Oh, before I forget..Happy New Year!!

Traditionally, a new year means honing in on our visions and professing the bravery we’ll unleash on our goals. Sometimes we tell the world, sometimes we simply tell ourselves. Ever since NYE the days seem to have rolled into nights and rested in the lap of the weekend.  Now, we’re riding the wave of week two, already. No more games – there is still time to make plans for an epic year.  Below, I’ve listed a few things I think would be helpful in launching your year.

1. PLAN OF ACTION

Take a look back, document your past accomplishments and/or disappointments and create a new strategy to move forward. “How?” you ask. Of the suggestions sent my way, I found one to be most effective in starting my year with intent and productivity. Check out  MVMT’s 2012 New Year Guide and jump on your journey of intention setting. MVMT is an org you should definitely  be familiar with if you aren’t. They’re a a dope collective of artists, entrepreneurs and organizers on a mission to promote the arts, social entrepreneurship, and collective empowerment.  Those three pillars resonate with me…hopefully they’ll sing to you too. Take a look at the short video below and be sure to download (and complete!) the new year guide…it’s an exciting way to jumpstart your year. Trust me. Join me.

MVMT New Year Guide Trailer (2012 Edition) from MVMT on Vimeo.

2. A GO-TO TEAM:

Sam Davidson, speaker, writer, and dreamer, says get a sage, mentor, and muse to push you along your journey. While the creative muse and guiding mentor are more well known figures, I found the concept of a sage to be fascinating. A sage can be living or dead, and their main purpose is to share some of the wisdom they hold. They speak and guide from experience. Not only are they academically clever, but they have street smarts and swagger in tow.  ”What you get from them is insight that has been tested in the same crucible you’re in.” Now, I have to work on getting all three. What about you?

3. ACTIVATE YOUR VISION:

So you want to generate/solidify your ideas and see them come to life? I’m generally a journal/calendaring kinda gal. If I write down my goals isn’t that enough? Since when is “enough” sufficient for magic makers? For the first time I’m going to make a vision board, a collage of images of things/people/ideas I want to see materialize in my life. I started flipping through an Essence magazine looking for key words to clip for my board. I realized ordinary headlines started finding their way into the cutouts for my vision board. “Smart,” “News & Culture,” “Wealth,” and  ”Blessed” to name a few were words that started resonating beyond their place on the magazine page. I haven’t finished my board because I only had one magazine. Seriously, I’m not making excuses. I’m finishing it this week. If
 you want to activate your vision board in the midst of other creative folks there is an event you should attend. Urban Suite PR, partnered with We Work  will be hosting the 2012 vision board party entitled, “The Dream is Real.” It’s a combo of networking, entertainment and entrepreneurship.  It will be lead by life coach/author, Nathan Seven Scott and will be a space  for  conversation, declarations and synergy to dance together.  Are you going? RSVP here.

4. GET MINTY WITH YOUR GREEN

Did you think I was going to let you off easy with all the fun tips? No way. I’m an avid believer in the power of Mint.com when it comes to money management. I’m the first to admit I hate getting those email reminders saying “you’ve went over your dining out budget by $113.78″ or “You just got hit with a finance charge” or “Your student loan is due in 3 days.” Ugh, Mint, why don’t you leave me alone? I get it – you want me to take control of my finances, I’m on it. Seriously,  It’s free and does everything for you. Sign up here!

XO,

SAH

She then began sharing her tale about her new life in the Stuy.

Whether it came from news reports highlighting homicides, rappers who rhymed about its grittiness or Billy Joel professing in song the neighborhood was a “combat zone,” Bed-Stuy was notorious in the court of public opinion.

However, today, residents are less likely to “Do or Die” and more likely to Do or Dine at the new popular restaurant of the same name. The passing of time and gentrification both have played a role in changing the public’s perception of Bed-Stuy.

In New York City, news of the new hip restaurants, sleek condos, boutiques, cafes and bars are often passed through word of mouth and social media networks – yet there is something still.

How do media platforms and creative arts narrate Bed-Stuy today? Furthermore, to whom are they talking, and what impact does it have on the way people perceive and interact with the rapidly changing neighborhood?

