Jaylene Clark was the mastermind behind the spoken word performance “Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale.” The play stemmed from a random Facebook status she wrote before she was on her way to a poetry reading. It read: “It’s time to stop dipping a toe in here/ Wading in a little bit there/I need to jump back into this Sea World of poetry like I’m Shamu/ Heavy/ Too much gentrification going on in Harlem to get light/ Time to spit killer lines, with killer rhymes, of killer tales/ Cuz Harlem is looking more and more like the belly of a killer whale.”
The play takes a look at gentrification as actresses Janelle Heatley, Hollis Heath and Jaylene play the roles of three different young women discussing the changes in Harlem. The most prominent change being how Jaylene’s character’s parents are struggling to keep their brownstone apartment because of the increase in costs with real estate.
As the play goes on, the three actresses play different roles expressing their feelings on how Harlem was, how it is now, and how they hope it will be. Mostly, how they hope Harlem will also be indulged in its culture and originality.
Jaylene takes a stroll through 125th Street, close to the National Black Theatre, speaking about how Harlem doesn’t need any fancy makeovers to be “trendy” because it is an area that is already rich in culture and history.
About a month ago I put out a survey both on my Facebook and Twitter asking for people to express their opinions on the Columbia University expansion throughout Manhattanville in West Harlem. I heard from Harlem locals that the expansion was causing a lot of small businesses to relocate or shut down completely. Many also feared that whatever resources Columbia could get with the expansion wouldn’t be shared with the community.
So, I put out a survey to see how others feel. In the survey, I asked two questions. The first question was what could be the worst effect of the expansion. The second question was what could be the best effect. This is the rundown:
The first question possible answers were:
Both had an “other” option for people to add in other possibilities. The general outcome:
1. For the first question, three out of the five people who responded chose “all of the above.” This tells me that with a project as big as the Columbia expansion, many feel that it is inevitable that there will be a plethora of effects, not just one. However, the other two people who answered were split, with one choosing the option that West Harlem will lose its originality/mom and pop shops and the other one choosing the option that there could be increased tension with locals and newcomers.
2. For the second question, there was a another three to five split with answers, and many believed the project will bring new employment opportunities to the area. The other two chose the all of the above option. Overall, I think many believe that the opportunities may be outweighing the negative effects that could come out of the expansion. It seems that the possibility of more employment is better than the risk of tension or the loss of old shops.
3. Another way I got responses were by comments on Facebook and by continuing to ask the general public in the West Harlem community.
A. Facebook comments: Three people responded and all believed that overall the expansion will give the area a better face value, however will increase the overall cost of living which would be trouble for locals who may not be able to stay.
B. Many locals say that this project is just another example of how gentrification works. The overall feeling is mixed: many like and appreciate that new businesses are coming to the area so that Harlem locals don’t have to travel downtown to shop. However, the main concern is the increase in living costs for the people who have lived in Harlem almost all their lives and the idea that the people of Harlem don’t have much of a say with what changes are made in their community.
In the end I felt I got better responses on the issue by physically asking locals rather than relying on social media, since many people who responded via social media aren’t even from Harlem.
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland displayed four new bioswales on Dean Street in Brooklyn this week.
Bioswales are vegetative pits on the side of the street that contain layers of soil, sand, and gravel. DEP said their introduction will filter storm-water slowly to prevent New York’s sewers from overflowing. The construction of the bioswales is part of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan which is meant to build green infrastructure over the next 20 years. Stickland said construction on the four bioswales on Dean Street will be complete by the end of November. He said the city are planning to build 10 bioswales city wide.
Tents are completely occupying Zuccotti Park, and one could think that is to the benefit of all the protesters of Occupy Wall Street. But Josh Ehrenberg, 20, thinks otherwise.
