|
2 of the first places I lived in BK I lived with a Bronx native, half Jamaican, half Af Am, so it took some of the blatantness off. during this time I was making 18k and then 30k a year, so not really gentrifying outside of not being black / west indian.
Third spot I lived with our other homie, black dude from VA, and then his friend, black girl from Queens. Towards then I got a better job and was really saving a lot of bread up, rent low and salary higher. That's when I was making more and paying more than the surrounding population in Crown Heights, so it more gentrifying at that point.
Straight up feeling like a gentrifier was Bushwick, not only because it's Bushwick, but I'm definitely paying market while the rest of the building is subsidized and in not in as good condition. There wasn't many white people when I moved in, two and a half years later, buildings were getting eaten up and revamped like crazy and the goddamn blanquitos were everywhere.
Now in Ft Greene, Downtown BK, I feel like the neighborhood has already gone the white people with babystroller route even though there are still a good deal of Black folks left. My particular building is very mixed, with the first hippyish / foreignish / jewish white people probably moving in 15 - 20 years ago. But there are rich, unfamiliar, posh white people all over since all the high-priced housing stock is being literally created out of thin air. On the other hand, the PJ's are big and also right there, so it always feels more diverse on the street.
|