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.

Est. 1950

35 % of East Harlems population

"Affordable housing"

All of the new housing developments being built in East Harlem have signs posted on them, with explanations of what is being built. Most of those signs state that the housing development will create affordable housing. I guess 4,000 dollars to live in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath apartment, with a living room and dining area on 102nd street and 1st avenue is cheap for New York. Its definitely cheap for Manhattan but for native East Harlem residents, its crazy expensive.

The programs that kept us off the street: late 90s- early 2000s

Boys and Girls Harbor

Upwardfund, Boys Harbor, and P.S 108 were key places that kept children in the East Harlem community, like myself off the streets. Upwardfund was a summer camp located on 119th street between 2nd and 3rd avenue in the early and mid 90s. My mother was a counselor at the camp and as soon as I turned six, she made sure I was admitted. The camp age groups ranged from 6 to 14. The camp had educational and recreational activities everyday and once a week, a camp trip. The trips ranged from places like the science hall in New Jersey to amusement parks like six flags. The camp shut down after my first summer but Upwardfund is what sparked my love for summer camps on the east side of Harlem. Next was Boys Harbor located on 104th street and 5th avenue. Boys Harbor is the place that kept children off the streets during school hours and after school hours. I attended Boys Harbor elementary school, after school program and summer camp for at least 5 years. Boys Harbor is still up and running and still keeping children off the streets in East Harlem. P.S 108 was my elementary school located on 108th street and madison avenue. The school is in between Lehman and Taft Houses. With that said, it was a safe place to be even with all the negativity going on in the neighborhood. PS 108 had a high population of hispanic students that did not speak english, ranging from Puerto Ricans to Mexicans. The school had a strong ESL program that assured that those students english would be strong by the time they graduated. All of these places kept me off the streets for the first 15 years of my life. Abyssinian, on the west side of Harlem on 143rd street and Lennox avenue was a football team I played for, for 6 years. All of the men that coached me had full-time jobs and were volunteering to coach the team.