One can find Bed-Stuy prominently displayed in New York Magazine under “nightlife,” see its restaurants featured as a NY Times “critic pick,” and get a ready made “Bed-Stuy food and bar crawl” from the NFT (Not For Tourist) guide. The neighborhood is featured as one of Time Out NY’s 2011  “Top 12 ‘hoods in NY,” and the Wall Street Journal declared Bed-Stuy has “stepped its game up.”

These outlets are generally well regarding and have a reach far beyond New York. They provide the nabe with a platform it has long since been denied. People know about Bed-Stuy nationally, even globally and it’s no longer solely shrouded with negative connotation – these outlets have something to do with that exposure.

While these platforms highlight what’s hot in changing neighborhoods like Bed- Stuy, artists are talking about the same changes. They’re making documentaries, plays, and monologues that talk about what they believe the changes and new attention represent.

Artists highlight the value of neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy prior to the global cuisine and posh bars. At the crux of their narrative they reference the impeccable architecture, community solidarity and stable local businesses.

Clearly, the birds are swarming around the neighborhood, but what exactly are they looking at? A new place to start a family? Or something to feast on and then leave?

And what messages are these outlets sending and to whom are the messages directed? Are they to reinforce the cultural contributions of the neighborhood’s longtime residents, or is it a draw for prospective residents?

Or is it both?

At 6-years old, when many little girls were playing with their dolls, Hydeia was center stage educating the world on HIV/AIDS.  Abandoned at birth, Patricia and Loren Broadbent took Hydeia in as a foster child and later adopted her.  Hydeia was sick as a child, but her parents thought her symptoms were the result of being born to a drug-addicted mother. It wasn’t until she was three years old that they learned Hydeia contracted HIV at birth from her mother who was an intravenous drug-user.

Doctor’s gave Hydeia a grim prognosis –that she would be dead by the age 5. They were wrong. Twenty-two years later, Hydeia continues to educate and inspire the world as an international HIV/AIDS activist and humanitarian.

AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25–34.  Special for Michelle O Brunch, Sylvia A. Harvey caught up with Hydeia to speak about leadership, her struggles and the impact of HIV/AIDS on Black women.

Sylvia A. Harvey: For so many people you exemplify fearlessness. Is there anything that you’re afraid of, and how do you rise above that?

Hydeia Broadbent:  At this point, I’m trying to rebuild and start over. I’m going after some big things that require sacrifice and struggle. I fear failing and having my family loose faith in me, but that just makes me go after everything more [passionately].

SAH:  In your speeches you’ve said you can be president. We have our first black president, which leads us to our first lady. What significance does Mrs. Obama’s role play in your life?

HB:  I mentor young girls and she is an inspiration. We see someone in high power that’s also smart, graceful, and polite. It tells the [younger generation] they don’t have to be naked to get attention or negative to be in the spotlight.

SAH: How do you negotiate being a young black woman with AIDS when you approach dating?

HB:  I give [prospective romantic interest] pamphlets so they’re aware. You can’t negotiate it. You just have to tell. The guy I’ve been dating on and off since high school was was originally afraid of me. But when he got to know me, and after being educated, he came with me to my doctor appointments.

I’ve had guys that liked me but were afraid. Yes, I’ve been rejected, but that hasn’t stopped me. You have to pick someone who is open-minded and looks at life outside the box. If you’re dating someone that worries about [superficial] stuff like clothes, going out, and what other people think – he’s not the best person.  You have to date a very secure person.

SAH:  What advice would you give other women about talking about and learning their status? What do you say to women that fear being rejected or demonized by telling their status?

HB:  A lot of people are afraid to tell people because of the stigma. It’s a “nasty disease.” My best friend who is HIV negative and I are doing a campaign with the CDC to fight the stigma.

People say they would rather not know, but need to know.  People have to be upfront and honest. The same way a woman wants to know [a prospective partners] credit score, employment status, education…they should also want to know his HIV status.

I was born with a pair of brass balls. AIDS is not the downfall of my life. I plan to get married and have kids.

