NBAC Sponsors Dialogue for New Residents

by Dave Baldwin

For many, the prospect of moving to Brooklyn means affordable rents, loft space and a thriving artist community. Being attacked, solicited for prostitution, and racially harassed isn’t supposed to be part of the deal. But as more young white residents settle in predominantly ethnic parts of Brooklyn, few anticipate the difficulties associated with their new minority status or role in the gentrification game.

Understanding that role is what brought 25 residents of the Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick communities together Tuesday evening (July 31) at the Theatro Galleria Manny Maldonado for the first “Dialogue for New Residents of North Brooklyn” forum.

“I feel like there is a tragically hip Williamsburg neighborhood that I can’t relate to,” said Vivien, who refused to disclose her last name. “And a Latino community where I’m an interloper. Where I impose myself, and I am not an organic part of the community.”

Sponsored by the North Brooklyn Autonomy Collective (NBAC), a group of progressive, urban, mostly white twenty-somethings searching for a sense of community and eager to bridge the divide between their minority neighbors, the two hour “Dialogue” was a first step to confront the issues of race, urban redevelopment, and displacement.

“We recognize that a forum like this is a basic stepping stone,” said Tennessee, a member of NBAC and co-moderator of the evening’s discussion who also disclosed only her first name.

“We don’t have a whole lot of answers,” added Guy Austrian. “Just a lot of questions.”

Motivated by a desire to increase their understanding and confront the guilt associated with being as much a part of the problem as the solution, the roundtable discussion was comprised of NBAC members, interested residents, and a handful of professional community activists.

“I’m grappling with knowing that I’m a gentrifier,” said Vivien.

Kurt Hill of People’s Firehouse, Inc., a local housing and community development organization, expressed an interest in meeting others who were willing to work against displacement. One of the more experienced activists in attendance, he suggested the group become more involved by writing letters to the editor, attending community board meetings, and forming tenant associations.

The meeting format was divided into three sections as participants candidly discussed both good and bad experiences in the neighborhood, the political nature of economic development, and ways to combat displacement.

“I was on the front line a year ago in Crown Heights,” said Chris Thomas, explaining his decision to move to North Williamsburg. “It was horrible. I got attacked. I didn’t want to go through that again.”

Large sheets of paper were taped to the wall as the group sat in a circle and noted ideas.

“How we define community and the word ‘gentrification’,” “who represents the power structure,” and “how are we perceived by our neighbors,” were just a few of topics that made it onto the wall.

“It feels disempowering, not knowing what people think of me,” said Josh Breitbart, a NBAC member.

“It would be good to know if our neighbors are seeing us as gentrifiers…or weird white kids,” added Tennessee.

The conversation, while focused on serious issues, did offer some lighter moments, oddly involving two stories of female residents bearing witness to acts of public masturbation and the unsympathetic police reaction they received.

An increased police presence, another issue of concern to participants, has been noticeable over the past several years as the neighborhood has grown. The North Brooklyn (specifically Williamsburg) boom began in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as an extension of the gentrification in SoHo, the East Village and the Lower East Side.

By the mid-1990’s things were in full swing as Bedford Avenue, now dubbed “Avenue E,” became a haven for artists, musicians and others fleeing the high rents of Manhattan. One subway stop away on the L Train, it was an ideal location for development and didn’t take long before spilling into the surrounding neighborhoods of Greenpoint, South Williamsburg and Bushwick.

While the area’s new development may be a decade old, the North Brooklyn Autonomy Collective is a recent entity, founded by a group of friends interested in learning more about the effect their presence has on the neighborhood.

After meeting informally for several months, NBAC has recently decided to open up the dialogue in hopes of eventually reaching out to Polish, Italian, and Latino neighborhood groups.

Although the group spotlighted a number of key problems, it was unable to move forward with a plan of action, seemingly unsure as to whether it wants to be an activist organization, support group or educational resource.

Still, many members felt Tuesday’s “Dialogue” provided a good opportunity to share their concerns, experiences, and goals. The meeting’s sentiment was summed up best by one Greenpoint resident.

“I’m just a working person trying to fit into a neighborhood,” said Pete Dovack.

For more information on the North Brooklyn Autonomy Collective, contact 718.404.3904 x1126 or e-mail northbrooklyncollective@onebox.com