A Year in Bushwick
It’s a contentious anniversary. We moved to Bushwick on February 28, 2007. I’ll never forget the date, because the closing on the house had been postponed so many times I didn’t think it was going to happen — it was also the very last day on our lease. The stress of that day was compounded by the fact that we had to live with the old owner downstairs for five more days, as per an agreement allegedly faxed to our lawyer that, though not signed, was forced on us under threat of yet another postponement of our move-in date. Too bad Luis had taken three days off of work so we could paint and clean the downstairs apartment to get it ready to rent out ASAP. When she finally did get the hell out, she left a putrid apartment full of mouse droppings, bags of old welfare beans, and carpets so full of dust I had a three-day-long allergy attack after I removed it with a mask on. We are still getting mail from their bank.
As we did work on the house over the last year, so the rest of the neighborhood improved. Buildings are being refurbished; trash and crackheads are ever-so-slowly disappearing; new stores are opening and old ones are adapting to the new reality of Bushwick. So much seems to be happening right now that seemed unlikely just six months ago.
As goes the neighborhood, so goes this site. I have experienced many things I never expected when I made my first few posts just around a year ago.
Despite several controversies and full-blown comment wars, it has all been for the best. Ideas have been exposed and exchanged that may never have been if these clashes had not occurred. I certainly learned a lot about the people who oppose and indeed hate our very presence in this neighborhood — valuable information if they are to be defeated in the realm of ideas. As I have said elsewhere, this is more of a personal hobby/obsession/problem of mine, but I do often enjoy it nonetheless.
Some people are certainly crazier than I could ever have imagined. I have never been so aware of being hated with such ferocity as I am now, all for expressing unpopular opinions and presenting unconventional analyses. Never has the accusation of racism been directed at me with such persistence and relentlessness, with such little evidence, and with such little knowledge of how I lead my day-to-day life. Never have I been so libeled with so many different — and often conflicting — accusations.
Other people are wonderful, and I consider many people I have met through this site to be friends. Bushwick in general has been amazing in that regard — I almost never have to leave the neighborhood to be able to hang out with cool people. The enthusiasm with which this site has been received and the feeling of camaraderie between those of us who chose to move here are both things that make it bearable to live here on those days when Bushwick just feels like being a dick.
So, to those of you who wish me harm or failure: fuck off and die, and get ready to be quite disappointed, respectively.
To those of you who have become my friends, who value this site even if you don’t agree with everything on it, and who hope for more in the future: your presence and support and most of all, participation is what has kept this site going. Stick around, it’s just getting good — and so is OUR neighborhood, Bushwick.
March 21st, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Congrats on your anniversary!
March 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Congrat! Well said/written. Bushwick is definetely changing for the better. We’ve lived on Central Avenue since December 2003. Ive seen the bad and the good. One good thing is that property values skyrocketed since then. It helped us purchase our 2nd building in Ridgewood.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Happy ‘wickiversary!
Seriously, even though we’re moving on, we plan to keep track of you and of how the neighborhood continues to change and develop.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Jeremy … happy anniversary … and congratulations on your website … I know the trials and tribulations of being an administrator of a website about “Bushwick” … but the “Old Bushwick” … but it’s fun and I’ve made lots of friends … as well as reconnected with people I grew up with 60+ years ago. Our love of Bushwick is still in our hearts even though it will never return to what it was … but will in fact be better than it has been in 40+ years thanks to you and all the new people moving into the neighborhood. I hope you can raise your children there and they will feel the connection to their neighborhood when they are 60+ years old … it means a lot.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
awwwwww how special
March 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
C’mon, Jeremy, you can’t be THAT surprised at the strong reaction your writings have received. You ooze contempt for your surroundings, disdain toward the locals… This is just a guess, but perhaps you couldn’t afford to buy in the neighborhood you REALLY wanted and are bitter as a result?
You cast everything in terms of a conquest, a battle between civilization (newcomers) and savages (Brooklynites) or a Nietzschean struggle of wills. You rarely miss a chance to say something snarky about New Yorkers, their culture, their accents, whatever. New Yorkers are a proud, stubborn and–yes, sometimes short-tempered people who NATURALLY are gonna take exception to such arrogance from the new kid on the block.
