CAPITAL BCoalition of Arts & Performance Initiatives Towards A Livable BushwickGets ready for 2010

What have we been doing? um, about 5 things.

1. ♡ing Bushwick

2. Collaborating w/Youth3. Digitizing Fabrics4. Stalking Condos5. Surveying Communities

1. ♡ing Bushwick

ARTS + COMMUNITY GROUPSArts In Bushwick + Art of Living Yoga + Bags for the People + Beacon Center for Arts and Leadership +

Bushwick Food Co-Op + CAPITAL B Youth Culture Lab + Coalition of Hispanic Family Services + DJ Dancey Pants + EYEBEAM + GELATO + Boswyck Farms + Bushwick Starr Theater + Brooklyn Public

Library + Laurel Dance Program + No Standing Anytime + Our Goods + Up From Flames

SMALL + BIG BUSINESSESAngel’s Fruit Market + Associated Market + Boars Head + C-Town + Circo’s Bakery + Fortunatas + Gaby’s Bakery + Kelso of Brooklyn + Olive Valley + La Orquidea Mexican Food Market + Pica

Pica + Mi Bella Dama + Northeast Kingdom + Roberta’s Pizza + Trinity Farm Stand + Wonton Food Company

http://eyebeamers.posterous.com/

2. Collaborating w/Youth

3. Digitizing Fabrics

4. Stalking Condos (108!)

5. Surveying Communities

What do we know now? well, about 556 new things.66 Wishes105 Fabric Mappers345 Community Needs

66 WishesNeighborhood SafetyNo over-dosing (13 year old)Have a safe, less drug filled, healthier environment for the children.No more violence

Community + Environmental HealthAnother cleaner parkFor more wilderness and less cement factories!!!Cement factories out of our parks and streetsBig Trees!

The ArtsDiana Reyna to give more money for arts funding in BushwickFor affordable options to buy artist spaces in Bushwick.

Social Services + Community NeedsHomes for the homelessKids in Bushwick had lots of choices of things to do after school.I want more opportunities for teensMore English ClassesTo go to college

Equality + PeaceRacial HarmonyMore unity more community!For peace

Food + RecreationFresh affordable veggiesBushwick had healthier better food.I would like a gay bar

Jobs + Local EconomyBushwick, I wish for you to return to your industrial past and thrive!That low income Bushwick residents did not have to fear being pushed/priced out of their homesMore community activities and jobs without exploitation

Overview Bushwick Demographics

Square Miles: 2Population: 129,980Poverty Rate: 32%*poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children in New York City would be a $26,138.

105 Fabric Mappers

♡ of Bushwick

7-13 Maria Hernandez Park14-18 Knickerbocker Avenue19-25 Maria Hernandez Park26-35 Knickerbocker Avenue36-45 Knickerbocker Avenue46-55 Maria Hernandez Park56-65 Home/Church65+ Senior Center/Home/Church

positive7-13 home, school, park14-18 park, pizza + fast food places19-25 parks, bakeries26-35 school, park, arts spaces36-45 schools, park46-55 church, community organizations56-65 home, park65+ home, park

negative 7-13 street (fighting, drunkenness, litter)14-18 street (gangs, muggings)19-25 public housing projects26-35 street (gangs, muggings, hate crimes)36-45 condos, street (industrial waste)46-55 NA56-65 street (anywhere at night)65+ streets, public spaces (around public housing)

safe7-13 home14-18 home19-25 school26-35 home, school, church36-45 school, park46-55 home, park56-65 home65+ home

unsafe7-13 street (gangs, cars, vacant lots)14-18 street (public housing projects)19-25 street 26-35 street (Morgan area at night)36-45 street (industrial areas at night)56-65 street (anywhere at night)65+ street (robberies at night)

arts + culture7-13 museums, galleries, school, restaurants14-18 church, school, public library19-25 Grand Street26-35 open public spaces, restaurants36-45 open public spaces46-55 church, NA56-65 church, schools, senior centers65+ church, senior centers

people come together7-13 open public spaces, public library14-18 open public spaces, public library, school19-25 public library, restaurants26-35 open public spaces, art spaces, restaurants, stores36-45 open public spaces, art spaces, restaurants, stores46-55 art spaces, restaurants, stores56-65 open public spaces, art spaces, schools65+ senior center/home/church

