The Lure of Gentrification

[RichieEastside]

"Once ransacked by riots, drug use, and gang activity, Prospect Heights is now yet another neighborhood fallen prey to gentrifiers". LOL Yea the good old days when we had violence, gangsters, and drug addicts walking around...get real.

So the problem in this person's neighborhood as she sees it is not the violent, drug users, or gangsters, it's those damn rich people. This is just laughable.

Don't worry, you'll find another neighborhood to turn into a slum sooner or later.

[TheOcmagic]

This "Documentary" is misleading and is a perfect example of how the most played out tactics of depressing music and footage taken out of context is used to promote one-sided messages of angst and boo-hoo-ery. Cry me a river.

[NYGIANTPRIDE]

I grew up in Brooklyn and Queens...

Neighborhoods change and usually NOT for the better. In this case you had an unsafe crappy neighborhood with a ton of crime and now people with JOBS live there.

Fucking deal with it.

I saw my working class neighborhood turn into shit in a matter of 4-5 years... Maybe some of these people and some of you should move there instead. They'll feel at home with all the crime, drug addicts and welfare cases, away from this "horrible gentrification".

[xcanarsiex]

about time they're cleaning up brooklyn.

[jahotgal01]

that is crazy white people cant afford the rent in Manhattan so they move to Brooklyn and make the rent unaffordable for the residents. a mess

[queenofcapitola]

Do you think the average white person has any more contorl over this than you do? They are also being thrown out of area's the Socailist Elite havedeemed 'usable'..

The truth is we have got to stop blaming black or white.. it's not about race, it's about CONTROLLING US... and keeping us under the poverty line... and feeding us lies about each other.. PEOPLE.. this is about destroying us.. and they will use us against each other.. BECAUSE THEY CAN AND BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW THEM TO.

[brhasho]

I can't even begin to explain how awful this was. Agree or disagree with the point, you obviously know nothing about gentrification or the area.  Your information was wrong and your images were about areas not in discussion. Awful awful awful.

[rbolo29]

Gentrification is a big part of the so called, New World Order.

[trapper101]

yea they are cleaning up the neighborhood, but understand this: NOT FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are for the new motherfuckers coming in.

[driftwood963]

@trapper101

Why was the neighborhood so dirty that it needed all this cleaning up?

[ntelos763]

CONTINUED: I say good for the blacks and latinos that are moving to states FAR from the big cities. You couldn't get me (a single white male) to live in any city nowadays as it could be instant suicide. I bet the people that lived down by the world trade center in the condos over there regretted it.

[ntelos763]

These "people" moving into these neighborhoods are doing one thing I never heard mentioned concerning Gentrification. And that is, they are making themselves targets for terrorists and God forbid there be a nuclear war or dirty bomb incident as these "new" neighborhoods would be prime targets. Remember, 9/11 happened in mostly "european" parts of the country, the terrorist didn't come to bed-stuy looking for casualities. Cont....

[vidhead85]

I also wonder: Why does gentrification seem to be a WHITE VS BLACK ISSUE; Green is the only color that matters when gentrification happens

[vidhead85]

The bottom line is this: Esp in black neighborhoods, we gotta get it together and stop telling people that education is only for the WHITE PEOPLE or that being educated is only for white people, the fact is that we need to be educated and then bring it back to our communities! That's why people are leaving and gentrification does help and hurt a lot--WE NEED TO GET UP AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DOING BUSINESS AND MAKING THEM BETTER COLLECTIVELY! THAT'S ALL

[ParkSlopeYuppyToilet]

Nothing but a bunch of worthless spoiled suburban hipster yuppie transplant brats paying $4k/mo rent with Daddy Suburban-bucks' money, they should all fuck off and die.

[smackitupNflipit]

Fuck these yuppies and their useless overpriced businesses. Fuck that yuppie transplant guy and his "dumpy" attitude.

Hopefully these lemming idiots and their parents' red state Republican money funding their Brooklyn playdates runs out before the borough is totally destroyed by them.

[haitianzoezoe]

AGREED

[JRMNYC]

...not be shot or beat up than live with hoodrats. As a black gay man, I have suffered harrassment for being who I am and rising above my surroundings. These folks (not all but most) abhor education, class and anyone perceived to be different. Good riddance! I have no respect for those who complain and yet never take care of their own communities. Use it or loose it... Put up or shut up.

[1wilburn]

i could not agree with you more. I grew up in the BX in a similar neighborhood. People complain and say it's unfair, but what did you do with the neighborhood when you had it so long? and now that someone else is taking advantage of the opportunity that you had so long you get upset at them? It's about business. I bet most of the people living there were on some form of public assistance. Everyone needs help sometimes, but I;m talking about the people that have been on it all there lives

[JRMNYC]

While I sympathize with Denise Brown's position on gentrification, I also disagree with her. The reason that gentrification takes place in the first place is because those who lived there did not take care of it. Property values dip so low and people trash their neighborhood. This primes it for a massive buyout by developers. Forgive me if I sound cruel but I grew up around the same no account having, ignorant thugs that complain today but did nothing yesterday. I would rather pay more and ...

