23 Responses to “Photo of the Week: Harlem belongs to the people, 116th St.”
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Who does Montana belong to?
“There’s no grand conspiracy to create a welfare-dependant underlcass; that’s absurd”.
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Sorry Spud, you’re painfully wrong. It’s been thoroughly documented for decades – the disproportionate ratio of education funding by NY State for public schools in urban NYC (Harlem, Bed Stuy, the Bronx, etc). versus public schools up state. In Harlem, the students have gotten the short end of the stick for decades. This is one plank in the platform to produce an underclass. The State (and the City ) has employed numerous “planks” through the years to insure an underclass existed. It’s also been well documented that authorities turned a blind eye, by design and intent, to let drugs flow in Harlem. Again, another plank that’s solidly documented. My God the Rockefeller Drug laws fed and grew “The Prison Industrial Complex” while also having their debilitating effect on the community in Harlem. Suppress home ownership through warehousing and redlining and you prevent any chance of “pride of ownership”, another plank where Government worked hand in hand with the private sector to assure Harlem stayed “Ghetto”. You also need to read up on Robert Moses and the influence of Robert Moses in the structural design of the housing projects of Harlem.
You cannot seriously argue that Government (State & City) did not want Harlem to be an underclass. That’s just silly and really illustrates your history & knowledge of Harlem might go back 4 or 5 years at the most. The very roots of Black Harlem are as Harlem as place where one could go and violate law and a lot of White people on a regular basis would come to Harlem night life where they could drink, dance, get a prostitute, and gamble – all through the night, all illegal in Manhattan…but all crimes you can engage in, in Harlem, with no risk of being arrested by the Police. This is all common knowledge. Selective enforcement of law has been a standard policy in Harlem for all the previous decades up through the mid-90′s and Rudy Guiliani where he got rid of all the illegal vendors on 125th St, it was known that no development would ever take place in Harlem if the NYPD did not bring a sense of law and order to Harlem, hence in the late 90′s, kicked off with Guiliani’s cleaning up of the “anything goes 125th St”.
With Halrem now receiving it’s proper and just amount of NYPD resources and services, developers then felt it possible to venture into Harlem. Prior to the Rennaissance Bldg on 116th & Lenox, there has been no new development (housing) in Harlem for a very very long time – why? It was a city/state created “ghetto”. The new arrivals to Harlem seem to have no clue, no idea how Harlem was in the 50′s, 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s. I always remind people…there was little to no NYPD servicing you could count on in Harlem….and this is seen in the sheer numbers of Harlem residents that commonly slept with a gun, a 357, a shot gun, some kind of gun, under there bed. This was not unusul at all to see or learn of in Harlem for a very long period. I still to this day know people in their 60′s that live in very decent housing…however still live with that gun under their bed. They’ve been institutionalized through the decades of truly needing to have that gun under there bed – now that Harlem is night and day safer….they can’t quite let go of that gun.
Spud, you seriously can’t come on this forum, and spout some simple simon government’s purpose 101 talk and plug it into Harlem and claim Government would not set out to create an underclass. That’s just not credible, to anyone.
Nice bunch of comments, but I disagree with this bit in the previous one:
“Then create other Government programs to get the Harlemites reliant, dependent, and tethered to the social welfare machine. Why teach them how to fish when you can give them fish?”
There’s no grand conspiracy to create a welfare-dependant underlcass; that’s absurd. These programs were started by earnest people who were trying to fix the damages from the Jim Crow laws and intended to give people affected by them a leg up. So they could be integrated into mainstream American society. The multi-generational poverty culture was a (ding!) surprise. The social sciences and urban planning fields have improved a lot since those days, but we’re still living with those effects.
The last thing any city planner wants in his area is an underclass, because they cost more money than they bring in. You want a healthy taxbase filling the coffers for your awesome ideas, not a bunch of drains.
Anonymous: please give up. You are surely a white bitter renter envious of Harlem’s rise or a black racist attempting to scare whites away… All the Real Estate agencies aforementioned by you will return to Harlem once again, however, with their heads between their legs as they say in Eastern Europe.