KID Fabric Map of Bushwick

TEEN Fabric Map of Bushwick

ARTIST Fabric Map of Bushwick

FACTORY WORKER Fabric Map of BushwickPlaces important for arts + culture = “I wouldn’t know.”

SENIOR Fabric Map of Bushwick

345 Community Needs Survey

AGE14-18 33% 115

RACE/ETHNICITYLatino/Hispanic 55% 191

NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENCEBushwick 77% 191

PLACE OF WORKBushwick 48% 116

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE1-2 years 27% 68

WORK/HOME RELOCATED IN PAST 2 YEARSJob lost or relocated 10% 33

ARTS ARE IN MY LIFE/NEIGHBORHOOD IN THESE WAYSI attend performances or arts-related events 46% 115

SYSTEMS THAT NEED IMPROVEMENTSafety 61% 202Environmental Health 49% 164

14-18 safety19-25 arts26-35 environmental health36-45 environmental health46-55 safety56-65 safety65+ safety, environmental health, education

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH data + case study

12 WISHES . . .Cement factories out of our parks and streetsAnother cleaner parkNo littering

CNS 49% - environmental health needs most improvement

CHP2 in 5 adults are uninsuredMore than 1 in 4 adults are obeseExercise habits in Bushwick are less healthy compared to NYC (56% no exercise)2,223 people living with HIV/AIDS (.01% of population)Alcohol-related hospitalizations are twice the NYC rate9% of adults have asthma in BWK + WB (compared to 5% in Brooklyn and NYC)Child hospitalization for asthma is more than double compared to Brooklyn and NYC

Case Study Edible Schoolyard Lower East Side Ecology Center, Mobile Farm Chicago X Lab, Hello Health

Profile Richie, 46

SAFETY data + case study

8 WISHES . . .No more violenceMore SecurityHave a safe, less drug filled, healthier environment for the children.

CNS 61% - safety needs most improvement

CHP BWK + WLB have higher homicide rate, 1 in 20 adults report fear of an intimate partner

Profile Chris H. + Maria

HOUSING data + case study

5 WISHES . . .I owned a building hereI hope the evil yuppies don’t invade BushwickThat low income Bushwick residents did not have to fear being pushed/priced out of their homes

CASE STUDYSchermerhorn House

Common Ground + Actors Fund of America

CNS 38% arts have not changed access to

affordable live/work space, 60 empty condos!

FM home is safe, long-term tenants are threatened,

rents are rising, condos are associated with gentrification

Profile Lorena, 44

ARTS/CULTURE data + case study

3 WISHES . . .For a continual artistic communityDiana Reyna to give more money for arts funding in BushwickFor affordable options to buy artist spaces in Bushwick.

CNS 46% attend performances or arts-related events

FM most identified as important for arts + culture + where different people come together

= open public space 44% of 14-18 year olds say the arts have no impact on their Bushwick’s economic well-being

Profile Amanda Cordero, 16

345 Community Needs SurveyAGE14-18 33% 11519-25 11% 4026-35 25% 8646-55 12% 4256-65 4% 1565+ 2% 8

RACE/ETHNICITYWhite/Caucasian 27.9% 96Other 2% 7Black/African American 16% 57 Latino/Hispanic 55% 191Asian 3% 10Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2% 5Native American 1% 4

NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENCEBushwick 77% 191Williamsburg 11% 28Greenpoint 2% 6Bedford-Stuyvesant 9% 22MAN/BRX/QNS 26% 90

