User:Llynn2/East Flatbush, Brooklyn

Gentrification is "the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses".[[1]] Gentrification brings about a multitude of challenges. It most obviously leads to the displacement of low-income residents because as property value increases due to renovations in the neighborhood, it becomes increasingly more difficult to afford housing [2] A common misconception that is argued against the harsh truths of gentrification is that gentrification benefits everyone by improving the residents’ quality of life. The East Flatbush 2018 report by Hinterland K. et. al complicates this misconception entirely because it recognizes that despite its under-resourced populations the overall health of residents was better than other parts of Brooklyn. The article details that adults in East Flatbush were asked to report their own health as "excellent", "very good", or "good", and East Flatbush residents ranked an 83% on their self-ranked health scale, 6% higher than the rest of Brooklyn, and 5% higher than NYC as a whole. Hinterland et.al concludes that "East Flatbush’s average life expectancy is 1.4 years longer than NYC overall" [3]

Another common misconception with gentrification is that it happens overnight. That is not true; it is a very well-thought out multi-step plan to displace low-income people of color. A social rights activist from Bushwick, Brooklyn, Melvin Rivera says it’s a trickle down effect. He goes on to say that “Landlords make homes uninhabitable. Then they rebuild and refurbish the homes, and now, they figure, ‘Hey, instead of renting to this multigenerational family that lives here at $1,200, we could start renting individual rooms at $1,000-1,200 each”[4]. Some may believe that the housing market will naturally adjust to accommodate different income levels, but as we can understand from Melvin Rivera’s testament, the opposite happens, instead.[5] Rivera is not the only tenant who can make a testament to the unfair practices imbeded in the gentrification process. Ms. Francis, a resident of East Flatbush, reported "that she has endured years of racially-based harassment by Maxx Properties as well as being sexually harassed by an Maxx Properties employee" [6].

A third misconception is that new investments bring about community unity because it's presumably what the “community wants”. This is entirely incorrect and many organizations such as Equality for Flatbush (E4F) can attest to that and dispute those beliefs with the work they are doing to “take it [their homes and community] before it’s gone” [7]. The reality is that having differing interests creates a strain on the relationships within the community and ultimately leads to the exclusion of long term residents and an accommodation to newer residents [8].

If you wish to hear more testaments to the unjust practices of landlords and real estate companies in East Flatbush neighborhoods, and want to contribute to the equality for East Flatbush and stopping the neighborhood's gentrification, please visit this site: http://www.equalityforflatbush.org/anti-gentrification/.