The hidden potential of the Grand Concourse (Hope: homes, buying)

[yodel]

The nicer parts of Inwood and Washington Heights have been gentrified for ages. When we lived in Inwood we really wanted to stay close by--we loved it there and had a lot of friends living there, but east of Broadway feels clausterphobic - not at all the ambiance of Inwood west of Broadway. We were looking for a house anyway, which I don't think exist in Inwood east of Broadway. We started looking in University Heights, because it was closer to Inwood, but it just wasn't for us. When we went to Bedford Park close to Mosholu Parkway, we loved the area. It's very green and feels calm and relaxed. I'm sure that Inwood east of Broadway will gentrify in time, but if my choice was between a co-op on Sherman Ave. vs. one on Mosholu Parkway, I'd choose Mosholu.

We have a rental in our house and get a good amount of tenant applicants from Lehman College. Last year we had two students as tenants - one was from Wyoming and the other from San Diego. Another draw that this area had for us was the Botanical Gardens. It's great to have that oasis so close by.

We looked in Harlem as well - as far as a house goes, prices were unreachable for us even at that time (it was 2004). But even East Harlem is gentrifying. It's so different than what it was 10-15 years ago.

[Patrick Bateman Jr]

Originally Posted by hilltopjay

I agree. I think both Harlem and Washington Heights will before the Bronx. East Harlem may be a bit harder to pull off due to the mass amount of projects. Inwood-dykeman will eventually gentrify and spill over to the Bronx. All this will take time though.

I don't believe 100% gentrification will occur in Harlem and Washington Heights. Harlem and Washington Heights have areas that are upscale/gentrified and the hood parts. I feel like we could see a little more gentrification in these areas but you can't kick out all the hood/ghetto people out. IMO, gentrification is more dangerous in this scenario since some people will have resentment towards the newcomers for destroying their "hood."

[hilltopjay]

Originally Posted by Patrick Bateman Jr

I feel like we could see a little more gentrification in these areas but you can't kick out all the hood/ghetto people out. IMO, gentrification is more dangerous in this scenario since some people will have resentment towards the newcomers for destroying their "hood."

Actually you can and I hope the majority of ghetto people leave. After all its their fault the area is like that. Can't blame no one else, they asked for it. So who cares if they feel resentment? Hopefully they'll act on their feelings then get arrested and another hood person is removed for the area.

Put it this way...Being "hood" is a frame of mind. It is a perpetuation of ignorance. If I gather every person from the so called "hood" and brought them out to where I live, where I live would become "the hood." Not because of the location but because of the thought processes these people have. Just think, if we begin to educate one another and speak out against ignorance then the "hood" would no longer exist. It's really that simple. The hard part is getting people to listen.

[whitlock]

Originally Posted by critical thinking

Exactly. I live in a mostly white neighborhood (Sheepshead Bay, BK) but sometimes it seems that every male under 30 here is a skinny kid who wears size 40 pants, has a pibble for a pet, and is nursing an Oxycontin habit. If I could trade all of my crappy white hoodrat neighbors for gainfully employed African American lawyers, car salesmen, etc I would do so in a heartbeat. It's not about race vs. race. It's about trash vs. productive people.

Altough I don't agree with everything you say on other post "I agree" with this. Well said. Like Sobro like to say it's not about race is about class and I agree...lol!

[hilltopjay]

The decline of the grand concourse is a perfect example of a demographic shift from affluent to poor.

[Bronxguyanese]

Originally Posted by hilltopjay

Actually you can and I hope the majority of ghetto people leave. After all its their fault the area is like that. Can't blame no one else, they asked for it. So who cares if they feel resentment? Hopefully they'll act on their feelings then get arrested and another hood person is removed for the area.

Put it this way...Being "hood" is a frame of mind. It is a perpetuation of ignorance. If I gather every person from the so called "hood" and brought them out to where I live, where I live would become "the hood." Not because of the location but because of the thought processes these people have. Just think, if we begin to educate one another and speak out against ignorance then the "hood" would no longer exist. It's really that simple. The hard part is getting people to listen.

One person arrested and another will takes its place and do the samething and the cycle continues. Arresting people does not help gentrification but only helps the prison industrial system. People who are arrested only return to hoods where they where originally arrested. What needs to be done is that youths need role models instead of bball players and hip hop stars. In return go to join the military or go to college. Graduate or finish service move to the suburbs or out of state and abandon the hood and hey maybe things will gentrify for you hilltop. I met one of of town chick who told me she moved to nyc so she wont be considered a hick anymore where shes from. I told her hey you and your kind can have nyc.

