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The American way is great, but still has a lot of flaws, esp in NYC's eternal "class wars." We really guard our turf here, just like the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story....and they were all poor ghetto dwelling gang members, white and brown.
Not saying that a person of color who has sufficient means and education will be blocked out (though coop boards at least til now have been able to reject anyone with impunity). As you say, money talks esp in this kooky town...
To Hustla and all those who think the Bronx is "immune" from gentrification of "slums:"
If you do a search under the "Pinnacle Group," you will see that this...um...entity has been buying up entire buildings in Manhattan North and the Bronx. Then the fun begins as they attempt to evict the tenants by...um..."any means necessary." They're not doing this for their health--it's all about the money, and their bets are on money being made in these "ghetto areas".
That Gowanus Blog is interesting. Nice find Elvira. I find that a lot of what is going on in Brooklyn is pretty sad. It seems like a lot of the old character in Brooklyn is being lost.
Elvira nobody has claimed the American way is not without its flaws....but it is nonetheless as pervasive (regarding colonization, class wars, money) as it ever was...if not moreso as more people try to climbe the ladder.
I am aware of the Pinnacle Group, and quite honestly, when you buy a building and the average rent for a 3 bedroom is $450, I can see why the adjustment is warranted and necessary in order to provide the tenants with the service and upgrades they demand.
The current tenants typically get unceremoniously ousted, and then the service and the upgrades "demanded" by the more moneyed folk are completed, with plenty of incentives to hike the rent to market level. The previous "tenants" typically live for years with landlord neglect--no repairs, holes in the ceiling, leaks and floods, rats, no heat, etc. Then the new people can salve their "conscience" (or at any case, justify themselves) by saying: see how these poor people live in filth? Must be their own doing. Look how they ruined the neighborhood.....good riddance."
Not that I blame them for moving on in, but let's be honest about how the "poor" "turn nice neighborhoods into slums."
I can certainly sympathize with an individual landlord's plight, and I know the Pinnacle Group is a controversial issue. It's not as simplistic as all that--heck, nothing in this world is. A landlord has to deal with the rising cost of heat, water, etc and again is not doing this for their health. But it's not even the individual landlords I'm talking about here-it's huge corporations with lots of dough to invest. It's a force that's "bigger than all of us," IMO.
And of course, if tenants are not paying their relatively meager rent, are using their apts as drug dens, etc. that's of course another argument in favor of the landlords. The battle over rent stabilization increases each year is fierce to say the least--in Manhattan as well. Individual landlords squeak by in these Bronx areas thanks in part to Section 8, which the govt subsidizes to the benefit of landlord and tenant alike. When the area becomes more desirable, of course they needn't rely on Section 8 anymore. Of course they will charge whatever the market can bear, no matter how "outrageous" some on this forum believe it to be.
Look who bought up Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village at an unprecedented price. If I were a middle class tenant there, I would start looking for a home elsewhere.
Yes, it is pervasive throughout the US. As Michael Douglas said in "Wall Street," "greed is good." But good for whom? People complain that the poor get "freebies" from the government. That is small change compared to what many white collar criminals grab fopr themselves.
Our society is becoming more and more insanely status conscious and materialistic at all costs, and that's not always a good thing. Whoever dies with the most toys wins...but we all gotta go sometime. I'd rather have my karma in order.
The middle class are caught in the middle for sure--but the real boogeyman is not the poor and folks of color. IMO, of course.
OK, enough of the "bleeding heart liberal" rampage. I too benefitted from the real estate boom--and how--but at least I didn't displace anyone when I came to the Bronx. The previous shareowners (of color) moved on to the 'burbs where they can start a family. The young Asian girl who bought my LES coop in a previously "crappy" area (some still think it's a dump--still too "diverse" for their liking) was almost certainly "subsidized" by mom and dad. She got "ripped off" in Hustla's view. Wait til she resells and we'll see about that.