[1wilburn]

I agree 1000% percent. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in the BX. My parents worked hard and bought a home. So now they can't get gentrified out because they own it. People in these neighborhoods don't own anything. They rent, and when you rent you have no real say in what happens.

[mrpower328]

I live in a apartment building on Lafayette ave. I moved her in 1994 and the building was all black people. Now there is only 2 black people left in this building and now the rest is all white. I guess the owner of this building is waiting for the only 2 black people to move out.

[1wilburn]

If there were black people who could pay the increased rents the new white tenets are paying then the landlord would rent to them I'm sure. It's not so much about color as it is about money. If you can afford the new rent then you get the apartment. of course he wants the old tenents out because then he can double the rent for whomever moves in next. This is not charity. I know many people who lived in poor neighborhoods or the projects, saved there money and bought there own place that.

[BulletsBasketballDC]

Your SUPER hated you?

I HATE you now!

Go the fuck back to your WAL-MART town you douchebag!

[bink914]

Please - take about artist liberty. The images of the proverty and borded up windows are from Crown Heights. Then the film shoots new stores fronts and brownstones in Prospect Heights. PH is from Flatbush to Washington - Eastern Pwky to Atlantic. Some of the scenes are taken right from the center of Crown Heights. Two very different neighborhoods! Which one would you like to live it.

[Joyness333]

"Once ransacked by riots, drug use and gang activity, prospect heights is now yet another neighborhood fallen prey to gentrifiers."

So I suppose they should have just let the "riots, drug use, and gang activity" continue until it tricked and leaked into other innocent neighborhoods, right? Why would anyone have a problem with cleaning up a neighborhood and pushing out the violence? Why? How could anyone like or want to live in that?

[Izakokomarixyz]

there are ups and downs with both choices...

[mrpower328]

I don't mind the cleaning up a neighborhood and pushing out the violence, but don't raise the rent so high that the poor can't live there. 1 small bedroom apartment for $1800. That is insane. Now innocent poor people that lived there all their lives have to move out.

[smackitupNflipit]

That's the whole point, the yuppie transplants hate the poor natives and want them gone. They are happy every time a native Brooklyn family gets pushed out; this way it makes room for one more worthless yuppie transplant family to come in with their Jamaican nanny and Mexican housekeeper.

[1wilburn]

These developers that are buying all the property can't make money doing business with the poor people already living there. Not to sound mean but let's be honest. They are doing this to make money. So why would I as a business man pay millions of dollars to buy a building, fix it up and then rent the apartments back to the same tenents without raising the rent? I think the problem is many people in these neighborhoods don't want to do anything to better their situation. It's easier to complain

[glorialucia]

I don't mind poor people. I mind crackheads, thieves, and drug dealers in my "up and coming neighborhood"... get rid of them ALL.

[glorialucia]

Ugh they don't know what their talking about, These people have places to live in Brooklyn... I'll name the areas for them.

Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville and Flatlands I doubt those places will be gentrified within the next 10-15 years. x-D

[UmmZeez]

what if they dont wanna live in those 3 areas... come on...

[glorialucia]

then move to another state or another borough. I'm a young professional, personally I don't want to live in an area where I don't feel safe. So gentrification is the answer. I can personally afford it.

[UmmZeez]

big whatever chick... and what do you mean by "these people"? poor people?

[Izakokomarixyz]

how about YOU move to the country or another city and leave us the fuck alone.

[glorialucia]

nope I don't think so, I was born and raised in Brooklyn actually so nope sorry your accusation is incorrect and cursing isn't going to get your point across it only fuels the different in classes.

;)

[glorialucia]

opps "difference"

[Izakokomarixyz]

ok ^_^

[myronmlawing]

@glorialucia

why should they have to leave their home? why don't YOU move to another state or stay your ass in suburbia!

[Leta589]

All of brooklyn is too gentrified.esp prospect heights the white yuppies walk around like thier shit dont stink

[Izakokomarixyz]

fuckin yuppies with their weird ways...

[Averyofthemain]

all of brooklyn all of bed-stuy were white middle class neighborhoods before the black migration, it's not their neighborhood originally.

[UmmZeez]

i almost wanted to cry. i am a former brooklynite that was forced to move out of brooklyn because of the high prices! but my heart is still there... ENY, Brownsville, bed stuy crownheights luv!

[Kirplunkie]

This is beautiful. I was born & raised in BK, so it's really nice to see someone talk about this issue in depth and with such poetry. Great job.

[1000000mark]

Excellent video and even-handed choice of interviewees. I loved the music. It was very thoughtful and I wondered it it was written for this film. That said, you could play this music over a video of someone winning the lottery and the audience would be weeping at the tragedy.

Terrific work, Petra. We're proud. Shelly loved it too.

Mark

[kym1013]

Petra-

Wow, talk about an eye opener...we obviously don't see too much of this out in Montana! I'm so proud to see you out there doing your thing - I look forward to seeing more!

Kym

[goldenmeadows12]

Great video ugly face! You really are talented! you know I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true! Good job and hope to see future movies!

[boosy1993]

Amazing Petrita! I am glad i finally got to see this.