00:00:00 Henry
Hello, my name is Henry Mei. I am one of the six students working on the Voices of Jackson Heights project for Macaulay Seminar 2: The People of New York. Today I’m joined by the Paradis household who I will be interviewing, mainly Cecilia and Roberto. Would you two like to introduce yourselves first?
00:00:14 Cecilia
Okay, I’m Cecilia Santos. I live in Jackson Heights, Jackson Heights, around 25 years. In this location, 22 years.
00:00:25 Roberto
My name’s Roberto, I’ve been in Jackson Heights like for 21 years. But I used to, before I started living over here, I used to come to the library a lot to study.
00:00:39 Henry
And Sophia is also here. The both of us already did an interview together, which will also be uploaded onto the project website. But, uh, Sophia, would you like to introduce yourself again?
00:00:49 Sophia
Hi everyone, my name is Sophia and I’ve lived in Jackson Heights for 18 plus years.
00:00:54 Henry
Yeah, so today we’ll be focusing on the viewpoints of Cecilia and Roberto. So the first question I want to ask the both of you is: what is your relationship to Jackson Heights, and how did you come to call it home?
00:01:09 Cecilia
We feel, I feel Jackson Heights home. First, because I come from Colombia and it was one of the first place that I knowing, United States when we came for the first time. And I feel like I am in my town. I have bakery, shopping, meat shop, everything like my country. I feel my neighbors, a lot of Spanish people, I don’t feel out of the packet. I can communicate very good with all the community.
00:01:45 Roberto
Yeah for me in Jackson Heights in terms of diversity, I really love the diversity over here. Like, you can find people from all over the world and that you can be in touch with different people doing different things and Jackson Heights it’s a life. So I like Jackson Heights for its diversity.
00:02:14 Henry
Since the both of you have been here for at least a couple of decades, right, how would you say the neighborhood was like when you first arrived, or as early as you can remember?
00:02:27 Cecilia
From the beginning, like 20 years ago, a little bit more than 20 years, it was more clean, more quiet. But it still is beautiful. Jackson Heights, there’s a lot of trees, beautiful architecture; the environment is very friendly. But right now it’s too cloudy, too dirty, too insecure.
00:02:53 Roberto
Well for me, I think you know, it has become more diverse. Before there were a lot Caucasians in most of the buildings. But you can see now that it’s more diverse. You have like more people from different, now parts of the world you could say. Not only of US. I think it’s been very good because you see there are people who are in the new leadership in politics, they’ve been trying to get people to get, and they’re doing things that making the community more friendly. People are doing things to get like in the park, when you go to the park, you see that there are people all over. Not only all countries, but age too. So it feels like a good vibe to live in Jackson Heights. And the trees are beautiful, the flowers, I mean it’s just amazing. Walking around Jackson Heights, you feel very comfortable.
00:04:27 Henry
Both of you mentioned that there are a lot different types of people here in Jackson Heights. Could you describe a bit more about some of these groups of people? Like where specifically in the world are these people descended from?
00:04:44 Cecilia
Well, most of the Jackson Heights community is immigrant. We are all immigrant. For this area, specifically around here is a lot of Colombian. They have Peruvian community. Right now you can see a lot of Asian people, and around the world. We have all over the place. We have a lot of white people and a few people for African American. And its diversity all over. Wherever you go, you find all kinds of people.
00:05:19 Roberto
Adding to that, you have people from Pakistan, from Tibet, Tibetan. You have people from,
00:05:30 Henry
Sorry, could you repeat what you just said?
00:05:32 Roberto
From Tibet.
00:05:33 Henry
Oh, Tibet.
00:05:34 Roberto
Tibet, Tibet. You have people from India. I mean it’s very diverse. It’s like you, when you walking around you hear like 10 different languages in Jackson Heights.
00:05:51 Cecilia
This is one of the attractive for Jackson Heights. It’s one of the things that makes special Jackson Heights. You can find cultures all over the world, language all over the world, food all over the world, yeah? Colors all over the world, yeah? Culture all over the world.
00:06:10 Henry
What are your favorite places to eat in Jackson Heights since you bring up the food?