It's a shame really that some folks can't see which way the wind is blowing and ridicule folks like me for living in "slums." Then they'll claim they're being forced out of the city. How many middle class folks could not put 10 or 20 percent down for a 110K spacious coop in the Bronx with amenities they could only dream of in Manhattan? That's their "choice" as well. Some have the option to invest but choose to hide their head in the sand. Heaven forbid they should have to deal with being one of the few white faces in the area--at least for now.
I can see my rep points dwindling today for sure...
That was quite the tirade...good nonetheless. I am ver aware of the ridiculously cheap rents that many in the city and the Bronx in particular pay. Is it fair that a landlord must shoulder the burden of a $400 2 bedroom rent in Chelsea just because the tenant has lived there since Central park was just a plant? I would say no. Is it fair that a tenant in the Bronx paying $400 a month must pay the passed-on costs for the upgrades to the buildings that they oftentimes demand. I would say yes..and it is legal.
How else does one, whether they are a small-time owner, or large corporation, protect themselves from having a 5 star building anywhere in the city and have tenants paying a ridiculous $400 a month? It doesn't make sense and it causes buildings to fall into disrepair and abandonment....so unless tenants are okay with paying $400 a month for a 2 bedroom apt that has 6 family members occupying it with no heat, rats, broken toilets, non-existent front doors, and broken windows, it is not unreasonable and quite fair to expect them to pay to improve their home. What choice do we have really?
Yes, I understand. But my point is that the middle class are going through the same stuff, but they think it is "unfair." The poor may think it is "unfair," but no one cries for them. Instead the middle class blame them wholly for the state of the rundown areas they live in.
Ideally, people living in generational poverty in housing projects would understand that education for their children is crucial if they want to have any chance of escaping the ghetto life. But many of these parents have been subsidized by the govt with incentives which make having kids a good deal for them, and may live rent free to boot. Now that there is welfare reform in NYC I think some of this cycle will stop. The welfare system enabled people to subsist in this manner. Why work with all the govt freebies anyway?
Hustla has the attitude that all/most of the ghetto folk have no way out. Bad city schools don't help. Living in a housing project run by the city doesn't help. Having a mom without a father figure around doesn't help. But those who can learn from their mistakes and get involved in their kid's education have a better chance to make it. Those who can urge their kids to not get pregnant/impregnate others before they even have a chance to complete high school--if they do--have a better chance for themselves and their kids. The lucky ones can drop their kids off with the grandmother instead of daycare.
Sure it's rough going, but life is often rough. My mom had to go to work at age 14 and complete high school at night after my grandfather died. Them's the breaks--what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, no?
There are many middle class of color in the US now. We have a black presidential candidate, and unlike Jesse Jackson, he has a decent chance (but Hillary will probably bag the nomination). The old tired "excuses" that Hustla embraces just won't wash as well anymore. As someone on this forum recently said, if you set the standards lower and don't expect any better out of your youth, you probably won't get it. A little tough love might be in order.
Yes, it's a complex issue for sure. Being in the real estate biz, of course you would see it a tad differently from myself, a relatively poor schlub who "lucked out." LOL.
Yes, I find Hustla's attitude a bit puzzling at times to say the least. I mean, the Bronx ain't that bad for the average law abiding citizen. Try Manhattan in the 70s. Now that was an adventure.
Can you spell "self-fulfilling prophecy?"
Those on their way outta here or who have moved out tend to have a negative bias on this forum. After all, they moved out for a reason. But don't rain on my parade! Or whatever...I don't really care. I was never one to follow the crowd anyway.
I think it's great that people are moving out and getting away from the nonsense that is preventing their growth. If I were living in a rat infested apt or tenement, making $10 an hour, putting up with everything involved with living in this city, I too would be making my way to someother place where my money can go further and I can have a greatly improved quality of life, like a clean, well-maintained apt, clean air, lots of open space, good schools, a slower pace, more tranquility, less crowds and congestion, and much less hassles..all with the same $10 an hour! The lure is tempting for so many...I wonder why more do not make the wise move and seek a better life elsewhere....it is better for them and their families.
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