Gabrielle Alwi

May 19, 2014

English 1121 – D428

Research Paper

 

Brooklyn Through the Years

 

 

 

The New York Nets or Brooklyn Nets, moved backed to New Jersey at the merger of American Basketball Association – National Basketball Association after the 1976 season thirty- seven years of drought, Brooklyn was a city with no basketball team at least not until 2012 when they moved back to Brooklyn, New York. The city of Brooklyn changed throughout the decades. From crowded fan base in the 1950’ and gangs and poverty in the 1980’s and 90’s, and now it’s back to the bright high paying Brooklyn. The Brooklyn waterfront was a place where many families grew up and memories were made until changes came along and the whole society shifted. Different parts of Brooklyn changed drastically while others took time. Some places in Brooklyn did not even change for the better. Some areas became worse and increased in poverty. Gentrification around the Brooklyn waterfront turned it around one hundred and eighty degrees. Even though some areas turned into a better environment, not everyone living in the area supported the change and some even disagreed with gentrification happening around the Brooklyn waterfront. Now in 2014, after years of waiting, the Brooklyn waterfront has turned into the spot where everyone has to visit. Brooklyn throughout the years changed financially, violence, and reproductively.

Based on the article, “Organizing Against Gentrification,” by Ben Dulchin, residents of Brooklyn work hard every day at their work place and school to achieve their goals. With all their bills and payments on their table every month, they do not need to worry about anything else beside their own personal life. With the heart of New York sitting across the river, Brooklyn is becoming like Manhattan. Rents and mortgages are rising rapidly and homeowners are complaining and going against the battle to fight for their city. Going back in the 1990’s, Brooklyn was known as they city of crime and danger. Brooklyn had the highest crime rate percentage throughout the whole New York City. Many people avoided going to Brooklyn knowing that it was dangerous and unsafe. To some people, Brooklyn is a home and a place to create childhood memories. Residents protest today because they are complaining how it is unfair to raise prices without any reasons. Today, it is the total opposite and residents are questioned to why such thing it going on.

As it is stated on “Complex City Guide,” the areas that gentrification affected the most is the north western. Areas such of Williamsburg, DUMBO, Fort Greene, and Gowanus were truly affected. Changes have been made throughout the years in these areas and over time they went from neighborhoods of low cost living to high priced social areas. Gentrification caused a price raise for the residents living in certain areas. From the year 2004 to 2012, many changes occurred and mostly it affected the residents living there. Some places rose three to five percent, but others rose fifty to sixty percent and in some cases even over one hundred. It sounds unbelievable, but it is true. These numbers are shocking and in reality, it is hard to pay rent in these neighborhoods. Williamsburg was a place where violence occurred every night. Williamsburg was a place where nobody wanted to visit daytime and especially not at night. Drug addicts, gang relations, and many more problems were rampart in the neighborhood. Today, Williamsburg is one of the most changing cities in Brooklyn. In some aspects, there could be a positive side to the fact that there is a lower rate of violence act in Williamsburg and that it has better streets, but abolishing and gentrifying almost the entire neighborhood will cause many people to fight back for what is theirs.

According to “The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn”, section Suleiman Osman, Brooklyn was a dangerous place to be around. Gang violence occurred in many areas and people lived in slums and the atmosphere was just irrelevant. People over time tried to replace these slum but residents were just aggravated over the fact business owners were trying to take over their homes. Middle class and above business owners wanted these neighborhoods to change immediately, and they planned to change the area into machine factories and business blocks. Some people thought it was because of racism because majority of the groups were the same color. Residents from the neighborhood who were destroyed were and are against the decisions of these business owners. They do not want  their homes destroyed.  Homeowners who work very hard to provide for their families do not have any time to go against and deal with business owners who just want to take the easy way and abolish neighborhoods. Even though homelessness and violence occurs, community workers around the neighborhood with open arms can help it.

In “From the Frying Pan to the Oven,” Winifred Curran writes that if business owners take over local residents homes in Brooklyn, there will be less money coming in through the economy because local residents will suffer in paying off their rent and not be able to help out with the economy by spending. If business owners change the image of these neighborhoods to steel buildings everywhere, no one consider going through the neighborhood. The New York economy needs to run and Brooklyn is one of the reason why is runs. There are many parts of Brooklyn with slums and unwanted streets where hobos sell cheap merchandise or advertise to one another. These things help the economy and it helps Brooklyn to be itself. These urban neighborhoods are made to encourage people to live in Brooklyn which would increase the local in population rather than merely drawing workers from nine to five, and having an empty night time city. Brooklyn needs to grow and destroying local homes is not a option. Instead, letting the residents stay and expand in depth is a greater idea. The economy could circulate with people shopping and going around spending their money in their town.

Gentrification is an important topic and it needs to be brought to the media. Brooklyn is a city that has been going through ups and down, and destroying the homes of residents would not help. We all know that there are certain parts of Brooklyn that are the opposite of what we want to see, but with the help of the residents from the neighborhood, the streets of violence and slums can be turned into a place where people can run their small business for the community. Changing Brooklyn is a good idea, but to destroy the streets and neighborhoods to build factories and industries is going too far because residents work hard to be where they are. The economy has to circulate and needs to run smoothly and for that to happen residents need to stay where they are,and let local business run and let the population of these small cities in Brooklyn expand to become a bigger community.
 

 

 

 

 

 

WORK CITED

 

1. Dulchin, Ben. “Organizing Against Gentrification, Fighting the Free Market: The Displacement-Free Zone Campaign.” Social Policy 34.2/3(2003): 29-34. Education Source

 

2. “Map Breaks Down Brooklyn Gentrification.” Complex.com. N.p., n.d. Web.

3. Drezen, Richard. “The Invention Of Brownstone Brooklyn: Gentrification And The Search For Authenticity In Postwar New York. “Library Journal 136.3 (2011): 121 Education Source

 

4. Curran, Winifred. “From The Frying Pan to The Oven”: Gentrification And the Experience Of Industrial Displacement In Williamsburg, Brooklyn.” Urban Studies 44.8 (2007): 1427- 1440.