Although I had never been to Greenpoint-Williamsburg prior to our brief tour around the area, I feel that what I did encounter during our walk emphasized many of the key ideas that Susser explains in this new introduction. After the New York City Fiscal Crises of 1975, Bloomberg tried to bring money into the area by rezoning and creating new housing and condos in the area. The income of the upper class has increased while that of the working class has gone down. The poor and working class in the area are unable to afford the new luxury condos and landlords are remodeling and raising rents in hopes of removing the old, poor residents and replacing them with newcomers to the area.
During our walk, the gentrification of the neighborhood was quite evident. Over the years many upcoming artists and new professionals have been flocking into the area. Although the neighborhood has gained much money for renovations, most of it is being spent on modernizing the neighborhood to attract new, wealthier residents while little is being done to aid the working class that make up many of the community organizations still in effect today that have fought to bring this money into their neighborhood. Less welfare and public assistance is being offered to the poor, even for women with children. This plus the lower wages these workers are receiving make it harder for them to be able to afford living in this neighborhood.
The poverty rate in Greenpoint has remained about the same over the years, however the poverty rate in Williamsburg has increased by more than 10%. It is clear that despite these neighborhoods belonging to the same district, they display distinct differences in the average income of their residents as well as their ethnic diversity. For example, Greenpoint has gained a large Polish community that clearly works to support each other by providing services for new Polish immigrants in the neighborhood. Despite such cultural developments, the African American population of Greenpoint-Williamsburg has remained fairly low.
It is clear that this neighborhood has gone through many major changes toward modernizing and bringing more wealth into the community. The new, wealthy residents are enjoying the luxuries now provided in the neighborhood, but the many lower class residents of the neighborhood are suffering from it. Many that have spent their lives forming strong community ties and organizing to bring attention to the problems of the neighborhood have succeeded, but not for themselves. The richer areas of the Greenpoint-Williamsburg has been able to flourish while the remaining working class is being left to slowly disappear.