00:06:14 Cecilia
Thai restaurant! Oh also, I love Colombian food. But after Colombian food, I love Thai restaurant.
00:06:21 Roberto
For me, I think it’s the diversity, because I really like to try all types of food, but I really love Thai food. Thai food I really like, vegetables, is one of the favorites in the family.
00:06:42 Cecilia
Also, in this neighborhood, we miss Korean restaurant. We don’t have too many Korean restaurants around, but the most close food with veggies and balanced food is Thai food.
00:06:56 Henry
Do you wanna shout out a certain business or place that serves Thai food here in Jackson Heights? Yeah, you can go ahead.
00:07:06 Sophia
Okay, so I’ll intervene on their behalf.
00:07:07 Roberto
Sophia is gonna help with the name.
00:07:09 Sophia
I’ll intervene on their behalf. So essentially there’s this Thai restaurant that opened not too long ago before the midst of the pandemic that serves specifically Tibetan food. I don’t recall the name. However they are located next to the Postal Office near the 75th.
00:07:28 Henry
Sorry, so Thai or Tibetan?
00:07:30 Sophia
Tibetan, well, it’s a mixture of both technically.
00:07:32 Henry
Oh, it’s both.
00:07:33 Roberto
But there is one Thai in the corner of 83 St.
00:07:36 Sophia
Sompong.
00:07:38 Roberto
Yeah Sompong, yeah that one.
00:07:41 Sophia
Shout out to Sompong for their delicious food every time and good customer service.
00:07:45 Roberto
Excellent, excellent customer service.
00:07:47 Cecilia
Yeah, this Thai restaurant. We try most of the restaurants in in Jackson Heights. But this one is like a double A.
00:07:56 Roberto
It’s like a family. You feel like you are in family with them, and the food is super delicious.
00:08:04 Cecilia
Also when the pandemic started, most of the restaurant increase the prices. Very high prices for delivery. Not all of them was open. Thai was the only one restaurant that was open and don’t increase their prices. That means is more consider about this situation. And the service and the quality of the food is very fresh and very good.
00:08:28 Sophia
So out, so basically if we were to give it a rating in this family, it would be a 10 out of 10.
00:08:32 Henry
Where is it located?
00:08:34 Cecilia
83rd between 37th and Roosevelt Avenue.
00:08:38 Henry
And what is it called again?
00:08:40 Sophia
Sompong.
00:08:41 Cecilia
Sompong, Thai restaurant.
00:08:43 Sophia
The other one that I just mentioned is also a family favorite. However, the name is still unknown.
00:08:50 Henry
You know, since you bring up the pandemic, this neighborhood and also I would say Elmhurst, Corona, East Elmhurst were very much affected by the pandemic in a way that is unmatched by most other places in this city. How would you two say that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Jackson Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods?
00:09:15 Cecilia
For the first one,
00:09:17 Roberto
Yeah, I mean the pandemic, I think Jackson Heights has felt that a lot because a lot of people in Jackson Heights it appears that they have lost their employment and some people have become homeless. So, you can see that there is a sense of desperation in a lot of people and the neighborhood. It’s a little bit unsafe. It feels you know saddened, a lot of people you know, some people are becoming homeless. So you can see that they have been, the neighborhood has been, impacted very badly by the pandemic.
00:10:12 Cecilia
When the pandemic started, the people was scared to go out, to do shopping and to do stuff.
00:10:20 Cecilia
But not only that, they, we scare each other because some people don’t take a conscious about the importance to use the mask or get the distance together. Yeah, some people doesn’t care. The young people doesn’t care to use mask. Yeah? That means it was scary for everybody, scary for everybody. That means too many people sick, too many people have to be apart. We cannot talk with nobody. We isolated. A lot of people isolated. A lot of people is senior in Jackson Heights. They are really isolated and too many people need help. But Jackson Heights have a lot of people to have a beautiful heart. They, they find it a lot of food help. They have distribution food in Jackson Heights every week. They have lines on lines of cars to give you food, to the people who don’t have it. They have beautification group to take care of our beauty, environment. They have people to fighting the government for the benefits in Jackson Heights. To work for the park, for cleaning, for maintain the area. That means is people to work together to make the difference.
