Tag Archives: New York

On Brighton Beach: Here’s what we learned

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The goal: To find out what both native Brighton Beachers and visitors feel about the area’s increasing commercialization. The result: A mixed bag.

Brighton Beach Avenue, the neighborhood's main shopping center. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Violette79.

I asked a few pointed questions about the changing economy in Brighton: What’s your favorite local business? What’s your reason for visiting Brighton Beach (i.e., beach, Russian culture and food, etc.)? Would you still want to visit the area if it lost its unique “flavor”? In the end, ten people participated. Publicizing the post on Facebook – on both my wall and the walls of groups dedicated to Brighton – garnered me the most responses, though I also put it up on Twitter. Unfortunately, I don’t think I got any Brighton natives, and only three respondents had ever actually visited there before. So the information I got from this survey were more theoretical than practical, though still useful because they all pointed to one definite feeling: That Brighton Beach completely loses its appeal if it’s all chain stores and no more Russian mom-and-pop shops.

My favorite comment – which really sums up the general mood of the respondents – was from the person who said, “Why visit a place that’s lost its character?”

Going forward, if I were to do another survey like this, I’d obviously have to change my methods somewhat, though I’m not sure how. More aggressive marketing, maybe? I noticed that there was a spike in the number of responses for the hour or two after I re-posted the survey link on Facebook or Twitter – and then they’d drop off completely. An interesting commentary on how fast life moves online!

 

 

Brian Binsack. On the Journey from Music to Business

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Brian Binsack in The End New York art-gallery. Photo by Natalia V. Osipova

Brian Binsack, 30, is one of four owners of The End New York in Brooklyn, a new multifunctional creative facility, which combines professional recording and photo studio and a rehearsal room. It has a rooftop space for social event rentals and even art-gallery with paintings and sculptures of contemporary artists.

Binsack signed a lease for the space at the western waterfront on Greenpoint Avenue in February this year, and held the first arts event in May. Two weeks ago, the End New York finished the latest makeover works and organized a launch party to introduce their latest addition, a new performance venue.

Binsack is a professional composer converted into a businessman. In a short interview he describes his journey from music to entrepreneurship and approach in making a successful startup in New York City.

 

[audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Brian-New.mp3|titles=Brian Binsack Interview] [audio:http://cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/383/files/2011/10/Brian-Plays.mp3|titles=Brian Binsack is playing cello on the music jam session with his colleagues]

At Occupy LA, a Sunnier Scene

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On a recent Saturday, Occupy LA protestors were out in force at Los Angeles' City Hall. Like their New York counterparts, many are expressing anger with the current economic and financial system, rather than any one policy.

The fate of Occupy Wall Street seems to change with the wind. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has threatened to close down parts of Zuccotti Park for cleaning–only to back down–and insisted that the Constitution does not protect tents.

In LA, however, City Council passed a resolution endorsing the Occupy LA movement headquartered at City Hall. The West Coast 99 percent have transformed the space into a virtual campground. They’ve established many of the same facilities present in Zuccotti–a library, media station, finance department–but they also have portable toilets provided by the city. Artists are setting up installations on the lawn surrounding City Hall. They aren’t banned from using amplified devices, so the people’s mike made iconic by Zuccotti protestors is not as central to day-to-day organizing. Music performances and speeches at this past Saturday’s [R]occupy LA gave the scene the flavor of a festival.

No doubt: the LA protest is inflected with a distinctly West Coast vibe, right down to the bacon-wrapped hot dogs. With permission from the City Council to camp out indefinitely and the cooperation of the mild So-Cal winter, the occupation only seems likely to grow, and perhaps, to outlast Occupy Wall Street.

The Occupation Establishes a Community

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The Occupy Wall Street movement that has captivated the minds of frustrated citizens around the world passed the one-month mark this week, and it shows no signs of letting up. On the contrary, the band of protestors at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan have dug-in, establishing what is starting to look like a small town. Complete with a kitchen, library and sleeping areas, the occupiers are proving the longevity of their cause.

From daily meals to educational sit-ins, the occupiers have plenty to do between protests. While the movement has come under fire for lacking a clear focus, the encampment in Zuccotti Park in many ways allows the demonstrators to establish the kind of society they are advocating for. Donations for food are suggested, but not required. Meetings are communal and democratic. After a near-eviction last week, the occupiers clean the park themselves. Occupy Wall Street is beginning to look like a functioning community.

The occupiers have amassed hundreds of thousands from a variety of sources, and receive hundreds of shipments of supplies every day. With the park too small to hold everything, much of the protestor’s loot is being kept at United Federation of Teachers storage facility not far from Zuccotti.