SAH:  You’ve become the face of HIV/AIDS awareness and that’s brought along a certain level of fame – what’s it like being in the limelight?

HB:  My family is very working class so when I go to these events that’s a break from my reality, and it inspires me. People get stuck in their communities and don’t get to see the rest of the world. I’ve had a girl say to me, “you live in the ghetto and your Hydeia?”

When I wear jeans, flats, and a durag people treat me a certain way. We idolize and have more respect for money and fame, but we should respect everyone we meet. I’m for the people, of the people, and by the people. I want to be humble to be able to go to those places, reach people and inspire people to take action

SAH:  What is your upcoming book about?

HB:  It covers my youth years, having low self-esteem, and my rocky relationship with my mom. There are/were some things not right that I will speak about. I don’t blame her, and I have forgiven her, but I hold her accountable for her actions. We do not currently have a relationship, so the book talks about overcoming.

SAH: What’s in your leadership toolkit? What books, music, people, and/or ideas empower you?

HB:

Books: The Bible, it teaches you compassion, love, patience, and to be kind.

I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. with a foreword by Coretta Scott King. His viewpoint is [powerful] and Mrs. King gave me that book as a little girl.

Music: Rihanna’s Hard is a song that gets me pumping it’s a reminder that no one or anything can stop me – I’m so hard.

Concept: Social responsibility and helping those in need, I’m really motivated by wanting to change society.

You can check Hydeia Broadbent out on her site: www.hydeiabroadbent.com.

This post originally appeared on Michelle O Brunch

  The sounds of honking horns and supportive chants that brought the small gray house at 320 Tompkins Avenue to life have ended.

Today, it sits enveloped by a deafening silence.

In a spirited display of community solidarity, residents, local politicians and housing advocates gathered to thwart the scheduled eviction of 82-year-old Mary Ward, who was a victim of a predatory lending scam.

Real estate speculators target people of color, the poor and the elderly, which makes Ward and neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy ripe for fraudulent lenders and other scam artists.

Furthermore, Bed-Stuy has one of the highest rates of housing foreclosures in the country, in essence, rendering the community vulnerable to housing speculators at auctions.

This involuntary exchange of property into the hands of those looking to benefit off of another’s misfortune, weeds out many long-term residents, inevitably accelerating class gentrification.

The community continues to fight to save Ward’s home. If they are successful, great. However, what will be done about the hundreds more who languish in the same predicament. In other words, what is the community’s long-term action plan?”

Once a homeowner goes into default, eventually, it becomes public knowledge. Next, they begin receiving personalized solicitations in the form of a fake olive branch. Solicitors begin knocking on their door, calling their house, sending official-looking mail. Offering “help.”

Imelba Rodriguez, senior program director of the Bridge Street Development Corporation, BSDC, – a community based organization that offers a number of services including workshops on the dangers of predatory lending and foreclosures – said a lot of residents make the mistake of reaching out to and paying private solicitors before seeking help from local organizations.

Some residents equate cost of service with results and think that free community based organizations cannot do the same job offered by private solicitors, she said.

“They pay these people. But soon the office is closed, the phone number is disconnected, the person is gone, and they are out of money that could have gone towards their mortgage.”

There seems to be another reason some residents seek help from private solicitors first – they’re afraid to speak up locally. “Our houses are being taken. You can go to a block association meeting and the person sitting beside you could be in foreclosure and wouldn’t say a word,” she said. “People are private and don’t won’t to admit they need help.”

Once residents recognize there is no shame in seeking help, we can begin making progress by leaning on each other more and coming up with ways to save homes on a community level.

Yes, holding blockades for residents facing eviction is helpful, and perhaps we consider building a community association that arranges ongoing blockades for residents. But is that approach sustainable long-term?

Although protesting kept Ward in her home an extra week, 768 Dean Inc., the property’s speculators, plan to continue with her eviction. Another protest is planned for this Wednesday, but there is no guarantee that she’ll get to stay in her home.