00:11:36 Roberto
Yeah, I mean it’s good because we also are working with some members of the community and they organizing. So people who have food insecurity, the trucks come, and we help with the distribution. In the meditation center we also have a campaign to help people throw away the stress. So we try to, you know, to do things. To make a little bit of difference in the community in order to alleviate a little bit the pain that we see outside.
00:12:25 Cecilia
For the stress, to take it away this stress, we do community service. We do meditation outside for the mothers and people who really are stressful, closing in their homes and it was helpful. We have group of like 20, 25 person to receive the shopping there. The groceries, and after they receive the groceries, we practice on meditation to help them to take it away all the stress and it was helpful for the community. People are very happy and helpful for blessing, to have this blessing in their community.
00:13:11 Henry
What is it like working with the meditation center?
00:13:15 Cecilia
Well to share with the community, like to help the people to take it away, this stress. They, all of these anxious that make you, the situation in their personal life. And if you practice meditation, you can take it away, because we have the method to teach the people how they threw away all of this tension.
00:13:39 Roberto
But it’s good because you know, sometimes, we as a human, when we go through difficult time, we tend to amplify things in in our mind. So the meditation helps you to throw away things that, that you taking into consideration that probably should not be affected. So it takes away things that are fantasy in our mind so we can just focus on the situation and not be deceived by our own mind. So it’s very good when you see that with some people have a lot of stress, and then when they start with the meditation they really feel the relief in their mind, and then they find a way to focus on what they need to do in order to improve their situation. Instead of letting their own mind, you know, get over the things and make things worse.
00:14:49 Henry
Do you two wanna shout out the location of the meditation center so that the people listening can know where to, where to find the group that you two do work for?
00:14:58 Roberto
Yeah, it’s Jackson Heights Meditation. It’s on,
00:15:03 Cecilia
8605 Northern Blvd.
00:15:04 Roberto
8605 Northern Blvd, and it’s been there like for 8 years, helping the community and people go there and meditate regularly. So anyone who has a stress and it’s very helpful to really meditate. It’s the best cure for the things that doesn’t exist in our mind, and to put them away.
00:15:34 Henry
What would you say is the biggest concern that the both of you have about the neighborhood?
00:15:41 Cecilia
Right now they’re insecure. We need more secure, security in the area. For example, 20 years ago when I start walking outside, you can walk free anytime. Right now it’s a little dangerous to go outside. Especially 37 Avenue, 82 Street is very too cloudy, too many homeless. People to watching you, follow you; too many vendors on the street. The restaurants have tables all over. No way to walking, yeah? That means is insecure, is one of the big issues right now in Jackson Heights. Also, the people don’t care too much about cleaning and it looks dirty, messy. People too much music, too much vendor outside.
00:16:40 Roberto
Yeah well, I think, I guess, you know it’s just a reflection of what people are going through right now. So it will be helpful like in the government, to get help for those people who are in need. Like you know, they lost their jobs and that’s why you have people who are on the street. I mean there are couple of politicians that they’re trying to help, you know like rent assistance for the, for those people and I think that will help a lot. The community, in terms of you know, getting the community back on track. I think those people you know, unfortunately, you know they lost their job. So hopefully the government could continue to help them to so they can install, you know, living with dignity.
00:17:46 Sophia
So essentially just to add onto the conversation real quick. Defenitely there has been a rise in tensions recently, and the individuals who are losing their jobs are food industry individuals who work in delivery, who are there to service others during this time, specifically in restaurants and little cafes in the area. Uhm, unfortunately there has been an increase in the homeless, specifically near the Burger King on 82nd. There’s been a group of them, sort of sheltering in that one area given its closing, and there has been a rise in police enforcement in that area as well. In the early mornings and late evening period.
00:18:26 Henry
Could you expand more on what you mean by police enforcement?
00:18:29 Sophia
In terms of police enforcement, they have been checking on homeless individuals who are gathered in large groups on the street. This is most likely because of the Covid pandemic, and because of social distancing guidelines, in which less than 10 people should be gathered at one time with masks on. So this is one reason as to why the frequency in which a lot of homelessness has been seen.
