What a divisive topic gentrification can be. People being priced out of the places they have called home for years and years does not seem like an ideal scenario. We can definitely see that now in the New York we live in today as it is being rezoned and reinvented, and not in the common man’s best interest. Gentrification seems to be chugging at a breakneck pace, at least for the foreseeable future. Displacement hits families hard as their living situation is uprooted and their community ties left in tatters. The readings bring up the problems associated with displacement and people’s desire for there to be improvements without being pushed out. It seems nearly impossible to have one without sacrificing the other in this situation, however, there may be ways to lessen that blow.
Roxanne Shante, a rapper from Queensbridge, New York, in an interview she did for rollingout.com that I found quite interesting, introduced the term reintrificaiton, moving back into or buying pieces of land from the area you came from. Shante, sick and tired of hearing complaints about the widespread effects of gentrification, decided to move into a “hot zone” as she called it. Granted, you don’t have to be a rapper to take part in the process of reintrification, but it certainly does help. Generally, the idea is that people from their neighborhoods who go and get good jobs, whether it be rapping or consulting or anything at all that provides you with a decent amount of income, should reinvest their money and buy property within the neighborhood to keep it within the “community” and move back into those neighborhoods. Don’t sell your childhood home, rent it out to someone you know or keep it within the family. Combatting gentrification with feet on the ground and staying put seems like a viable option. Hate to bang on the superstar rapper drum again but musicians like Rick Ross and Killer Mike have significantly re-entered the areas they were from and brought with them economic opportunities with the former opening several Wingstop locations near where he grew up in Florida and the latter opening many barbershops in the Atlanta area he grew up in. That is simply a taste of what they have done for the communities they came from.
Displacement from gentrification can be mitigated if the community can find a way to stay somewhat intact. Coming back to your roots seems like a simple way of preventing gentrification, but it might be an oversimplification. Of course, not many people have Rick Ross money to blow on property and investments. At least not to his extent. However, the framework of reintrification does not require you to own fast food joints or start businesses in your area. Buying the house you grew up in or even a small house or plot of land in your neighborhood can help, and you don’t need to rap about Aston Martins to do it.
I could have spent this whole article bashing gentrifiers and lamenting the future of our city. The general feeling about gentrification is that it is inevitable and there is not much that regular people like us can do. But I disagree on the matter. Once we become working members of society with an income flow, it is part of our responsibility to reinvest into the area we came from, especially if it is struggling, or it is being lost to gentrification, if we care for the area and want to see at least a part of it intact. Some things will change, but that doesn’t mean everything must go. I can even foresee it with myself and where I am from. I was born and raised on the North Shore of Staten Island near the ferry. It isn’t a bad place but it’s not exactly a paradise either. Even now, it’s still kind of a sight for sore eyes, but I do sense the tendrils of gentrification inching towards the area. The mall at the ferry has just opened as well as luxury apartments being built nearby. On top of that, there is a ferris wheel that will be built some time in the future, all in the same area. I realize that in ten years, where I grew up is going to be completely different, with completely different people as well. I’ll be damned if I or my brother sell our house to some trust fund hipsters from Muttontown. I say that now but I hope I don’t end up eating my words. However, I do think I will eventually be left with a choice in the future on our community as it begins to gentrify, and I hope I bite the bullet and keep our house despite the pressures that might entice me to sell, allowing me to re-enter and keep part of my community.
- How feasible does reintrification seem for residents of New York?
- Does reintrification seem like it is too simple of a solution for gentrification?
- If reintrification is not a viable option, what are other ways people can combat gentrification?
