A BAM security guard, co-worker of V.A., has been working in the Peter Sharp Jay building for 10 years. Around late 40- early 50’s years of age, lives in Crown Heights.

• Has there been a change that is noticeable in Downtown Brooklyn over the past years?
  • Brooklyn will be the new Manhattan.

• What makes you say that?
  • These new residential areas that they are building are mostly targeted to the higher class population. I think its because a lot of people are moving out of Manhattan, who already pay that much money [~$2,000] monthly for rent and so yeah, its for the people who are leaving Manhattan since they are trying to make Manhattan into a commercial area and there’s no room for the residential area since they are buying everything up. They are kicking the people who live there out because businesses are moving in. There is going to be a time where no one will be living in Manhattan.

• How has the neighborhood changed?
  • You know Fulton St? So back then it was just a long street with small businesses owned by families and slowly they’ve been bought out and kicked out for all of these big stores- like Uniqlo and Aeropostale. Like, they wanted to shut down Macy’s and open up more new stores, or some business office building. So they’ll have to probably buy the building and change and fix it on the inside but leave the outside of the building looking the same like they always do since it’s a historic building.

• (In continuation of talking about the new residential buildings and living in Downtown Brooklyn in general..)
  • But it’s really expensive. $2,000 for a studio, no one can really live here. Although supposedly they have different rents for people of different incomes; low income, middle income, it’s impractical. $2,000 of rent money every month. With that type of money you could probably be paying a mortgage for a house somewhere in Philly or New Jersey. You  know, depending on where you are. You could get a 4 to 5 bedroom house with that kind of money that you are spending every month on rent. And it’s better that way because it’s yours [the hypothetical house]. If you are renting out a studio in one of these new fancy buildings you can’t do that [change or do some home improvement/renovations] cause first of all, the apartment isn’t yours, then you have to make or sign a contract about the changes that you have to do, and if you move out then all of your work will have gone all to waste…
  • I have applied to some of the residential buildings [the lottery] around the area and I always get turned down because “I earn too much” which is absurd because I don’t earn that much money! I don’t earn that much. I always go to these interviews and the final stages of the whole lottery process and application and at the end I always get turned down, nothing… But the rent is just too high. No one can afford these prices and so a lot of these residential areas are always empty. They have built these new buildings and they have to keep changing their contracts and price levels because it’s too expensive.

• Have you seen any changes in the people either around the neighborhood, in the area of this building, the audience who are coming here to the BAM? Have these changes been good, bad, or so-so?
  • I think it’s good. There are jobs and more residential areas to provide for the people with living places cause since they’re moving out of Manhattan but they are moving out the original residents. The bringing and attraction of more new people. But the rent is just too high.
  • But there are definitely a lot of more people. Oh yeah, there are a lot of more tourists but mostly I just see mostly white young couples/ people/ families. There are a lot of dogs too. We have people coming from all around the world [to the BAM]. We have people coming from England, Australia, Canada… because they hear about Downtown Brooklyn and see all of these things and they come here… But with the changes, it’s hard to find parking.

• Would you say that there is a diversity in the new people coming in?
  • There is diversity, mostly white people, but there is a variety of people who are now moving here. There are different races and cultures but it’s mostly all young people, I would have to say that they are in their 20’s and early 30’s but that’s where it ends. You won’t find anyone older than mid 30’s. There aren’t a lot of middle aged or old people here. And that’s what I’ve been telling the people here [at the BAM]. They have to change the things here to accommodate this change in the new population of the incoming of younger people with the shows and performances that they give here.

• So you have said that there have been changes in the neighborhood and in the BAM, and considering that your experience of the neighborhood is dominated with your time in the BAM, how have these changes been reflected in the BAM?
  • It’s safer. Back then, St. Felix, this area, used to be crazy. From what my co-workers have said, in the past there have been break ins, robberies… You would go out [from work] and it would be dark and there were no lights. There would be crack heads but now there are none. There are more police officers around and it’s gotten better.
  • One day, around 2 AM in the evening, some guy broke into my car. I always take my keys and make sure to turn on the car alarm so when I heard the sound of a car alarm, I immediately went out to look to see if there was something going on and I see a guy inside my car doing something in the bottom of the driver’s seat. I called out and he just ran away. But back then people would just walk the streets and check the car doors to see if it was opened or if there were anything inside of the car, like valuables or bags, and see if there was no one there so that they could break through the glass.