00:18:54 Cecilia
Also, Citi Bank in 82 Street, is very dangerous to go to the bank because inside is three or four homeless sleeping there; follow you when you go inside. And no secure, nobody to cover us, to take care of us.
00:19:10 Henry
How would you like to see the issue of homelessness addressed going forward?
00:19:17 Roberto
I mean we are a community, so when the community is in trouble, we should probably, the government should try to help out. But not only the government, but also the people in the community should try to see how we can help to make sure that those people you know, they recover the dignity so they can start living in a house. That should be, you know, like the minimum that someone should have. Like a shelter, food to eat and you know so that type of things, we should probably be working on that as well as possible.
00:20:03 Cecilia
When the pandemic start, usually we don’t have too many homeless. But in the middle of the pandemic they start go out, go out more and more and more. Next to the post office in 77 St and 37 Avenue, it was full of homeless. Little by little they moved to 82nd side. That means a lot of concentration of homeless in 82nd side. In the beginning we can give it to them some food, but after that it’s a big group and they do not want food. They want money or they want the money for the beer, most of them and drugs and pass out for the drinking and very unrespectful. Bad words, things like that. That means it is scary to pass around them, especially at this time.
00:21:03 Henry
Yeah, that’s very unfortunate to hear and I hope that everyone in this neighborhood who needs the help can get it in the near future. Changing topics a bit, what would you say are some of your favorite places in Jackson Heights? This could be a park, restaurants, some type of like community center, whatever it may be.
00:21:26 Roberto
Yeah, one of the favorite, my favorite thing would be the park.
00:21:32 Sophia
Travers Park.
00:21:33 Roberto
Travers Park, you know it’s very alive. So you see the kids, the adults, and everyone. In the morning, so sometimes like two or three times a week, we have a dancing group that we get together and we exercise and do things together. You see children, are you know, alive and they go on and play there in the park. You see adults that they’re playing games and stuff, so I like Travers Park a lot. That’s one of my favorites in Jackson Heights.
00:22:06 Cecilia
I think to walking in 34 Avenue, this avenue is a blessing for us. Especially in the pandemic time that you have no place to go. We can see people laughing around but separate, but together, yeah?
00:22:21 Cecilia
And also it’s very good to walking around 35th, 34 Avenue and enjoy the architecture and enjoy the trees. It’s beautiful, beautiful flowers around, beautiful houses, friendly people. That means it’s, you feel welcome when you see people to work together in the park when they have groups. Separate, but we are separate, but we know we enjoy the park together. We take care of each other.
00:22:51 Henry
Yeah. Would you like to add anything?
00:22:55 Sophia
I guess I can add one small thing. Though this is not technically a official place in Jackson Heights, I’m referring to the bike route that’s connected from Jackson Heights down to Junction Blvd, down to past the 100’s near the highway. This bike lane is incredibly, it’s incredible to go on it. ‘Cause basically if you go towards the end and sort of turn into like the highway there’s like a little line, where you can go to visit; it’s basically a shortcut to Queens Meadow. Which is the huge open park in the area and in the borough of Queens.
00:23:33 Henry
I think you mean Flushing Meadows Corona Park, right?
00:23:35 Sophia
Yes, that one.
00:23:37 Cecilia
Yeah, also restaurants in Jackson Heights have very nice variation of restaurant, different kind of international food. Very nice bar, sports bar. They have a very nice bakery, breakfast in Northern Blvd. Parva restaurant is a new healthy, organic and vegan products; is really nice. Parva bakery in Northern Blvd.
00:24:11 Henry
Since you bring up 34 Avenue, I think you’re referencing the open street, right?
00:24:17 Cecilia
Yeah.
00:24:19 Henry
The city recently, well, maybe not recently, but in the past months announced that the open street on 34 Avenue will be permanent. So, how would you two like to see that length of 34 Avenue be improved going forward?
00:24:35 Cecilia
We can work together with the beautification group and we can work, like community, to make the trees and flowers and planting nice trees in the middle of the street because they have a lot of area that need care. That means we work with the government if we get the resources to planting, would be beautiful.
