I couldn’t help but think of the Tenement Museum. The building itself represented a crowded and difficult mosaic past. But outside there were boutiques, cute little restaurants, and a Starbucks. When we made a short stop to Starbucks before our trip started I feel like I mainly saw  older Hispanics and younger Caucasians. The place was gentrifying. Is this a bad thing?

It looks like this will eventually happen to Willets Point. Willets is not the working class neighborhood we’re used to thinking about; it’s the legitimate working class neighborhood. I remember how a World History teacher from high school said (paraphrased) of Mexicans: “They’re the lowest on the totem pole now and are working the hardest. They’re like every other immigrant who had to come here and eventually they’ll move up.”

In terms of people of an ethnic group helping each other… well that’s common sense. I feel like I say the same thing every response, but who do most immigrants associate with when coming here? All I’m saying is, it ain’t no melting pot at first. What jobs will they get, as well? My dad has a masters in economics, but when he came here, one of his first jobs was as a sweeper outside of a KFC.

I remember when I read Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, the character Biju was an Indian immigrant who worked in an Indian shop. I vaguely remember the details but he faced unfair conditions from the boss, but the boss basically defended himself by saying Indians will help Indians out the most.

In my many random observations in this response, I have to say maybe in the long run it will be good for progress? I really don’t know. The ethnic enclave seems to work short term but is it good long term? There is a reason  previous ethnic groups eventually wanted to move up and did so maybe it is a good thing (as long as Bloomberg keeps to his word).