23 crimes reported in Precinct 62
Week of April 20, 2009: “”"2 MURDERS”"”, 1 rape, 3 robberies, 3 burglaries, 7 grand larcenies, 7 grand larcenies (auto).
AND THIS IS A PREDOMINANT WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD! FULL OF HASEDIC JEWS, ITALIANS, RUSSIANS, AND ASIANS. HARLEM IS A CULTURALLY RICH AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE. THIS IS COMING FROM A WHITE PERSON WHO LIVES IN SOUTHERN BROOKLYN.
>You’re suggesting status quo for Harlem?<
Well let's see….duing May 4 – 10 for the 25th NYPD Precinct (119th St.) we've got 2 Robberies, 9 Grand Larcenies (2 autos), & 7 felony assaults. Not bad since the week before there was 1 rape, 5 robberies, 7 felony assaults, 5 grand larcenies, 1 grand larceny (auto). These are just the reported numbers, the real numbers are much much higher as many crimes go unreported + the NYPD by design degrades, reclassifies, or entirely dismisses many crimes to improve their statistics and make it look like their doing a great job. The real numbers far exceed the documented.
http://nyc.everyblock.com/crime/by-precinct/precinct-25/
I'm not suggesting anything, however the numbers at the 25th Precinct suggest it's still Harlem. Just imagine the real numbers, the unreported crime that takes place.
"Status Quo" is assured thanks to Government choices in the 40's, 50's, 60's, & 70's to centralize and build giant poverty/crime villages called Housing Projects and innundate them in Harlem. Build them to the sky and centralize them in Harlem. Then create other Government programs to get the Harlemites reliant, dependent, and tethered to the social welfare machine. Why teach them how to fish when you can give them fish? The result? Incredible density of the underclass, anchored in Harlem with secure housing (sec 8, etc.), they cannot be priced out or uprooted, are young, their babies are having babies.
This is Harlem and a dozen or so new buildings ain't much more than a drop in the bucket. You see this weekend the youth using the streets as their personal motorcross course driving ATV vehicles and dirt motorcycles recklessly and popping wheelies right? This is Harlem, it's not changing, you see the Police can't control this at all.
The reckless youth run-a-muck in the streets with vehicles & crime illustrates it's still Harlem. Live in denial all you want, but the sign speaks truth. It's seen in the reality of the buyers of 5th on the Park who in '07 & '08 issued 10% deposits on expensive apartments, had in place mortgages, however now that the development is Bankrupt the the real estate down turn, those mortgages have been taken away, the banks seeing that Harlem real estate is not worth the price per sq foot they thought it was. And "would-be" buyers risk losing their deposits right now as they cannot find a bank willing to honor a mortgage at that level at that location in that building. The banks have learned, "it's still Harlem" – and there are banks that won't fund developers in fringe markets lacking core amenities within walking distance.
I am suggesting the crime, the refusal for many banks to touch Harlem, the exodus of Corcoran from Harlem, the exodus of Warburg from Harlem, the exodus of Vornado from Harlem, dismal to no sales of new condo apt inventory in the last quarter, the closing of Harlem Tea Room, Pier 2110, Emperor's Roe, N Boutique, (the so called Upscale places blah blah blah), the sheer vast numbers of Black males standing on street corners all day and night doing NOTHING (other than pushing some drugs or cigs), the totality of it all says, "Harlem belongs to the people, not you Yuppie Snobbs".
There is more out ther suggesting that sign is spot on, than not.
Yes, I saw that article. There is another person who wrote an interesting post that I want to add to the conversation. Will try to get them up this afternoon after I come back in.
And yet there was an article in last week’s new york times saying that Harlem is one of the ONLY places new teachers can find affordable housing. in fact, they profiled 4 teachers, who have come to NY as part of “Teach for America” and live in Harlem!
To the last blogger:
You’re suggesting status quo for Harlem? Therefore, the downtown areas of Manhattan shouldnt have changed during the 70s and 80s. It shouldve remained a crack infested, prostitution ridden area. I live a neighborhood where I can’t afford many things. I just do without them especially if they are not necessities. If you can’t afford $4 coffee– do without it! Or move to an area where coffee is $1.