00:24:58 Roberto
Yeah, 34 Street, you know it was a great idea that they opened that. So you gotta give credit to the leadership in Jackson Heights. Because people are really using that street, and they’re running and they’re walking. And you see everyone is really distressing, so it was a great help for the community to keep 34 Street open.
00:25:28 Henry
Sorry, you said everybody was in distress?
00:25:32 Roberto
You know, people when the epidemic first hit, people were feeling enclosed in their home and they couldn’t come out. So when they open the 34 Street it was good because people could keep their distance and still go out and walk and run. This way they don’t feel locked.
00:25:59 Henry
And Sophia, you mentioned that one of your favorite areas or spots in Jackson Heights is the bike lanes on 34 Avenue. So, since you and I we both like biking to Flushing Meadows Corona Park along 34 Avenue when the weather is nice and when we can, how would you like to see the facilities for bikes on 34 Avenue be improved with this redesign going forward for the thoroughfare?
00:26:30 Sophia
In terms of bike lanes, definitely here in Jackson Heights there’s a bit of an issue when it comes to bike lanes. ‘Cause there’s only certain areas in certain streets that have them. On 34 Street, luckily we do have sort of a bike lane going forward.
00:26:45 Sophia
In terms of what I would like to see for the future in terms of the redesign, definitely I would like to see a station where bikes could be parked because that is a very big issue with bikes. Especially if you’re trying to settle down in one area just to enjoy them, as my parents mentioned before, the view, or at least have a picnic or something. To just have a stable place where the bikes can be located along different corners or even different stations along the road. Second, I think there is some need of regulation when it comes to driver safety, because part of the reason why in some areas of Junction Blvd, specifically most bikers only bike during certain hours because those are the hours less filled with cars; and also just in general to have more respect for those lanes.
00:27:32 Cecilia
Mm-hmm.
00:27:32 Sophia
That’s my take on it.
00:27:35 Cecilia
One point could be educate the people to maintain. Maintain the new park, take care of the park, be part of the community. Not only come and enjoy, only take care each other. Yeah, for example, we need to educate the people how to clean it out because some people come eat and left the garbage there. Now we have to clean each other. We have to help each other, teach each other. Yeah?
00:28:03 Sophia
And that, by the way, is very evident because down close; wait Henry, do you remember where the movie theater is? The bowling, the bowling alley?
00:28:14 Henry
Bowlero?
00:28:15 Sophia
Yeah, Bowlero. In that section there was actually an increase of garbage and shattered glass in that area. So definitely there has to be an awareness of keeping clean, and also keeping friendly as well because there are individuals that are younger who are travelling down that pathway.
00:28:32 Henry
Yeah, very good points. I think 34 Avenue going forward can be a great opportunity for more community building here in Jackson Heights. And another topic that I wanted to touch on would be neighborhood segregation. I’m not sure if you, Cecilia or Roberto, are aware of this neighborhood’s history, but are you? About racial segregation here in the area?
00:28:57 Roberto
No. Well, I mean yeah, I mean it you can see that. When we first applied for, to buy this apartment, we really encountered a lot of bias. You could say that for the most part they approved me on this building because I was a CPA and they expected me to, you know, to do their work. But right now, that was like 20 years ago, right now there is different and now young people moved and it’s a little bit more inclusive. But yeah, you can feel that, some people still feel that only certain type of people can live in certain buildings.
00:29:54 Cecilia
Also, the rent is very high. That mean they may more, classify the people who can live in Jackson Heights. You can rent one room before, $300, $500. Now is $800 for one room. That means if everything is very highly priced, the rent is very high. If you want to buy apartment or Co-op or condo, the prices are very high. And the requisites that the corporation have is very tough.
00:30:26 Henry
Sorry, could you repeat the last sentence?
00:30:28 Cecilia
The requirements are very high. That means if a regular middle class, they cannot apply because they can fail easy.
