Gentrification in Somerville

This 2004 Video was made at SCAT in a summer youth program. Sixteen year old Stephen McLaughlin and Justin Suied's video was recognized, and received The Young Directors award for a documentary. Both are active member of the community, and members of SOS.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Gentrification
• Somerville
• McLaughlin
• Grassroots

[xpat73]

There is a problem with gentrification??? You said yourself that it is the regeneration of rundown urban areas...so what the heck is wrong with that??

[Villeirish]

xpat73. I guess you only listen to the parts you want to hear. The rest of the sentence said resulting in the DISPLACEMENT of of lower income people. The restoration isn't the problem, the problem is that the people who where here when it was rundown do not get to enjoys the restoration.

[Gettinghitonattheban]

Coming from a 3rd generation resident Charlestown (now yuppie-ville), I can say gentrification is a problem for all of Boston. Soon it's going to have the socio-economics as France.

[HearingLossProvider]

Somerville desperately needs rent control. Real estate agents are gouging the average working class people. The asking prices of these residences is disgusting. 2 grand a month for rent? Who the hell can afford that?

[otter147]

the problem is homogenized morons moving in...

[johnospaz]

BTW, I'm glad you guys raised the issue of opiates. I thank God everyday that I never got into that shit and I am happy that most of my friends got off that shit years ago.

[johnospaz]

I grew up in Somerville and am currently gentrifying Bedstuy Brooklyn. How ironic is that? Seriously though I went to high school with these kids. Yeah they may be a little caustic about the way they approach the problem of gentrification, but the problem still exists. If my family didn't own our house in West Somerville you bet your ass they'd be living in fucking Derry, NH or some shit.

[jimmypageisking]

You know that's a like RL 48.

The Haitians have been predominantly poor since they came and any thing that hurts the lower classes utterly destroys the Haitian community. The Irish are just white now, the Greeks are cute but still white, and the Spics have become "Latinos". But no matter what, a nigger's still a nigger's still a nigger's still a nigger's still a nigger's still a nigger's still a nigger's still a slave.

[RL48]

yes i can understand the point you are trying to make about preserving the city's years of prosperity but in order for somerville to grow it has to make changes that will all of its citizens even though the satisfaction of every could never be achieved and ALSO I DO NOT LIKE THE USE OF YOU USING THE WORD DESCRIBING HAITIANS AND OTHER MINORITY GROUP AS LOWER CLASS BECAUSE EVERY GROUP IS IN THE MIX OF CLASS STATUS

[SomAvePizza]

Does the city need a dog park covering half of a field where kids played? Hell no. Does the city need boutique stores with $60.00 T-shirts? Hell No. HOWEVER--not everybody who moved here wants things like that. Some of us are blue-collar too. You guys can't make the distinction--we're all alike to you. Why not bother those goofballs in Union Square Main Streets and SomDog who've helped themselves but never anybody else? Take them on, and the condo developers, and you'd have us with you.

[xpat73]

Villeirish:

You can't have it both ways. I