I will stand up and defend the sign. The sign is a cry from the underclass on a Manhattan standard. Historically a new teacher, a civil server worker (THE PEOPLE) could always rent a 1 bedroom apt in Harlem. That is no longer the case. The Manhattan (below 110th/96th) benchmark/standard to rent an Apt requires the renter to have an income of 40X the rent. This never applied to Harlem. I repeat, this Manhattan standard NEVER applied to Harlem (pre-’00). Harlem was accessible to rent a 1 bedroom apt to the new cop, the teacher, the social worker, historically, for as long as there’s been rentals in Harlem – whether Harlem was majority Jewish, Dutch, or Black. Today the new teacher, cop, or social worker, today THE PEOPLE do not have access to a decent 1 bedroom housing in Harlem because a Manhattan standard is now, for the first time, being applied on Harlem.
So if you are fair, and honest, you can see race is removed from the equation, the slogan, and the cry. The sign speaks to economics and class. The slogan speaks to the “Manhattan-ization” of Harlem. The “things now in Harlem”….that are out of reach of the people of Harlem, like the new housing that’s “out of reach” for THE PEOPLE, those people that have historically been able to find a haven, their own haven, in Harlem.
This is one example, one illustration, I can give a lot more, however this drives the point and supports the motivation and foundation of the sign and slogan. Yuppie Snobs? If you can afford to pay $4 for some coffee creation at Starbucks, on a Harlem standard, you are a Yuppie Snob. Why? THE PEOPLE, the new cop, social worker, or teacher cannot afford to drop $20/week or $80/Month in Starbucks. Note the ability to buy $4 coffee never existed in Harlem pre ’00. Again, the “Manhattan-ization” of Harlem, $4 coffee, 40X monthly rent income benchmarks, the theme here, if you are paying attention, is Harlem being out of reach for THE PEOPLE, the new cop, social worker, the new teacher. Snobs? Well..don’t take that part too literally….”snobs” just fits well, is a great chaser to follow “yuppie”.
Generally those still unwilling to accept the merit, realization, and foundation of the sign/slogan don’t want to feel guilty, don’t want to concede the system is out of whack. What do they do to feel better about themselves? They point to rigged earmark programs of some sort, the bones that are thrown to THE PEOPLE to make it appear as if they are not neglected. Again, these are minimal bones, scraps, that’s all. You see this with the new housing that comes up in Harlem and earmarks a certain percentage for low or middle incomes, whether it’s rental or sale. This is when you get 3,000-5,000 applications for a very small handful of apartments, like half-a-dozen, 6, or maybe two dozen, etc. This is “throwing a bone” to THE PEOPLE, scraps. This is “window dressing” by the power, the developers to create the illusion that Harlem is still accessible to THE PEOPLE, the new cop, the social worker, the teacher. This is “diversion”, sure, 1 teacher, 1 cop, 1 social worker out of the THOUSAND that are applying will be able to get that 1 apartment at a price they can afford. The other 999 low and middle income that submitted applications but were not fortunate enough to be selected? It’s called Yonkers. It’s called living somewhere other than Harlem, because you are just THE PEOPLE, and Harlem is no longer for you. Harlem is now for the first time, rentable only to those that earn 40X their income, the Manhattan standard applied below 110th/96th is now applied to Harlem.
Anyone can now go to Dancy Automotive on 129th & Lenox, elegantly scratched into the front of this business that sells/rents/leases automobiles that go for $100K+ are two words, “YUPPIE SCUM”. It’s there, it’s been there for several months and basically is making the same point.
My point? Change happens. I don’t believe anyone is entitled to live anywhere and be immune from the economics of their historical neighborhood, city, or life. Hell I might retire in Mexico soon. My point is to not let the Yuppie snobs, or the yuppie scum, or the yuppie wonderful and lovely people…..dwell in delusion, or posture as if they don’t understand the sign & slogan.
