Epilogue

My main bias on gentrification is not the pushing out of the poor for wealthier residents. It is the actions landlords take to force the poor out of their native neighborhoods. It is not humane to make a person live in a apartment that is infested with asbestos, because they are late on the rent that was raised due to gentrification. On the contrary, I get it. Gentrification helps neighborhoods with troubled past/present like East Harlem get on the right track. The East River Plaza created jobs for a neighborhood that was starving for more employment. 

Nothing is ever perfect. It should not take bringing in a certain demographic of people to rehabilitate a neighborhood, but for now gentrification seems to be the only solution.

Many outside of the field of art and photography believe photography is just about taking pictures. Working on this project was far more significant than me going outside and snapping shots of buildings. Through this project I have gained knowledge of the term gentrification, my neighborhood, my family history and I have grown closer with the woman who birthed me. 

P.S 108: 2000-2003

Public School 108 Angelo del Toro

Puerto Rican flags everywhere

While walking through East Harlem, one will see Puerto Rican flags hanging on anything everywhere

Vacant buildings and lots

A recent study suggest that there are 143 vacant lots and buildings in East Harlem that could house approximately 9,252 people. This is scary for East Harlem Natives. That is close to 10,000 people. This could mean a culture change in the next 20 years.

Cuchifrito's en El Barrio

East Harlem is home to some of the best and most authentic Latin (predominantly Puerto Rican and Dominican) food in New York City. A Cuchifrito spot is usually a small fast food type restaurant where one can pick up quick eats. In some Cuchifrito's such as La Isla on 104th street and 3rd avenue in East Harlem, whole meals are on the menu. This particular cuchifrito spot has been up and running as long as I have been alive at least.

The spirit of East Harlem est. 1950

Retouched by Manny Vega in the 70s "The Spirit of East Harlem" is a visual description of what El Barrio is all about. Puerto Rican pride, togetherness, friends, family, community and last but not least, dominoes.

Explosion in East Harlem: Does this have anything to do with gentrification?

Photo by John Minchillo

On March 12th 2014 there was an explosion caused by a gas leak in two East Harlem apartment building located on 116th street and Park avenue. I was upstate in Oswego for school when friends on my social networks started posting comments like "pray for East Harlem" with the picture of the two collapsed buildings. I immediately called my mother to see if she was okay. My mother lives far away from the explosion but she could have been walking on that block. A day or two after I started to think about gentrification and how gentrification is brought upon lower class communities. Some landlords will raise rent, while they have their tenants living in mold infested apartments. Some landlords would do things such as this to push tenants out of the apartments so that they could get new tenants and raise prices. It was said that the gas main that served the two buildings was 127 years old and made of cast iron, a material that is known for becoming brittle and prone to leaks. This is something that probably should have been fixed or renewed decades ago. I am not accusing anybody of murder, but was this a way of getting people out of those buildings? When the space is clean, will there be apartment buildings built for the people in the community or will the space be exchanged with luxury apartment buildings? only time will tell.