Read the Waldinger and Guest excerpts about how ethnic enclaves work. Then read the two short New York Times articles about Willets Point, in Queens. Then respond freely, or, if you prefer, address the following question.
Ethnic enclaves are places in the city (and its economy) where people of a given ethnic background can “get a leg up” economically without assimilating – they can be hired by co-ethnics and find a job – waiter, cook, auto mechanic, carpenter – where a high school education and “American” cultural skills such as fluency in English may not be necessary. At the same time, these can be places of exploitation, as vulnerable new arrivals toil in substandard conditions while their bosses exploit their lack of options.
Willets Point, also known as the “iron triangle,” a dirty, industrial patch of Queens behind Citi field, has been depicted as a “lifeline” for low-skilled immigrants. But, calling the neighborhood “blighted,” Mayor Bloomberg slated the area for a high-end development project featuring luxury apartment buildings and a shopping mall. Does the city government have a responsibility to protect unglamorous, dirty, sometimes dangerous occupations (car service driver, street vendor, auto mechanic) that provide immigrants with low-wage, entry level work? Or is the government’s primary responsibility to raise the overall profitability of urban space, even if that means evicting low-wage workers or putting them out of a job? (This is obviously a tough question without a clear-cut answer, so just offer some thoughts after doing the reading.)