I don’t think you’re a racist but rather a “classist” (if that’s even a word). I’m sure you’d dislike me for being a non college-educated, working-class native whether I’m white or not. That’s your prerogative… But if you relish the role of the invading bulwark of gentrification, then own it, wear it, be it–but don’t lament the angry reaction for one minute, ’cause you asked for it.
Go ahead and unleash your “incisive Hitchensian” polemics on me, declare yourself the winner in the debate, etc. I’ve made my point and feel no need to comment further. I don’t wish you ill but I do urge a little self examination if you give a shit at all about truly becoming a part of Bushwick (or New York in general). If you don’t, well… just go on with your bad self.
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Great going Jeremy. I’m glad you are here and others like you. Natives from bushwick don’t care for this neighborhood. I’ve seen them trash the place, let their dog defecate anywhere and they don’t pick up after, etc…if you live here you know what I mean in terms of all the crap that goes on here.
Then when someone moves in who wants to take care of the place, be a stakeholder in the community, call the cops when people break the law, then people call them all sorts of things. Locals had more than three decades to make this place something and all they’ve down is make it a toilet.
Well, my local friends, the plumbers are moving in–watch out for the draino–it burns!
Keep doing what you do Jeremy and others. It won’t be long before a decent person can walk around at 1:00 am with their spouse looking for a late night snack. Whether you are a local or new, you know that is not an option, for now.
Before Evergreen gets on my case about being classist my spouse and family grew up two blocks from Kosciuszko Stop. There is a silent majority in Bushwick that welcomes the new people.
So Jeremy, there are people happy to have you here. Don’t leave and please invite your friends to move here. My eyes in the back of my head need some rest.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Happy happy.
I’ve been here longer than you, which surprised me.
You should have seen Flushing Ave one way! ha ha ha. nightmare.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
“There is a silent majority in Bushwick that welcomes the new people.”
I don’t disagree with that. Who DOESN’T want their neighborhood to be a better, safer place–so long as they’re not priced out of it as a result? ANY neighborhood is going to have a certain minority of meatheads who are hostile to newcomers of any sort; it’s always been that way. But most people are more rational than that, or at least I still like to think that they are.
I was just talking about Jeremy’s condescending/confrontational attitude as conveyed in his writing. It’s his privilege and right, but some amount of hostile reaction is a natural consequence, ’tis all.
March 22nd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Happy Anniversary!
February 28th 2006 was my 2yr anniversary
You can be proud that this site has made a positive mark in the Bushwick community and is probably having a huge influence on people seeing Bushwick in a new and better light. I for one enjoy reading your blog on a weekly if not sometimes daily basis. Keep up the good work! Keep preaching clean streets, less dog shit, trees not trash and a better neighborhood!
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Keep up the good work Jeremy. It takes courage to tell people what they need to hear. Our problems won’t be fixed by indulging those who don’t work, throw trash around, blare loud music, rob and steal and feel entitled to governent handouts and rent subsidies. This is the only forum we have where someone makes those people responsible for their actions. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s racist to want to live in a better neighborhood. You’re fighting the good fight, and thanks for doing it.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Congratulations on the first of what I hope will be many anniversaries! This has been a great site to hear about what is happening in Bushwick, learn about its past and - above all - agree to disagree - and disagree - and disagree, etc.
All the best!!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 am
I live in Bushwick, I’m a native, and thank you for rescuing us.
Bushwick is one of the oldest neighborhoods in NYC, one of the original Dutch settlements. Anyone with half a brain who takes a look at it understands its inherent value. It is logistically one of the best places to live in Brooklyn- everything is accessible. Its a transportation hub - j/z/a/c/m/l/, both airports are near by as well as the access to the bqe, belt, williamnsburg bridge, in other words, you are more connected to the rest of the city than any other place. Im sure you can find exceptions but I know tones of people in Manhattan who would rather goto newark than jfk or laguardia. So why the hell is a neighborhood that has so much promise so shitty? Because of white flight and the crack epidemic. Bushwick avenue used to be called doctor’s row.