What if the community had a Bedford-Stuyvesant Rainy Day Fund? Perhaps the community can come together and form a credit union where homeowners can opt to pay a certain amount (maybe $30-$50) every month into a fund where they can pull for their mortgage payment up to twice after a certain time-period of savings, if they fall behind.

More immediately, homeowners have to act quickly. Don’t wait. They must open their mail; answer the calls from the bill collector, make arrangements, something Rodriguez said many residents avoid due to fear.

More importantly, they must know the facts and reach out to community organizations that educate on foreclosure, and predatory lending first.

If we cannot recognize when it’s time to address a problem, or even feel comfortable enough to reach out to our community for help, we will continue to trust the wrong people and continue to lose our homes to real estate speculators at auctions.

*This article originally appeared in the Bed-Stuy Patch as a part of the column Change for a Dollar that focuses on gentrification. *

Gentrified Minds (the NY Horror, Volume 2) is a protest play by Dennis Leroy Kangalee. Kangalee performed as “The Nomad Junkie,” to the enthralling live beats from The Children of Warhol.

In his ode to New York City and its five boroughs, Kangalee showcased his contempt for the rise of hipsters, real estate development, displacement and corporate culture. He mourns the loss of authentic urban culture and local character– what he calls community.

His words ricocheted off the mic as he demanded, “What happened to the brother on the block?” The silent audience sat waiting, and finally he shouted, “He turned into a Starbucks!”  Kangalee infuses humor and rage in the satirical theater piece that professes, “The powerless will always be a play thing for the rich, and our neighbors will always be pawns.”

Kangalee’s poems and songs are raw. And if they prove too radical for some, it’s because they’re supposed to be.

He wants honest debate and hopes to inspire aggressive social progress. Kangalee wants to agitate, challenge – elicit a visceral reaction. I chatted with the Nomad Junkie for a peak into his mind about artists’ role in social change and what he has coined as the “gentrified mind.”

Q. You’ve said that gentrification is a cultural, economic, and artistic war and that artists can and will play a significant role. What is that role?

A. The role of the artist in this war is to remind people that identity, self-definition and folk-culture is at stake and is worth fighting for besides what POP culture/mainstream has to offer. The artist has to remind people that weirdness, strangeness, the offbeat in life is just as integral to a healthy balanced life as is green grass, natural food and a decent wage.

Our role is to put up or shut up.  We must reclaim our swagger from the self-effacing smug yuppie-hipsters who have done everything possible to destroy the demonstrative nature and lifestyle of the “artist.”  They are poseurs who write on paper, when they should write poems on their spleen and pull them out of their chest!

I believe the artist should not be concerned with the modes of pop culture or making people feel good. Artists are truth-tellers, not mommies. Sometimes the truth hurts, and sometimes artistic revolutions do not look like progress, but a huge mess.  And it is all right for things to be a mess as long as we are being as honest as possible.

Q. You’ve written about being on the edge of our imagination. How do we make everything we’re conscious of historically inform and inspire the now?

A. So many people are aware of, say, Ghandi, Franz Fanon, Orson Welles or Joni Mitchell but don’t ask themselves what kind of social environment prompted those activists or artists. And if they are artists themselves, don’t they also have a responsibility to wrestle the demons of their times or generation as these artists have?

I believe our generation and the succeeding ones are obsessed with either pleasing their predecessors as opposed to challenging them. What’s disturbing is that nearly every artist in history whose work has been documented or cited has agreed every generation should incite a change and create new works for new times, steal and pay homage in their own way.

Van Gogh to Miles Davis would agree, which begs the question: Why hasn’t their been any major cultural changes in pop culture in the past 10-15 years?  The answer is because artists have become gentrified, as in tamed by media and corporate vultures.
Q. Gentrified Mind is not only a theater piece and a song, but also a state of mind. What does it mean to have a gentrified mind?

The gentrified mind is the symbol of our cultural apocalypse.  They are style over substance and do not believe in passion, but being cool– as in detached, irony.  The gentrified mind is the person who does not see a yesterday he only sees a today. Unaware of culture, indifferent to anything that may have come before him, and is convinced he and his ilk are capable of improving everybody– that the pavement he stomps on is better for it.