Ehrenberg is from Rochester and has been a part of OWS for a month. He works in the comfort section of the park, which provides protesters with blankets, clothing and toiletries. As of now, he said they have a good amount of donations, but always need more warm clothes, deodorant and chapstick. What he feels the protesters don’t need is more tents. Ehrenberg said that the tents don’t really keep anyone warm, and that they pretty much only protect protesters from rain.
The biggest problem with the tents to Ehrenberg is that the tents take up so much space, making it hard for more protesters to try and occupy the park. Also, he worries that as the tents become people’s property, it is creating a sense of individual ownership and could cause segregation among protesters. But, he still believes the protesters will be sticking it out as long as possible.
At the ripe age of 50, NYU Neurologist Tom Wisniewski has taken it upon himself to put his body through a grueling 26 mile run all in the name of autism research.
Dr. Wisniewski decided to raise money for his research by running in the New York City Marathon that takes place on November 6. The marathon goes through all of the city’s five boroughs and attracts over 100,000 participants each year.
In light of Uptown Restaurant Month, it’s easy to remember the originality, history and prominence associated with Harlem eating. One of the first restaurant that come to mind is Sylvia’s- “Queen of soul food,” which has been around since the 1960s.
Now, West Harlem in particular is trending in the restaurant scene, and is becoming a hot spot for culinary expertise such as with Chef Marcus Samuelsson from the Zagat-rated restaurant Red Rooster which opened in October 2010. Red Rooster’s prominence inspired the opening of Cedric, a French Bistro on St. Nicholas Ave. and 119th Street. Zagat-rated Cedric first opened in August 2011. Like Red Rooster, there is an old school charm that collide with a new school renovated feel.
Dard Coaxum, General Manager of Cedric and Harlem native, said that Red Rooster “puts character back in Harlem.” “Harlem is becoming sexy again,” he added.
Two other notable restaurants include bar and grill, and a beer garden Harlem Tavern, which opened in late June 2011, and Food For Life Supreme, which is almost three years old and offers healthy dining, deriving its novelty with its Bio-coffee. Harlem Tavern offers outdoor seating reminiscent of the type of restaurant one would find in downtown Manhattan. Harlem Tavern along with Cedric will be participating in Harlem Oktoberfest with the Bar and Restaurant Crawl on Oct. 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Food For Life Supreme has a more “family” vibe compared to the other three and offers an array of healthier foods such as carrot fries and Bio-coffee, which consists of wheatgrass and bears the slogan “the healthiest coffee in the world.” Food For Life Supreme is the only restaurant that carries it.
As West Harlem changes over time, and in light of Uptown Restaurant Month it keeps its charisma and overall taste in good food with good atmospheres. The following photos are of these four restaurants, which are four examples of the innovativeness and sexiness affiliated with West Harlem.
On September 22nd, I posted my question on Twitter and linked to my blog post in the following tweet:
I used the hashtags #USPS, #postoffice, #SouthBronx, #Bronx, and #jobs as they seemed like they were the most relevant that would garner the most amount of hits. I however failed in attracting any response.
After I didn’t receive any reply to this either, I started to wonder if there were better hashtags for the Bronx and the South Bronx, and found out that people use #bx as a Bronx hashtag.
I tried using some other hashtags, and rephrasing my query in order to attract possibly business owners in the South Bronx. I still did not unfortunately receive any response. Because so much of the South Bronx’s population is living under the poverty line, I think it is safe to assume that a lot of them have very limited internet access. A lot of the unemployed people of the South Bronx (who are the people who I am most interested in speaking with, in all likely-hood do not peruse Twitter).
On October 5th, I posted the following on Flickr to promote my question and blog post:
I posted my question and link in the description of the photo, and added relevant tags (Melrose, South Bronx, Post Office, USPS…).
Mohammad Rahman has been working at Behren’s Pharmacy in Clinton Hill for decades. He is one of the millions of workers employed at a small business, the lifeblood of the American economy (PDF). And to New Yorkers, and Green Point and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn residents in particular, small businesses are a way of life. The threat of their disappearance is enough to incite protest, as seen with the Atlantic Yards development.