Zuccotti Park
A daily sit-in
Protest Cuisine
Demonstrator\'s closet
Zuccotti\'s pantry
The library
Always connected

[Show slideshow]

 

Attack of the Big Bad Businesses

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Brighton Beach, Brooklyn is equally renowned for its boardwalk and its borscht. But now, one of those claims to fame is in jeopardy.

Shoppers on Brighton Beach Avenue. Photo courtesy of Flickr member Axel Drainville.

Small, family-run operations – like the dozens of beachfront restaurants specializing in Russian and Ukrainian cuisine – have dominated the Brighton Beach economy for over 50 years. In fact, according to a report released in July by the state comptroller’s office, an astounding 88 percent of the Greater Coney Island area’s businesses have fewer than 10 employees. But in the last few years, residents have seen a marked increase in the number of national chains moving into the neighborhood. Walk down Brighton Beach Avenue, the fifteen-block heart of Brighton’s retail scene, and you’ll see half a dozen wireless stores, and nearly twice as many large banks. (And if those numbers sound excessive to you, check out the “All Shops” listing on the Brighton Beach BID website for proof.)

The takeover by AT&T and Bank of America has come at the expense of the independent shops that give Brighton Beach its unique flavor. “Every month, you see one big company come in, and three or four little guys close down,” said one staffer in the comptroller’s office – himself a longtime Brighton Beach resident. Some Brighton Beachers suspect that the forcing out of local businesses is a form of spillover gentrification from neighboring Coney Island, which has been battling its own redevelopment issues for some time.

If the big bad businesses continue to take over in Brighton Beach, pushing out the family-owned Russian bookstores, markets, and cafes, will the neighborhood lose its appeal as a tourist destination? Take the survey, and let us know what you think.

Will Obama’s Jobs Act Help?

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Obama Delivers Jobs Act Speech

Credit: whitehouse.gov

Last week, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass The American Jobs Act. The act’s proposals run the gamut from tax breaks to stimulus spending, and policy experts’ reactions to the bill ran the gamut too.  But it’s still unclear whether the bill will actually help Americans, and New Yorkers in particular, get jobs.  So let’s parse through the three best arguments for and against the bill.

Positive Reviews:

1. One of the most fervent supporters of the act is New York City Comptroller John Liu.  For every $1 billion invested in New York City, Liu’s office estimates that 7,500 jobs would be created. Obama’s plan would funnel approximately $3 billion to New York State, but it’s not known how much of that would go to the five boroughs.

2. Obama’s proposal would give New York State about $2 billion to retain teacher and first responder jobs, and another $2 billion to modernize public schools in the state.  New York State United Teachers, which represents 600,000 educators in New York, sided with the president because of that funding.

3. While America seems to be growing less fond of Obama in general, 45 percent of people surveyed by Gallup responded that they’d want their member of congress to vote for the act, compared with 32 percent that would vote against.

Negative Reviews:

1. James Parrott, the chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute says the jobs act is too heavy on tax cuts (toward bottom of article).  He says federal spending creates many more jobs per dollar than tax cuts do.

2. Business groups are saying the payroll tax cuts might seem business-friendly, but in reality can’t help in the long-term because businesses are struggling too much to hire new workers.

3. The president of the same teachers union that supports the bill (NYSUT) thinks it might be used as an excuse to not fund New York schools on a state-level.

Unless Obama finds a way to convince a vocally opposed Republican party otherwise, all the praise and criticism of the bill might be moot.

As Jobs Decline, New Yorkers Contemplate Hydrofracking

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As the unemployment rate and jobs stagnate nationwide, New Yorkers consider the economic upside of hydrofracking.

The introduction of hydrofracking to New York could create up to 54,000 jobs, according to a new study released by the Department of Environmental Conservation.  The study states that the industry could pay New Yorkers up to $2.5 billion in work wages.  It could also result in a large number of economic spin offs to New York, as well as up to $121 million for the state government in personal income tax receipts, said the DEC.

Hydrofracking is a new controversial drilling method, through which the state would be able to access a large untapped reserve of its natural gas.  Although the industry could have tremendous economic upside, environmentalists are concerned that hydrofracking may have dangerous effects on drinking water reserves.

Hyrdrofracking has become a central issue in the tight race for the congressional seat of Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, reports the NY Daily News.  While Republican Bob Turner has expressed his support for hydrofracking, Democrat David Weprin has stated his opposition to the contentious drilling technique.  Weprin has said environmental concerns outweigh the economic stimulus the industry could bring to New York.

New Yorkers have a total of 90 days to decide whether they would like to take the environmental risks that have been linked with hydrofracking.  If it is implemented as an acceptable way to drill for gas, hydrofracking could provide much needed relief to the economy and job market.