They believe wholeheartedly in the mass media’s rendition of what is “supposed to be,” and that property value is more important than personal value.  And so, the gentrified mind doesn’t think, act, or commit in an appropriate way — because their souls have been usurped, “re-developed”(like the communities) to suit corporate interests.

Gentrified Minds premiered at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center as part of NYC’s 9th Annual Downtown Urban Theater Festival. Since then Kangalee has received interest from universities that would like him to perform in the fall, however he admits that getting into local performance spaces in Harlem and Brooklyn, which he calls “hot-beds for gentrification” have proven “tricky.”

He’s been met with, “Yeah we’d like you to do the show, but it’s going to alienate people. We don’t want to alienate people. We have to be careful.” Kangalee admits that a performance piece can be perceived as more dangerous than other forms of art, but thinks controlling what we say and how we say it is a problem.

*This article originally appeared in the Bed-Stuy Patch as a part of the column Change for a Dollar that focuses on gentrification.*

Fulton Street, © Chris Sorensen Credit: Chris Sorensen www.chris-sorensen.com

A Trinidadian man in the health food store tips his hat and says, “good night empress;” a Senegalese girl in the fabric store points me to a print she’s sure I’ll love; and further along Fulton Street, an Indian man gives me a handheld electric fan to fight the sweltering heat.

The warm community spirit on Fulton Street is contagious. Yet, as Bed-Stuy’s busiest commercial corridor, the strip still is in need of major changes before it will truly flourish as the neighborhood’s central economic organ.

Bed-Stuy Gateway Streetscape Enhancement Project, BSGSEP, together with the Mayor’s Office of Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development and the NYC Economic Development Corporation are embarking on those changes.

After six years in the making, the BSGSEP has begun its $10 million renovation efforts on the bustling thoroughfare. The one-mile stretch from Bedford Avenue to Troy Avenue is getting a makeover complete with sidewalk planters, bicycle racks, pavers, 144 new trees and information kiosks.

Another beautification in the works is an 8,000 square-foot plaza on the corner of Fulton and Marcy Avenue. Spearheaded by Restoration Plaza, the new pedestrian space will feature a tile mosaic, 2-foot granite planter for sitting, trees and flowerbeds.

This much-needed urban revitalization will undoubtedly play a role in facilitating Bed-Stuy’s gentrification, which raises the question, Is Fulton Street capable of urban renewal and development on its own? Or will a reliance on outside resources ultimately dictate the look, feel and direction of Fulton Street’s future?

The truth is, with gentrification and “urban renewal,” we can look forward to an entirely new culture on Fulton Street. Yes, we all want improvement, but at what cost? Furthermore, what can we do as a community to minimize that cost?

Let’s start with basic sanitary maintenance: No littering. In fact, let’s take it a step further: Why not allocate time to do weekly or even daily street cleaning? In this way, we can invest the money we spend on street-cleaning efforts on other more important things. When you see trash, pick it up; and when you see someone littering, call him or her out.

How about, start a “Bed-Stuy Alive” kickstarter campaign, and apply for grants to raise funds to see the changes we believe we deserve? Artists, church constituents, laborers, architects, designers etc., can sit down and figure out, “How can we build this place up with the people and things to which we already have access?”

Storeowners can invest in the physical appearance of their storefront by taking small steps with maintaining cleanliness; changing their decor and getting new paint jobs. And take it a step further by contacting the BID or talking to customers to find out what the community really needs. Find out why residents spend so much outside the community. Try to meet those needs even if it means re-thinking your business type.

But… maybe this is a nostalgic yearning for things to stay the same, when in fact, hard change is what’s needed and top dollar is the only way to get it. Maybe flagship stores are necessary to allow Bed-Stuy to compete with other parts of Brooklyn. Perhaps the current stores cannot reinvent themselves to cater to a shifting market.

Rolling up the Gates (RUG): Storefront Stroll – Organized by Pratt Area Community Council and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, — recently took entrepreneur’s on a trolley ride to tour available storefronts along Fulton Street. The initiative had local financial and business resource organizations on hand, and detailed the benefits of starting a business in the area.

