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Tag: Gentrification

  • Uma Thurman’s Brother Can’t Afford Bed-Stuy, Gentrification Grows In Brooklyn

    Rising cost of rent in New York has long been a problem, so much so that even a movie star’s brother can’t get the property he desires in Brooklyn. Uma Thurman’s brother Mipam Thurman missed out on some prime real estate in the now-classy neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn because of its price tags.

    “Unfortunately, I was outbid and lost a lot of deals. By the time I figured it out, I had been priced out of what I wanted,” said Thurman. He settled on a property in East Flatbush for a $549,000 two-family home. This is much lower than the cost of his sister Uma’s River House home, which she bought from novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford in 2013 at a price of $10 million.

    Bedford-Stuyvesant is a predominantly African-American neighborhood and was the setting for Spike Lee’s acclaimed film Do the Right Thing in 1989. The neighborhood now features brownstones that speak volumes about its gentrification, reaching million-dollar prices in one of New York’s poorest neighborhoods. The drop in crime in Bed-Stuy and the search for more affordable housing have drawn the attention of successful urbanites looking to carve out their own versions of paradise. The progress of surrounding neighborhoods like Clinton Hill and Williamsburg have created pressure for Bed-Stuy to follow suit.

    Thurman spent two years eyeing Bedford-Stuyvesant, but apparently couldn’t figure out the bidding process and failed to find a home he could afford in the end. More buyers like him are flocking to East New York to find more affordable homes, according to Ban Leow, a Halstead Property broker. “The coffee shops, boutiques and clubs will follow,” he said, indicating the common trend of cultural influx that is happening all over Brooklyn due to gentrification and the steady arrival of moneyed residents.

    Image via YouTube

  • Gentrification: Spike Lee Explodes Into Expletive-Filled Rant

    Famed film director Spike Lee burst into an expletive-filled rant when an audience member posed a question regarding the gentrification of the New York boroughs at an African-American History Month lecture on Tuesday held at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute.

    Lee, who was raised in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, claims that it is no longer the same place he grew up in. Clad in a casual attire that included a “Defend Brooklyn” hoodie and a Knicks beanie, the “Do the Right Thing” director cut off the audience member after being asked about the “other side of gentrification”. He snapped “Let me kill you right now” and proceeded to discuss a New York Times article about the benefits of gentrification.

    Spike Lee “kills” a man in Brooklyn

    http://youtu.be/61kq0RJJhY0

    For seven minutes, Lee went on an impassioned rant about the drastic improvements that have taken place in many parts of New York ever since more white residents started moving in. His speech also expressed resentment toward the “Christopher Columbus Syndrome”, which he says is shown by the gradual eradication of the neighborhood’s customs and traditions, as well as the changing of some of the neighborhood’s names.

    The audience member – Brooklyn resident and director of the Brooklyn Innovation Center, D.K. Smith – tried a few times to interject Lee’s rant, but was unsuccessful. The outspoken director appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 to explain his tirade. Lee said that although he is not entirely opposed to new people inhabiting formerly poor areas, he believes that they ought to have “respect for the history and culture” when moving into the neighborhood.

    CNN was able to speak with Smith regarding Lee’s claims and he said that while he does not completely disagree with Lee, he feels “tired of moaning and groaning about being black”. Smith, an African-American, also said that gentrification gives black Americans a huge opportunity for economic improvement by virtue of the skyrocketing real estate prices.

    D.K. Smith responds to Spike Lee’s rant

    Image via YouTube