DO NOT STOP COMING TO BUSHWICK. The housing crisis is the best thing to happen to this neighborhood, soon there will be more of you taking advantage of foreclosures. I welcome it and the quality of life improvements you bring with you- better police/fire/ambulance, more restaurants that bullet proof glass encased chinese dumps. BTW, I’m black, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. So don’t let those fat bastards get you down. Come, bring your buddies, and your bike lanes.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Jeremy congratulations on your anniversary. Not only has this site been invaluable in keeping me up on the doings in the old neighborhood it has encouraged me to revisit more times than I have for several years.
It has served to bring back memories as well as up to date on the events which encourage me to visit such as the Bushwick Open Space projects. And as to the criticisms and back biting you receive jsut remember you cannot please allof the people allof the time.
Keep up the good work
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Jeremy,
Congrats for a full year of many good articles along with some, should i say, not so good ones. (isn’t it crazy that the anonymity of blog commenting alllows me to congratulate you and mention my dislikes in the same breath. talk about PC, huh)
It’s without a doubt something really beautiful, especially when the old natives are reminicsing.
It gives us all a sense of history, of continuity maybe.
But, talk is cheap, my question is when can we see some action taking place? Like, can this blog influence some entrepenuers to opens cafes/bars/galleries etc? Now that is what i’d call accomplishments. Not only giving moral support so to speak (which i’ll admit is great too), but actually making a difference.
Ok, so here’s my wish list.
some serious numbers on the current demographics (that will possibly make some entreprenural juices flowing, giving us our necessary amenities)
hmmm… is that it? nah.
I would love a serious forum on the history of bushwick, buildings, street names, and much more.
The oldtimers can make this place so much richer. how about an area where they tell their stories/anecdotes at length and in detail.
a special section on tips for bushwickites. from food shopping to train catching to dog walking
a calender for cultural events (you did that already, cheers)
maybe, ahem, stop knocking the “locals”. I know it’s complicated. We surly shouldn’t just accept it yet at the same time we need to understand why it happened/happening. If we will try to be dispassionate maybe we will see that however much a position is in the right, it doesn’t always call for shouting it out or fighting it out. Accept the others position even if you are totaly right and then again ‘hey, you never know’.
I’m rambling here and maybe you should have one section for people like myself who think that they have to wax selfrighteous.
All in all, your good man
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
great work - thanks! its appreciated.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:31 am
Great site with some great writing. While I do not agree completely with a lot of what Jeremy says, it certainly makes for insightful and entertaining reading which is of paramount importance for a blog. Who the hell wants to read something that they totally agree with?
Please keep writing incisive articles that will elicit ridiculous insults from a handful of silly individuals, but the admiration of most.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:50 am
I really appreciate the work done on this blog to show what’s been going on around the neighborhood.
The issue of gentrification is a very touchy subject. There is the physical reality of a piece of trash on the ground, or a boarded up building to highlight the need for taking action to improve the neighborhood. However, the less noticeable and less publicly visible reality of lower income displacement during gentrification is just as real. For either side to discount these realities would be ignorant and selfish.
It does none of us any good to condemn our neighbors for speaking truthfully about the issues concerning them.
What we should all be talking about and working towards is figuring out a way to continue making improvements to our neighborhood without excluding anyone who calls Bushwick home. Teaching and Learning at the same time.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Thanks guys.
Evergreen, don’t psychologize, you’re off base as most on here are. I don’t even know what you’re talking about in half of your comment there. In fact, since you’re not college educated and yet are still at least articulate enough to get an idea across, I admire you. I myself just barely graduated high school. And I know plenty of college graduates who can’t write a complete sentence. People do not gain intelligence in school. Again, things are not always as they seem.
Anyway, while I of course started out with a little bit of an attitude, the insanely disproportionate attacks are what made me go full force. So what you see from me is a reaction to that. If I am going to be flipped-out on, I am going to earn it. I was just surprised at how hysterical and rabid some people are.