[joshd9124]

Originally Posted by hilltopjay

Actually you can and I hope the majority of ghetto people leave. After all its their fault the area is like that. Can't blame no one else, they asked for it. So who cares if they feel resentment? Hopefully they'll act on their feelings then get arrested and another hood person is removed for the area.

Put it this way...Being "hood" is a frame of mind. It is a perpetuation of ignorance. If I gather every person from the so called "hood" and brought them out to where I live, where I live would become "the hood." Not because of the location but because of the thought processes these people have. Just think, if we begin to educate one another and speak out against ignorance then the "hood" would no longer exist. It's really that simple. The hard part is getting people to listen.

The hood is not just a state of mind and nobody asks for it. The hood is a result of socio economics, poor education system, and unstable family units. All this is a result of the racism of the past instilling these negative values into minorities and it being passed on from generation to generation without any of these hood ppl realizing.

And yes these ghetto or hood ppl should all take responsibility for their own lives and realize this and rise above it but thats easier said than done with the lack of a proper education, good parents and other role models, and decent jobs.

[hilltopjay]

Originally Posted by joshd9124

The hood is not just a state of mind and nobody asks for it. The hood is a result of socio economics, poor education system, and unstable family units. All this is a result of the racism of the past instilling these negative values into minorities and it being passed on from generation to generation without any of these hood ppl realizing.

And yes these ghetto or hood ppl should all take responsibility for their own lives and realize this and rise above it but thats easier said than done with the lack of a proper education, good parents and other role models, and decent jobs.

I agree with your last paragraph but strongly disagree with your first. Your ancestors being a slave has no bearing on your performance. If what you say is true, then every single black person should be unsuccessful and a loser. We all know that's not the case. So how are some blacks able to overcome this horrible slavery issue and become successful? That's because slavery isn't the reason why you're a loser, its because other reasons.

[joshd9124]

Originally Posted by hilltopjay

I agree with your last paragraph but strongly disagree with your first. Your ancestors being a slave has no bearing on your performance. If what you say is true, then every single black person should be unsuccessful and a loser. We all know that's not the case. So how are some blacks able to overcome this horrible slavery issue and become successful? That's because slavery isn't the reason why you're a loser, its because other reasons.

Why do you think such a large number of blacks in the ghetto are the way they are it's not that some just chose to be ignorant when they moved to NY from the South. They came here with the idea that there less than a human and can never really amount to anything from what they were told back in the South with slavery and that mindset gets past down from generation to generation. It's to the point where these little ghetto kids think the only thing they can ever amount to is a rapper or ball player because I'm told I'm never gonna be a Dr., a businessman, or lawyer. now there's def a lot of blacks that get past this from the ghetto they usually the rare cases where they had a good parent/parents or good role model but most of these kids don't.

We can't just look at these ppl and say he you asked to be poor, ignorant, and violent nobody wants that and if nobody wants that there most be a deeper reason for this behavior to persist. Like I said in my previous post it's because or socio-economics, failing educational system, and terrible often times abusive or absent family units.

[Bronxguyanese]

Originally Posted by joshd9124

The hood is not just a state of mind and nobody asks for it. The hood is a result of socio economics, poor education system, and unstable family units. All this is a result of the racism of the past instilling these negative values into minorities and it being passed on from generation to generation without any of these hood ppl realizing.

And yes these ghetto or hood ppl should all take responsibility for their own lives and realize this and risbove it but thats easier said than done with the lack of a proper education, good parents and other role models, and decent jobs.

I wouldnt say racism, however I would say classism. Ghetto people lives are forver tied to the hood like if its engineered this way. The people of ghetto end up going through prison industrial complex pharmacutical industrial complex aswell as the education imdustrial.complex to some extent. Socioeconomics like broken famlies, single parent homes and crime, poor schools perpetuates the cycles of many people that live the ghetto. Also note in the south bronx there used to be poor whites who also had many social problems of many blacks and hispanics today. I used to know a jewish lady who used to live on simpson street, later on in her life she moved to riverdale, shes dead due to years of smoking since teen years, however she was a single mom at the age of thirteen way back. Dont be fooled that everything in the good ole days of bx is white and nice. For some people the hood is all they ever know.