go, I know that I will be scrutinized more become some people think that I don't belong in certain areas because of my skin color.  No amount of "respectability" will ever change that.

Comment...As you see fit.

On Urban Crime

Let me start this latest blog post in THE NO CHILL ZONE by strongly denouncing the killing of Randolph Holder, an NYPD housing officer in East Harlem last night.  He is the fourth New York City police officer to die in the last eleven months (barely a year!) Now we know that the suspect in the officer's death was a hardened criminal who had no business being out on the streets.

I am going to reiterate what I said after the deaths of two other officers, killed in an ambush just days before Christmas last year...  Things are going to get harder for people of color in New York City.  And you know why?  Because it is the few idiots in our communities that ruin things for the majority, who are decent, law abiding citizens.

I personally don't get the allure of gang life.  As a post on Facebook I've seen says, "The streets don't love you.  They just take you away from people who do."

I grew up in the South Bronx, in the late 1980s and throughout the 90s.  The neighborhood was awful with violent crime rampant in the streets.  One day, some knucklehead pulled out a gun and started shooting in the air inside a playground adjacent to the housing project I was living in, with no regard to the children playing outside whatsoever.

One night, when I was little, some thug shot his gun off the roof of the building across from mine, and one of the bullets struck the kitchen window.  If the window wasn't double sided, there is the possibility that someone could have been hurt or killed.

Last night's tragedy should be a wake up call to all those who embrace the thug culture and stereotypes.  They could end up in jail, or dead.

It is a shame.  Another family without a husband, a father, a son, and why?  Because of criminals ruining neighborhoods and communities of color.

We must take our communities back from those wanting to cause trouble.  We must send a clear and strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated.  Lest we hear of more tragedies such as the passing of Officer Holder.

On Immigration

The subject of immigration has been in the news a lot over the past few weeks, particularly with business mogul, reality star and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making it the centerpiece of his campaign.  He has derided illegal immigration from the southern border of the United States, to the point of sounding racist (which he is, but that's for another day).

This blog post isn't about Trump, however.  Immigration has been a hot topic for several years, with an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants calling the U.S. home.  President Obama signed an executive order to deal with this issue, bypassing a far - right Republican Congress who wants to send the immigrants packing.

At my current job, I deal with undocumented immigrants every single day.  Many of them speak little to no English, and it is hard to serve them properly when they don't understand what the hell I'm talking about.

But it's not just immigrants from south of the border.  I have noticed that some Caribbean, and even some European immigrants, don't speak the English language.  This morning, I had to help a Haitian national who couldn't speak the language, and needed someone to translate information for me.  Also, at one point, a European customer who couldn't speak English got irate, and since there was no one there to translate, I couldn't figure out why.

Even a Haitian coworker turned to me one time and asked, "How the f--- are you living in America and you can't speak English?"  I didn't answer, but we all know the answer...Most of these people are not here legally.

I often wonder how undocumented immigrants get by without speaking English.  The social circles of these individuals and their families must be extremely small.

I am not a Republican.   Not by any stretch of the imagination.  But sometimes, being frustrated with the trouble I have serving the undocumented, I could appreciate the party's stance on the issue, as sometimes I think they are living better than I am.  Back in the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suggested that immigrants learn English within five years...Or leave.

Now, before you go accusing me of being a racist or xenophobe, let me say that I am all for legal immigration, provided that people who want to live here meet certain prerequisites, like having a job and paying taxes.  Oh, and, they know how to speak the King's English.

All this being said, I honestly don't think that the undocumented have anything to worry about, not at the present time.  Let's say that Donald Trump actually pulls off a miracle and wins the presidency.  He'd have a hard time sending them back...it would be too time (and money) consuming.

Comment...As you see fit.