While changes to the Fulton streetscape, undoubtedly, will attract new businesses, hopefully, it also will give current business owners new incentive to invest in the appearances of their storefronts and also give the neighborhood a fighting chance.

Renovating Fulton Street will not only change the commercial strip, but also, will help direct the path of Bed-Stuy’s future. As diverse businesses move in, new tenants will move in, and their presence will bring even more businesses and private investments. As the neighborhood value increases, rent, property taxes, and cost of living will rise.

Do you look forward to a totally revised Fulton Street, or would you like to maintain some of the energy, the people and the stores who contribute to Fulton Street’s current vibrancy?

If you are one who cherishes the old, but looks forward to parts of the new, then we must work in unison to alleviate plight– a burden that should be shared by the entire community, and not soley outside forces.

The bottom line is, if we rely on others to bring about change, what we feel and believe about the end results will no longer matter.

*This article originally appeared in the Bed-Stuy Patch as a part of the column Change for a Dollar that focuses on gentrification.*

Do you remember the children’s game, Simon says, where one player is ‘Simon’ and issues instructions, (such as, jump up and down) to the other players?

On Sunday, President Obama said, “I can report to the American people and to the world, that the US has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden.”

I was shocked, but convinced that bin Laden was dead and in-fact buried at sea.

Not everyone has taken President Obama’s words to be truth, and so he’s caught in a bout of Simon says, albeit more harmful than the game many of us know and love. The masses are Simon, and they want proof – nothing less than a photo of bin Laden’s bloody bullet-riddled body will do.

The Obama administration is still in the midst of determining if they’ll release the “gruesome” photos, particularly considering what it will signify to the world.

We saw Saddam Hussein being hung…this can’t be much more graphic. But, why do people really want to see bin Laden’s corpse? Once it’s released, and plastered across every newspaper and blog then what? Will people everywhere be convinced he’s dead, or will the authenticity of the photo be the next issue?

I can’t help but wonder if we should be focusing on the loads of intelligence discovered. Perhaps, that will give us greater insight into what’s in the works. Perhaps, it will lead us closer to other al-Qaida members that exist and are a threat, even after bin Laden’s demise.

What say you?

Clad in blue, with their batons resting and guns holstered, they said, “We are here,” without having to utter a word.

The corners no longer look like occupied territory. But I often see them leisurely walking about the neighborhood. Back then, officers told me it was a “high-impact zone.” But the neighborhood’s residents offered an alternative explanation: Gentrification.

As Bed-Stuy becomes more racially and economically diverse, residents report a more visible police presence. Do police increase enforcement because the demographics have changed? Are there greater incentives now to make Bed-Stuy safer and more attractive for newcomers? Or does the way Bed-Stuy residents engage law enforcement play a significant role?

One officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argued that “gentrifiers” have higher expectations for the neighborhood and engage police differently than most native residents:

“People moving in are far more educated and in positions where they can reach the higher-ups,” said a 16-year NYPD vet.

“When white people come in, they bring more money, which gives the city more resources. They also complain, write, speak up, and say ‘we have a problem over here.’ White people are going to file complaints; black people aren’t.”

“If black people would stand up for themselves instead of waiting for someone else to speak up, instead of thinking, ‘I’m not going to snitch,’ things could be better. White people are like, [forget] that no snitch business.”

But is it as easy as this officer makes it seem?

Historically, black people in urban communities have had an adversarial relationship with police, which explains why they do not engage the cops in the same manner. Additionally, black men have been and continue to be stopped and harassed at a disproportionate rate.

Even the officer acknowledged this reality. He admitted that there are good cops and bad cops, and that the academy training has a lot to do with the way police officers engage the community.

“The first thing you learn is, us against them – the blue wall. You get brainwashed into thinking that everyone is bad,” he said. Recognizing the seeming invincibility of officers he admitted, “As a cop, you have a lot of power– the power to take someone’s life. You can get away with anything, if you can articulate it properly. Probable cause is everything.”

He recalled an incident where he was making an arrest in plainclothes and it was called in as a robbery-in-progress, and the suspect was a black male, 6’1” with a gun.  As armed officers approached him, he shouted, “Plainclothes unit on the scene!” Stating his name, he was forced to explain, “It’s me!”