March 25th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Also, I find the comments from the “natives” here interesting and I appreciate them (where have you been the last year!?). But don’t be fooled that anyone is here to “help” or “save” anyone else. This isn’t an imperial project or a humanitarian liberation, it’s just regular old economic trends coinciding with your interests.
I take issue with the couple of comments here making like they’re even-handed on gentrification. You do not get to reap the benefits of the neighborhood being fixed up without having to pay anything for it. “Displacement” is a term best left to conversations about war refugees. Your rent going up does not make you a refugee. It’s a perverse idea that low-income people are somehow more valuable than everyone else by virtue of their comparative lack of wealth. I do not see why they should be paid to continue to live in a place they cannot afford while everyone else in the world lives where they can afford. Nobody has so far satisfactorily responded to that concern.
March 25th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
For sure, it’s too easy to look at the transformation/gentrification/whatever of a neighborhood in terms of a moral passion play: the righteous poor versus the immoral rich, or lazy philistine locals versus cultured, upstanding newcomers. I’ve done it myself. But the reality is a bit more complex and ever-shifting.
See, people have a very strong attachment to the concept of “home”, and when they feel it’s somehow threatened they react strongly and in ways that are not always rational. Some of us feel that New York is losing its very soul; there’s a lot of anger out there and, rightly or wrongly, it tends to be directed at the most visible target. Organized crime, profiteering slumlords, greedy developers and their lackeys in city government haven’t set up any blogs, as far as I know. And they’re hard to spot on the street.
I don’t think Jeremy or anyone else on this site was directly responsible for pushing anybody out of the neighborhood. You’re just looking for a place to live, like anybody else. But do resist the temptation to revel in the misfortune of others; I’ve seen that happen here a few times and it’s unbecoming. If you *want* better, then *be* better–always, not just when ya feel like it.
Congratulations on your first year.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Nicely Put BornOnWyckoffAve,
As for this:
“It’s a perverse idea that low-income people are somehow more valuable than everyone else by virtue of their comparative lack of wealth.”
I wouldn’t say ‘more valuable’, but rather ‘equally valuable’. To claim that money is the only measure of worth is indeed classist, and I don’t think that’s really what you mean to imply by your statement.
Displacement is a very real bi-product of gentrification and to claim otherwise is not being honest with our shared realities. My apartment in Bushwick has a FIXED RENT INCREASE. This is a very straightforward fact that is easy to conceptualize and it is part of what causes displacement.
As more improvements are made to the area there will be increased demand for apartments. This increase in demand is what allows landlords and property managers to justify rent increases. The very real rent increases are what cause families to have to relocate, even if they are working as hard as they can.
It’s pretty simple logic, but the difficulty comes when you realize everyone is just doing what he thinks best for the community. Those who put in an effort to improve the community, those who own and renovate buildings, those who move in despite less than favorable reputations of the area are all acting with the intention of doing something positive.
I enjoy community improvement, I am glad that vacant houses are being fixed up, and I am happy to hear enthusiasm from people who recently moved to the area.
But to ignore a less favorable effect of something we are implicated in is what causes resentment and suffering. Even if after all this we can’t think of any better way to deal with the issue of displacement, we can at least attend to our less wealthy neighbors with gentleness and compassion and treat them as we would wish to be treated if we were in their situation.
March 27th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Congratulations on your first year.
Man… Keep them coming! I’m so tired of the ignorance of people in the neighborhood; lots of people here don’t have any consideration for the neighborhood and other people properties. I welcome you and whomever that brings quality of life improvements to Bushwick.
I can’t wait to see the vacant store fronts around the corner from me (Grove St) on Central Ave turned into trendy cafes and restaurants. I’m tired of seeing the same old BODEGAS, 99 CENTS STORES and CHINESE take outs taking up precious space.
March 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Myrtle: Sure, as individuals, the poor are morally and legally as valuable as anyone else, and how much money someone has has no bearing on this. But this is irrelevant because HOUSING value IS only measured in money. And someone’s moral or legal value is not expressed in their ability to keep their lease.