But, according to Rahman and workers at other businesses in the neighborhood the deadliest small business killer is less tangible than the Atlantic Yards and local residents have less control over it’s operation: it’s the American economy.
Rahman, standing behind the pharmacy counter waiting for customers said business was very slow, but doesn’t blame people for not shopping locally.
Unless people have a disposable income – unless they have money in their pocket, this economy can’t work…people don’t have the jobs, how will they spend the money?
Rahman said local residents are shopping online at places that don’t have the overhead that a local store like Behren’s does.
Down the street at the cafe Tillies of Brooklyn barista Khephran Riddick echoed Rahman’s sentiment.
“It’s been a little show…It’s tough to find jobs out here.”
Still, small businesses seem to be holding on, despite the continued economic downturn.
Where do you fit in?
If you are a small business owner in Fort Greene or Clinton Hill:
How has your business been affected by the ecomonic downturn?
The Crown Heights Farmers Market, which first opened its stalls last week, joins over 20 other open-air ventures in New York City that provide fresh, locally-grown produce to neighborhoods that would otherwise be without it. The market is the first of its kind in Crown Heights; after two years of wrangling with red tape, Hamilton Metz Park on Albany Avenue will host the farmers market every Thursday, thanks to the efforts of Seeds in the Middle, a local non-profit organization.
“We started two years ago and always everyone spoke about how unjust it was that there was no fresh produce in the neighborhood,” said Nancie Katz, who heads up Seeds in the Middle. The group first’s experiment with fresh greens in Crown Heights, a small green market at P.S. 91 in 2009, was a wild success.
Governor Cuomo launched an initiative last month known as FreshConnect, which provides funding and support to local markets throughout the state. Although the program has aided other emerging farmers markets in the city, the new Crown Heights market has been forced to go solo – it has yet to receive any public funding.
Nonetheless, the market’s organizers are touting it as a way for a community with scars mostly unseen to move beyond its turbulent history. In 1991, Crown Heights was rocked by a series of riots between that lasted for three days in August.
By providing a gathering place for Crown Heights residents of all backgrounds, the market seeks to bring together a neighborhood that has suffered from a painful past. The market brings together the work of local teachers, students and dedicated residents.
What do you think? Is the Crown Heights Farmers Market a good way to heal the scars of violence?
Employment has been difficult for many since the recession. And despite Harlem being listed as one of the top 10 safe neighborhoods in Manhattan, there is still violence, especially gun violence. A New York State Mission Society organization, Operation SNUG, is working to halt gun violence throughout the state of New York while implementing employment program experience that NYSMS has.
In West Harlem, Operation SNUG Project Director Robin Holmes said that she works with summer internship programs, and this past summer she had around 1,300 applicants when only 300 jobs were available. According to Holmes, the gun violence could be related to the lack of employment for younger individuals
“Even though a lot of people think crime is down, murders and shootings are not,” Holmes said.
Operation SNUG (“guns” spelled backwards) was launched by the NY state senate in 2009 and has been working toward reducing gun violence mostly with adolescents.
The most recent shooting was of a young girl, prominent is basketball, named Tayshana Murphy, 18. She was shot and killed on Sept. 11 in the Grant House in West Harlem between Morningside and Old Broadway. According to an article on the NY Daily News, she was killed by other teens because of mistaken identity during a “turf war.”
Ray McLaughlin, who works as a community assistant at the CD9 board, located by the Grant House, said that he feels most violence in NYC is community based and lack of money for desired lifestyles cause violence. “People within the communities are fighting. People try living above their means in Harlem and it causes tension and crime,” he said.
According to an article on Patch.com, unemployment dropped from 6.9 percent in August 2010 to 6.6 percent last month and the labor force also dropped from 17,500 to 17,100 workers from 2010 to 2011, according to a recent New York State Department of Labor report.
This poses the question, does the lack of employment for adolescents in NYC increase the threat of their involvement with gun violence?