00:30:39 Henry
Jackson Heights definitely has a troubling issue with restrictive ordinances, when it comes to who can and who can’t live here. If you didn’t know already, white Anglo-Saxon Protestants were the only people, to my knowledge, allowed to live here for the first couple of decades of this neighborhood’s development. It’s lowly integrated since then; Jewish people were allowed and then there were waves of immigration from Latin America and South Asia. But one group of people in particular has not exactly been able to be a part of this community to the same extent that the rest of us has, and that would be Black people. From throughout the African diaspora, not just Black Americans. I think this is evident in where different people cluster in the area ’cause Black people are usually living past Junction Blvd, more closer to Corona and East Elmhurst, whereas other groups are living closer to the other side of Junction Blvd and the white Americans and Europeans tend to cluster around the historic district in Jackson Heights. So with all that said, how does all this history, how does all this information make you feel?
00:32:06 Roberto
Unfortunately, you know, when I was a real estate agent I experience, you know. A lot of pushback from people because I got like a couple people that were really qualified. But the rules of the Co-op. You know, you get the interview and not everyone get approved. So yeah, I witnessed a couple great and good applications being rejected which I felt very uncomfortable. By the way, I decided not to sell more, I decided to give up that part time job because I really did not like it.
00:32:56 Cecilia
Discrimination.
00:32:58 Roberto
The injustice, mm-hmm.
00:33:00 Cecilia
Yeah, you can see many buildings and there’s no African American family around. You cannot see employees also. You go restaurants, you go supermarket, grocery store. You don’t see African American. You can, you don’t see them. You only see them when they pass to another area like eh, Corona. East Corona, something like that you can see. Around Jackson Heights, no. More so white people and the Spanish people.
00:33:34 Sophia
With a large population of Asian Americans of, and by Asian representing the whole. The whole of Asia.
00:33:40 Cecilia
Indian. African American, no. This is evidence of discrimination.
00:33:52 Henry
So, I think the last thing I would like to ask the both of you is, how would you like to see Jackson Heights in 15 years? What changes would you like to see made?
00:34:06 Roberto
I mean, it would be, maybe more inclusive. People, you know, qualify to purchase, that they could buy it. Not only the diverse in Spanish and Caucasian, but you know Afro-Americans and everyone who want to move to the area will be able to move to the area. And also would like to see the sense of community not only that we are different people from different country coming to Jackson Heights, but also that they integrate with each other so they can live like a community, like a real community. Not only a community in appearance but also that people can interact with each other.
00:35:10 Henry
You know what, I take that back. That wasn’t the last question I wanted to ask. Since you bring up that you used to be in real estate, could you if you’re comfortable, could you tell me about some of the experiences you had as a real estate agent? Maybe describe some of the bias or discrimination that you’ve seen while working in that field?
00:35:31 Roberto
Well, I don’t have a lot of experience on real estate because it was a part time job and I wasn’t putting too much time into it. I had only a couple transactions so I don’t know if you can generalize that, that would be the case. But you can see in the neighborhood that that there is discrimination. Because you cannot see that a lot of Afro-Americans, in for example, in this building not even one we have. So, but I don’t know if we. I know that there were two Spanish people who were rejected who I thought that they qualified, but I’m not sure if we have applications from Afro-Americans in this building.
00:36:21 Henry
Yeah, even as, even considering that you were in it part time or maybe on a more temporary basis, and you already noticed that much? Just, with that little exposure? I think that says a lot.
00:36:34 Roberto
Yeah, definitely it does. I mean, like I said, you cannot, you don’t see a lot of Afro-American owners around the area. So, you can feel that there is a sense of, excluding them.
00:37:00 Henry
And Cecilia, how would you like to see Jackson Heights 15 years from now?
00:37:06 Cecilia
I wanna be, I wanna see Jackson Heights in 15 years like a real community. We are, Jackson Heights is considered one of the most cosmopolitan place in the world. Because of the culture, the languages, the food, the architecture, the design, the everything. But we don’t work like a community. I wanna see Jackson Heights work together. Be together, take care each other, take care Jackson Heights. Because we can sell the image of Jackson Heights to the world, like we take care each other. Whatever you can do for your community, your community can do for you. Is like the meaning of the America, whatever you do for your country, your country wanna do for you. And whatever you can do for Jackson Heights, Jackson Heights wanna do for you. That means works together. Be united.
00:38:07 Henry
Thank you so much to the both of you, and for your time.
00:38:10 Cecilia
Thank you for invite us.
00:38:12 Roberto
Thank you for inviting us.
