Although enclaves may result in lower wages amongst immigrants whether it be caused by competition or a poor customer pool, Alejandro Porte’s enclave ethnic theory does pose instances of social and psychological advantages. Individuals who move to America and settle into communities of a similar nature to their home can prosper, to an extent, without immediate assimilation. Family and ethnic connections allow immigrants to feel as if they fit in and can thrive in their new home. And so in the case of dismantling the working community of Willets Point, it is both destructive to ethnic morale and greedy of the upper-class and businessmen. Those proposing to advance Willets Point by demolishing and reconstructing the region should instead concentrate their efforts on aiding the current residents. By providing basic necessities, such as a sewage system, self-employed immigrants of Willets Point can further progress their business and lifestyle and consequently advance Willets Point as a whole.
-Roseann Weick
