Site Report 1

AnnotatedBibliographyTemplateUpdated.rtf

Carolyn Vargas  

Isaiaah Mccullon

Rosannel Cartagena

Myrka Veloz

Arlshals Troncoso

Isaiaah M_Report 2

Isaiaah Mccullon Site Report 1

Prologue: The Tale of Sludgie the Whale

Most sea animals can’t even survive more than 72hours in the Gowanus Canal and Sludgie the Whale was proof that the Gowanus waters is inhabitable. This propose a threat on how New York City had neglected cleaning up the Gowanus for decades. As I look deep into the Sludgie the whale story, you tend to have a heavy heart for the whale because every time the whale would reach the surface, it would be this black sludge on it’s face and mouth area. No mammel should ever go through swimming with pollution like Sludgie the whale has done, this was the result of a storm starring the whale in the direction of polluted Canal. Gowanus is the primary example of polluted water that should be a world wide clean-up in other polluted bodies of water due to horrific results of what pollution has done to life globally.

This movie is a motivational film. Politicians have citizens believing that they don’t have any say of what goes on in each other neighborhoods. Jane Jacobs had proving that theory wrong and she was no politician, just a neighborhood citizen. Robert Moses has been a threat on tearing down neighborhoods, “slums” is what he called it and built massive freeways to build the city around the automobile, relocated Minorities with low income in those teared down neighborhoods and created a fantasy better place to live which is called the “Projects”, and ripped apart families from one another by profits and greed. Jane Jacobs grew aware that the idea of community in neighborhoods were vanishing before her eyes rapidly. The separation of people, families began to emerge and she vowed to fight for others who felt that they didn’t didn’t have a voice. Stopping Robert Moses from causing more damage to the city then he already with investors, etc. is one of the most accomplished movements of the city. Not only because it was wrong, it was flawed to certain cultures that greatly effects the economy is the long run.

Reading chapter 6 of “The uses of city neighborhoods”  by Jane Jacobs, about her strong ideas on how city neighborhoods should function around the community and for people. Not how much income you have. She explains how a successful city neighborhood thrives on solving problems within the community by taking necessary steps. An unsuccessful city neighborhood would shy away from solving anything and at that point, problems and issues will consumed the neighborhood.

Having family that grew up in the Rockways has been known to be very dangerous back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. My family wanted out like many others as well. Even families that were so far into crime did as well. Everyone who lived their had a dream of getting out of the projects because of the horrible living conditions and isolation on the island. Reading this article opened my eyes on why it was so bad including why it took so many years to get help right after Hurricane Sandy destroyed most homes and businesses on the Rockways. The Rockways is considered to be the most poorest part of the city which is called “The Slums”. People like Robert Moses had the idea and build Project Houses to relocate poor minorities, in which is most identified as Black and Latino families  in areas that would isolate people from the rest of the city  such as the Rockways. The Rockways has turned into one of the worst places to live in New York City. I feel that once everything is set for mass gentrification, the argument will be that minorities, mostly poor Blacks and Latino’s can’t live with each other and that is simply untrue.