Video: Say It Loud – Gentrification
Below is a video that offers first person commentary on Harlem’s gentrification. The short documentary is narrated by Donny Goines, who we profiled on U.F. over the summer. He says,
As an artist, and someone who now has a voice I feel that it’s only right that I use it to speak on things that many can’t. So with that being said, the first topic I wanted to address is Gentrification. Mainly because in Harlem, New York (where I live) this is a serious issue and it hits home.
Donny will be releasing his debut CD, next month. His first single is the smooth and melodic “I am Moving.” You can vote for his new music video, “I am Moving” currently being featured on The Freshman on MTVU.
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more about “Say It Loud: Gentrification Music Vid…“, posted with vodpod
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I live in one of the new co-ops, most of the new homeowners are middle class blacks and hispanics. I guess you guys can’t tell them on the streets because they blend in with the older residents. Go ahead and waste your time hating “whitey.” Why don’t you sit outside a new co-op for a day and check out the skin color of most of the new homeowners? Cause it ain’t white.
I have always lived Harlem and wish the same energy spent complaining about gentrification would have been spent complaining about the disproportianate amount of methadone, drug treatment programs, shelters, and social services found in Harlem. Get angry at the elected officials that did nothing while poverty, poor housing and poor performing schools were the standard in Harlem; don’t get angry at folks like me self who bought an apartment when I had the chance rather than reject living in my own neighborhood because as many told me “it is a waste of money.”
This blame game is ridiculous. Gentrification is not evil – it has improved Harlem 100 fold. Most of the housing was build on abandoned lots. Most of the housing is for middle income – teachers, police officers, firefighters, social workers, etc. Columbia’s expansion is the best thing to happen to Harlem – why? – well maybe because if anyone read their plan they will see that millions of dollars will go to after school programs, scholarships for Harlem youth, and community grants to housing projects. Wake up ignorant people!
Gentrification has brought more grassroots organizations, parks are cleaned up like Morningside Park – not by rich people – by middle income people who have bought a modest place in this neighborhood and care about. They are joining the lifelong Harlemites who are sick and tired of excuses about no services, neglect, etc, and are doing something about it this beautiful neighbohood. The only people who want an abandoned lot to remain abandoned are thugs and drug dealers. No other excuse.
New Harlemites and old Harlemites are taking back Harlem and turning lots into playgrounds, affordable housing, shopping centers, etc. – because they want change – they believe in change and change has come and will continue.
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What do I think? Glad you asked. I agree this gentrification (can I just say whitey and not veil my racism?) stuff has to stop. Starbucks, American Apparel, safer streets, community revitalization all this crap is really cramping my lifestyle. In addition to all these facts from a user generated online website, think about all the affordable housing that is being demolished…oh wait, scratch that. I guess the average salary cited still does get you on the dole with plentiful affordable housing and government subsidies. Back to this evil occurring on our streets. Poor guy can’t run a struggling record shop for 30 years without the man in Albany and DC asking for taxes. Oh wait the man is now one of us… Anyway, somehow we have to come together and figure out how to get whitey, I mean gentrification, out of our ‘hoods. You’ll know the ‘hood is going down the drain when they start insisting on better schools.