I disagree that there is or should be any right to live somewhere without having to pay for it like everyone else does. In fact, what makes it even more perverse is that this right is paid for BY the people who pay their own way. Not only do responsible people live where they can afford and pay their own way, they are also forced to pay to house others to live where they cannot afford simply because of some emotional or cultural attachment to a place. It’s a ridiculous regime based on childish principles.
March 27th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Listen, all this debate isn’t going to change one simple fact of life: you get priced out of your home after living there for years, you’re gonna be pissed off about it.
Your argument seems to assume that everyone who’s getting priced out is living off public assistance. What about working people who find their own neighborhood becoming unafforable to them? Do they have no right to be upset about it?
March 28th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I agree again with BOWA
and Jeremy, I think especially because the Housing market doesn’t give value to those who can’t afford to renew their lease is precisely why we should show concern for them. If the natural trends of economics won’t consider these people then maybe at least their neighbors could.
And poor people are not necessarily irresponsible like you claim. They may have not been afforded the same possibilities and skills that wealthier people have, and they may be working as hard as they can, maybe even 6 or 7 days a week. Some skills are more valued in our society than others, but that doesn’t mean someone doesn’t have to do them.
Think about who you bought your groceries from this week? Who made your coffee? Who made your lunch at that restaurant or deli? All these people have the kinds of responsible jobs that just don’t pay a lot, but are still necessary.
And to claim that people shouldn’t feel attachment to where they call home? That is not being childish, it’s being human.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha! Hear me, ye indigenous peoples and your liberal-guilt-ridden defenders! We spit on your puny “humanity!” We crush your so-called “neighborhood” under our (impeccably-shod) heels. We are the Invisible Hand of The Market, and we take what we want. Tremble before our might. Kneel before Zod!
Love,
Zod (who else?)
PS: Coming soon: yoga classes, more Thai and some amazing bistros and performance spaces!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
PS: Oh yeah, most of you little bitches get pushed out in Phase 2 of the plan. But till then, drink that PBR, zip up them tight jeans and enjoy your “edgy” new nabe, babes!
Love, Zod
PPS: I said kneel!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Myrtle Ave,
I like your compassion, and it’s very good and heartfelt to see it, but can I ask you -
how can we come together as one when our cultures and socioeconomic situations are so desparate?
People here CURSE gentrification and tell us to all go to hell.
My reaction is like, well, I hate reggaeton at 9AM on the L train just as much as I hate it at 3AM from some car…
Does that make me a racist or something? Is honking to get someone to come out to the car instead of ringing their bell something to aspire to? What’s up with all the whistling back and forth?
And on the other side, self-absorbed morons from Nebraska with the WORST fashion sense I’ve ever seen… mingled with the ugliest pretension based on nothing… coupled with eye-rolling, laptop weilding cafe scenes…
I hate to write it but, I don’t want to help my neighbors.
I want to live here on the DL and quietly work my way up into a better hood.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
We all don’t have to be best friends, but we can still be friendly and compassionate.
This week’s Onion actually has an extremely relevant article:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/report_nations_gentrified
The joke is that the young white professionals get pushed out of their neighborhoods by artistocrats. It may seem absurd and completely comical to read, but it puts young professionals in the role of the lower working class in the current Bushwick situation. If you view Gentrification through the lens of someone other than the Gentrifiers than it becomes a completely different issue. The article successfully shifts the point of view and asks us to examine what we are a part of.
Again I’ll reiterate that most people that live in this area are great people, hard working families that want the best for their neighborhood. The language barrier and different cultural styles make it difficult to feel like part of the same community, but we are neighbors, and I feel that keeping an open dialogue is the best thing we could do.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I’m a part of …
hm …
me and my girlfriend are, well,
a part of each other…
a part of America?
if that includes iraq, no.
or loads of stuff.
if being a part of bushwick means
I’m a part of hating progress
and wishing for junkies
and burning buildings,
fuck that too.
and fuck you for being a stick in the mud
if you are!
April 7th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Wow, way to not read anything I wrote and start randomly cursing and using irrelevant metaphors.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Irrelevant metaphors? That’s deathless verse, my friend… Soon to be scrawled in monkey dung on a torn canvas and displayed in an “amazing art space” near you!