A fellow officer, who he went to academy with and worked out with frequently, pointed the gun at him and prepared to shoot.

“All he could see was male…black…gun…immediate threat,” the officer recalled. Once the situation diffused, his colleague said, “I was going to shoot you.”

As he sat there telling the story, wearing a t-shirt, dark hoodie, blue jeans and sneakers. I could see how the black, plainclothes cop turned into a perpetrator.

So if Bed-Stuy residents find themselves on the other end of unwarranted harassment, what should they do?

“If a police officer stops and searches you without probable cause, get the badge number and file a complaint with CCRB (Civilian Complaint Review Board.),” he said. Following through with a complaint is the key, he advised.

Achieving a successful community-policing program in inner-city neighborhoods has proven difficult. How do we heal the wounds of division that reside between communities of color and the police?

Do we all have the power to hold police accountable, yet only some of us use it? Are police in Bed-Stuy to protect and serve all, and is the “no-snitch” rule hurting the community far more than it is helping it?

This article originally appeared in the Bed-Stuy Patch as a part of the column Change for a Dollar that focuses on gentrification.

In the final installment of my series, we meet Maryum Karim Whitted: Mrs. Karim-Whitted was born in 1934 and moved to Bedford-Stuyvesant in 1945, 65 years ago, before it became the black enclave it is known as today.

Mrs. Karim-Whitted can recall a time when buying ribbons from the haberdashery and playing potsie were the orders of the day. She remembers living amongst Jews, Italians, Irish and more.

She also recalls the time when they all seemed to have picked up… and left.

Q. What did Bedford-Stuyvesant look like when you were growing up, was it different from the constantly shifting Bed-Stuy of today?

A. It was integrated, in so much as we lived in the same area. In the 40’s, there were about 5-6 Caucasian families on my block. We all shopped at the same stores and all. But mostly [each ethnic group] had [its] own area. We didn’t have any Caucasian children on our block. I remember going to Greene Avenue to play with my friend Joan, but she never came to Lexington to play with me. Maybe I was naive, because in high school, she wouldn’t speak to me when she was around her Caucasian friends.

Around 1947, all the Caucasians started moving out of the neighborhood. A [staple] row of businesses left, and it became deserted property. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the business. It was as if someone said, “run for the hills.” A few people stayed…Mostly senior citizens who weren’t very mobile. The neighborhood was built up then, so why’d they leave? It’s surprising to me now that they’re coming back.

Q. Some argue that gentrification is a racial issue, others  say it’s about class, and some argue the changes happening are revitalization. What is the lens in which you see gentrification?

A. It’s all about money.  You have to have the money to buy the houses or build around here. The value of homes has gone up and it’s good for some people. Some sell  because they want the money. Taking care of a house is not easy. Some retire, move to the south and other places, and live to do the stuff they didn’t have the chance to do before.

It’s easier to notice when different [ethnicities] move in. Caucasians are moving in, but it’s not like they’re moving in by the blocks. When black people move in, we don’t talk about it because they look like us. They’re in their own neighborhood. I like to see our people make progress. Why make progress and go somewhere else?

Q. What are some of the changes in you’ve noticed and how do you feel about them?

A. We have more sidewalk cafes. If all people can afford it then it’s good. The average person is trying to save money and [businesses] won’t last if they don’t bring the prices down to accommodate all residents.

There is more police presence. When the Caucasians come, the police will too. They listen to them more because they’re in power. They have the money and money talks. The police don’t think [black people] are important enough.

Q.  Are there any aspects of gentrification that are bad for the neighborhood?

A. You can’t buy property here now, it’s too expensive. Higher property taxes are an issue. You have to be able to pay the taxes. If you’re a senior on a fixed income, it’s hard.

Displacement is also a big issue. Owners have [tenants] that have been living in buildings for years and they want them to leave. They’re trying their best to get them out…they want to fix up that place and raise the rent 3 times to rent to the new people.