I am not going to let those with means and options act or posture as if they don’t understand the sign, don’t understand the Manhattan-ization of Harlem. Harlem is now GREEN (and I ain’t talkin’ ecology)….but it’s still “Harlem”. However I don’t think it’s going to be very lasting….and a lot of people are going to get burned, pinning their hopes….on Harlem transforming in sufficient density, to overtake the welfare class. That’s not going to happen.
…then again…who identifies themselves as a yuppy these days? Seems so ’90s.
One more little thing and I’m done. I’d like to stand up for the much-maligned yuppie (“young urban professional”). The majority of them I’ve ever met all over the country have been nice, hard-working people. All of the ones in Harlem I know of are friendly, down-to-earth non-snobs, including my wife.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that if you’re a yuppie snob, moving to Harlem would be a terrible decision. It would probably be one of your bottom picks, somewhere below, oh, I dunno, an _outer_ borrough (like some place in Arkansas).
Thus, from my annecdotal evidence, I conclude that the Yuppie Snob Menace in Harlem is an overstated threat and I, for one, will not cower before this blatant fearmongering!!
Who’s with me?
On the other hand… bitter class envy? That’s no good for anyone.
The sign is really ignorant. People don’t move into neighborhoods wishing ill will on anyone; everyone deserves respect. I would suggest that this kind of thinking not be celebrated in any way. People who are considered “outsiders” sometimes become the target of crimes, which is in no way of any benefit to anyone. People can live where they want.
As an American it saddens me to see this kind of poster a couple of months after having an African-American/ biracial President elected to office. It’s truly disheartening. There was a front page article in the NYT this morning about segregated high school proms down South. As unfortunate as that may be, it is the rural South and they’re a little behind New York and the northeast. We don’t need this sort of division the poster suggests. We need ethnically and racially diversified neighborhoods. It will bring out the best in people.
The attitude behind the photo is sad. There are no decent retail establishments on 116th Street now. Fear has pushed those businesses out and that hurts both new and long time residents. Improving services, products and atmosphere is a positive change. And everyone deserves a decent quality of life. Seeing garbage everywhere and run down buildings with cheap products speaks volumes too. It says that residents don’t believe they should have better and that can become a horrible pathology.
Savona, the east 116th has several new businesses including bakeries and restaurants. The West end is struggling but I saw what looked to be a new florist and Z nails is still there. Amy Ruth’s is holding on for now. Of course the Muslims are holding onto their little businesses and the African restaurants seem to be holding on as well. Perhaps the businesses like N, Ginger, and similar weren’t a good fit for where that strip is at this particular time.
Some other slogan ideas:
“Harlem belongs to … slumlords!”
“Harlem belongs to… the city govt.!” (ie: condemned buildings)
Blah blah. So what’s the point of this empty sloganeering?
Funny though, now it seems some “people” will be moving/are moving out or not coming at all. Then it will go back to THE people. The ones who held out and survived before things got attractive. People should be able to move in and move out as they please.
Harlem belongs to no one; it belongs to everyone. When I moved to Bensonhurst Brooklyn back in the late 80s it was a predominantly Italian American neighborhood. Twenty years later it is full of Russians, Latin Americans and Chinese. If you can’t identify with either of the 3 groups you are more or less a minority. Neighborhoods change. People should be able to move in and move out as they please.
I kind of like the extra ‘b’ in snobs. I’m assuming that the “people’ are the folks that held on during the hard times (reference the pics of Harlem in the
80s.) As a somewhat ‘newcomer’ myself if I’d live through that I might want some recognition too. I just thought it was great pic! The fact that it is printed on a priority mail label and all!
Exactly who gets to be “the people,” and why?
Signs are so much more effective when everything is spelled correctly.
Yuppies are people too! (Well, most of ‘em).
Aahhh yes, one of the battle cries, the self-declared assertions of entitlement that much of Harlem assumes. Immunity to the realities of economics, fiscal responsibility, and having to come to terms with fact that ‘change” happens.
Little Italy is no sacred cow to the Italians, Soho & Greenwich Village is no sacred cow to the creative and arts oriented.
Harlem does belong to the people. The people that live in the real world and know everything, like seasons, changes.