I'm here to clear the air about all of the ghettos of NYC. Ask away. (Brighton: condos, buy)

[Fred314X]

So much for "clearing the air."

[heetseeker]

The hood. Children raised without fathers, role models pimps and drug dealers. Dream of becoming a rapper a football player, or a basketball player all of which are unrealistic. Little education talk as if in a third world, think they have to steal and sell drugs to become a succes oh yea lets not forget murdering. If one chooses to look at this stuff as a dream and an ambition than good luck and good riddance. All of the stars only want to keep you all down so they can stay rich. Keep the hoodlums in the hood buying my records and I don't have to worry about a threat from you. Wake up everybody try and start a new day.

[SobroGuy]

And who created this hood ay? Magic? People came together and said "Let's all be poor, broke, and criminals, and exclude ourselves from society and make up our own rules....fun!"

When you are not allowed to be anything besides a basketball player, maybe then you will know why so many dream about it.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by StuddedLeather

You're definitely getting reputation for this.

Because I'm so annoyed at those kids dancing to "Party Rock Anthem" flipping and dancing as if the car is a stage. I'm extremely annoyed at the guys asking for money and I quote. . . . . "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I'm not here asking for money for my basketball team. but I'm trying to do the right thing by staying off the streets etc. . ." IN OTHER WORDS, If you can spare some of your money you work hard for it'll be greatly appreciated. Other musical acts includes a cappella singers and mexican guitar players (on the 7).

Oh and lastly who've seen the guys with the black bags and announces if anyone is hungry they have food? They(He. It's only one at a time) proceed to ask for a donation, but when no one gives them anything they rant about us being mean/cold hearted/ungodly (ROTF! Who cares!?). It's all hilarious and annoying I swear NYC Subways is better than reality TV.

I like the kids who do acrobatics to music (seen on E train). The mexican bands also come around on the E train. So do the "truthful" candy sellers as you described.

My "favorite" is the so-called blind guy that sings along to opera who drags his dog along with him. (Shouldn't the dog be leading if he is really blind?) The dog he's got now looks like a purebred Akita and I wonder how this guy afforded that. (The dog also seems somewhat embarrassed at being part of this.)

The "food for the hungry" charity donation guys on the E train don't go all out harassing people when they don't get enough money, but they DO proclaim ominously "anyone can be homeless ... it can happen to you too!"

A long time ago there was a guy who would get on the train and play a saxophone VERY BADLY. Horribly! Then before he would go around to collect, he would say, "If I don't collect enough money, I will play again!"

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Re: mexicans, What some of you are describing are not gangs but loose cliques that were formed out of what was felt as a need to protect themselves. This is nothing new if youve studied the history of this city, gangs/organized crime are closely tied to the history of nyc. Now there exists the threat that these "proto" gangs sorta speak become larger more organized gangs. This is what I worry about and keep an eye on.

Mexicans are growing at a crazy rate in a lot of places. In the bronx it is not uncommon to see mexican mothers walking around with 3 or 4 kids. The problem with this is often at the age kids are most vulnerable to gangs is when the immigrant parents lose grip (for various reasons) of their kids.

Ms-13 is a salvadorean gang that has coopted mexicans and other hispanics in a lot of areas in order to continue expanding. They are easily one of the worst gangs in the world.

IMO gangs/crime are the one thing that might get the city and/or the governor to crack down on illegal immigration. So keep your eyes on it...

In other parts of the US (California, Texas, Arizona, etc.), there are bona fide Mexican gangs (Mexican Mafia, etc.) Why do you think they are not in NY and the NY Mexicans are local cliques? I heard that most of the Mexicans who come to NY come from a different part of Mexico (where being criminals or in gangs is not approved of) than where the ones with the big organized gangs come from (who tend to go to CA, TX, etc.). I don't know if that's true or not.

We have MS-13 in a few places on LI. Very bad news. Very violent.

[frenchy93]

no relation with the previous posts but something i wondered myself a couple of times: former neighborhoods like brownsville which had an important jewish population still has some or are they completely gone??(same question can be apply to eny with italians)..

[Bronxguyanese]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

In other parts of the US (California, Texas, Arizona, etc.), there are bona fide Mexican gangs (Mexican Mafia, etc.) Why do you think they are not in NY and the NY Mexicans are local cliques? I heard that most of the Mexicans who come to NY come from a different part of Mexico (where being criminals or in gangs is not approved of) than where the ones with the big organized gangs come from (who tend to go to CA, TX, etc.). I don't know if that's true or not.

We have MS-13 in a few places on LI. Very bad news. Very violent.

Very true. The Mexicans of southwestern United States are related and mostly associated with border regions of Mexico and also affliated with its culture and also underworld. The Mexicans that are moving and living in NYC are from Puebla and other parts of southern Mexico such as Yucatan Penninsula are different from the Northenos like how Southerners in the U.S are different from Notherners. If anything the gangs of southern Mexico are mostly affilated with MS Trece to some extent or are part of the gang.

Where I live in Mott Haven the Mexicans dont have a real unified gang to combat against Black and Dominican gangs such as Bloods sets who roam around houosing projects and Trinitario and DDP which hang around many barber shops in Mott Haven, you see them playing with thier beads. Mexicans are always victims of attacks and robberies by other Mexicans and also by Blacks, Ricans and Dominicans. If NYC had West Coast stlyed Mexican gangs, the streets of the South Bronx, Harlem, Corona Queens and South Brooklyn would be awash with blood. Especially since Mexicans in the West Coast specialize in drug trade and trafficking they would probably out pace Dominicans in that trade and probably war with them over neigborhoods of control. So far I have mostly seen in-fighting between Mexicans!

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

In other parts of the US (California, Texas, Arizona, etc.), there are bona fide Mexican gangs (Mexican Mafia, etc.) Why do you think they are not in NY and the NY Mexicans are local cliques? I heard that most of the Mexicans who come to NY come from a different part of Mexico (where being criminals or in gangs is not approved of) than where the ones with the big organized gangs come from (who tend to go to CA, TX, etc.). I don't know if that's true or not.

We have MS-13 in a few places on LI. Very bad news. Very violent.

I think you sort of answered your own question at least partially. The bulk of the Mexicans immigrating here are indeed different than the ones that immigrated to other parts of the U.S including even the ones who immigrated to Long Island. So yeah that's part of it, also Mexican population in NYC has just exploded in the last ten years or so, so they haven't really been around long enough to develop full fledged gangs. The potential is there though...

[SobroGuy]

Mott Haven around 138th St is basically overrun with Mexicans and South Americans in general. While the old guard (Blacks and PRs) will apparently never leave the housing projects, much of the 5 story tenement buildings are filled to the brim with mexican families with 4+ kids. I have an 8 story railroad brownstone building next door to me, and every apt with the exception of 1 I believe, is jammed with tons of Mexicans....we are talking minimum 7 people to an apt...which is how things used to be back in the 50s and 60s when PRs were coming in huge numbers.

I find it odd that nobody complains about Mexicans "pushing out the locals", yet 2 white people show up and it becomes an attack/gentrification/they want to get rid of us. The reality is Mexicans are "displacing" residents in this community at a rate 1000000000 times that of whites, yet nobody says a word. Gotta love it.

[PullingHairs]

Ghetto or not: Gowanus Houses in boerum Hill? I hear so many conflicting stories, but all I know is that you walk past $2mil brownstones that are literally ACROSS the street. Honestly, I've seen more shenanigans and street crime around 4th ave 9th st and Smith & 9th around Park Slope. That area seems to have a lot of Latin Kings while Boerum is mostly black, no?