Q. Do you think there are any solutions to gentrification, and do you have any advice for the community?

A. It seems like it’s going to keep happening. We don’t have any control over it. We can learn from each other. The way Bedford-Stuyvesant was depicted most [non-blacks] didn’t want to live here…it was ”bad” and now that it’s being fixing  up they think it’s worthy.

When people move in they shouldn’t sit back and judge…you can’t just come in and criticize. We shouldn’t have people living on the same block without speaking to each other…without knowing each other…without trying to build with each other. People learn prejudice and feelings of superiority early and carry them along their journey. You can’t do that.

Newcomers can’t assume they are better than people that were here before and [we] can’t assume newcomers are taking from [us]. They’re bringing something too. We can continue to build the neighborhood up and live together with understanding, but it takes two to tango.

If we all could just sit down and talk, we’ll find that, we’re the same… just different colors.

In my last column, my new neighbor, Kate, shared with us her experience as a “gentrifier,” in Bed-Stuy. Her answers were honest, candid and eye-opening. As Bed-Stuy continues to expand, develop and reshape itself, every new resident and property owner has his or her own insights and opinions… and every right to express it.

Anthony Brown, a 60’s baby and a Bed-Stuy native, shared tales of Bed-Stuy that were like borrowed scenes from a Spike Lee film, where the sun’s rays lit crowded stoops; fire hydrants showered the blocks; girls jumped rope and boys captured bumble bees.

He also shared the less glamorous side of gentrification, race relations and the impact drugs had on Bed-Stuy’s future.

Brown, who has been married for 26 years, grew up during a time when black pride and black ownership was prominent in Bed-Stuy. Brown agreed to a short Q&A, in which we discussed the role of real estate development, shifting consumer culture and displacement in Bed-Stuy.

Q. What made/makes Bed-Stuy ripe for gentrification?

A. There was a time when Bed-Stuy had a soul — I mean a soul you could feel. Barbershops, schools and candy stores were black owned. Communities worked together to raise children, and everyone worked to maintain the neighborhood.

However, Bed-Stuy, like many black working-class neighborhoods, was flooded with drugs. The crime rates rose; police presence decreased and the neighborhood began to deteriorate, which forced many long-time residents to abandon their homes or sell. And more recently, the economic crisis and sky rocketing of foreclosures left a lot of available real estate.

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Q. What do you think are factors that attract gentrifiers to Bed-Stuy?

A. For new young white residents it’s cool and hip now. They can skateboard or ride their bikes, study at fancy cafes, pay rent that’s significantly cheaper than Manhattan, and roam about without too much fear. For business owners and real estate developers, they look at this as untouched ground– an opportunity to make significant profit.

Q. Some argue that gentrification is a racial issue, others say it’s about class, and some argue the changes happening are revitalization. What does gentrification in Bed-Stuy look like to you?

A. I’ve worked as a contractor for years, and gentrification is most vivid when white people move in.  Then the property values increase, and businesses begin to change.  Sure, different racial demographics are moving in, but the investors behind these outrageously priced condos are white. When white people move in or decide to build it’s not generally to live amongst us, but instead to change the structure and culture of the pre-existing neighborhood.

Q. Many gentrifiers argue that gentrification is beneficial to homeowners because it increases their property value. As a homeowner is that true, or do you find the answer to be more nuanced?

A. No, it’s not good for me. Yes, my property value goes up, but so does all the property on the block, which means my four children can’t afford to buy a house in the neighborhood they grew up in. I purchased this house in 1985 for 50K. My children do not have the same opportunity to raise their family here. Our family loses hold,  history, culture, place.

Q. Are there any solutions to gentrification in Bed-Stuy?

A. It’s a cycle that will continue, but education and ownership is the key. As a people, we have to be more progressive and regain mental, emotional and physical ownership of our communities. Much of the younger generation may not have pride for or feel connected to Bed-Stuy because they don’t know the history.

[We will need to] buy property here in numbers in order to maintain what’s left of Bed-Stuy. If not, before you know it, every door you knock on, a white face that won’t rent to you will greet you. Relinquishing our community and settlng for renting is not acceptable. We have to make a way…