PLACE OF WORKBushwick 48% 116Williamsburg 13% 31Greenpoint 3% 6Bedford-Stuyvesant 3% 8I do not work 33% 81I am unemployed 9% 22MAN/BRX/QNS 25% 86

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE1-2 years 27% 683-5 years 26% 666-10 years 16% 4111-15 years 11% 2816-25 years 16% 4026-40 years 5% 1241+ years 1% 2

WORK/HOME RELOCATED IN PAST 2 YEARSJob lost or relocated 10% 33Business closed 3% 11Lease expired 5% 16Evicted 2% 6Landlord raised rent 8% 27Property re-sold 1% 4Property converted .3% 1Other 77% 266

***

ARTS ARE IN MY LIFE/NEIGHBORHOOD IN THESE WAYSI am a professional artist 23% 57I take art/music/dance classes 25% 62I attend art school/college 13% 33I attend performances or arts-related events 46% 115I work/volunteer for an arts organization 31% 78I provide arts workshops in the community 7% 18I own an arts space 3% 79

***

SYSTEMS THAT NEED IMPROVEMENTSafety 61% 202Health Services 42% 139Education 42% 141 Sanitation 47% 156Environmental Health 49% 164Community Orgs. 27% 89Arts + Cultural Orgs. 35% 118

***

ARTS EFFECT ON ECONOMIC WELL-BEING INCREASED DECREASED NOT CHANGEDIncome Sources 25% 36% 32%Client Numbers 25% 17% 38%Access to affordable work space 18% 31% 38%Access to affordable living space 21% 32% 38%General neighborhood livability 65% 9% 19%

105 Fabric Mappers

♡ of Bushwick7-13 Maria Hernandez Park14-18 Knickerbocker Avenue19-25 Maria Hernandez Park26-35 Knickerbocker Avenue36-45 Knickerbocker Avenue46-55 Maria Hernandez Park56-65 Home/Church65+ Senior Center/Home/Church

positive7-13 home, school, park14-18 park, pizza + fast food places19-25 parks, bakeries26-35 school, park, arts spaces36-45 schools, park46-55 church, community organizations56-65 home, park65+ home, park

negative 7-13 street (fighting, drunkenness, litter)14-18 street (gangs, muggings)19-25 public housing projects26-35 street (gangs, muggings, hate crimes)36-45 condos, street (industrial waste)46-55 NA56-65 street (anywhere at night)65+ streets, public spaces (around public housing at night)

safe7-13 home14-18 home19-25 school26-35 home, school, church36-45 school, park46-55 home, park56-65 home65+ home

unsafe7-13 street (gangs, cars, vacant lots)14-18 street (public housing projects)19-25 street 26-35 street (Morgan area at night)36-45 street (industrial areas at night)56-65 street (anywhere at night)65+ street (robberies at night)

arts + culture7-13 museums, galleries, school, restaurants14-18 church, school, public library19-25 Grand Street26-35 open public spaces, restaurants36-45 open public spaces46-55 church, NA56-65 church, schools, senior centers65+ church, senior centers

people come together7-13 open public spaces, public library14-18 open public spaces, public library, school19-25 public library, restaurants26-35 open public spaces, art spaces, restaurants, stores36-45 open public spaces, art spaces, restaurants, stores46-55 art spaces, restaurants, stores56-65 open public spaces, art spaces, schools65+ senior center/home/church

66 WishesNeighborhood SafetyFor more toys for the playground and more securityMore SecurityNo over-dosing (13 year old)No bad people anywhere (11 year old)Have a safe, less drug filled, healthier environment for the children.For less violenceLess guns! more pizza!No more violence

Community + Environmental HealthBushwick had more treesLess cement! More bicyclesThere were more trees and diversity (people wise and flora/fauna wise)Big TreesTranquilityBushwick was a cleaner environmentNo littering – 12 years oldAnother cleaner parkFor more wilderness and less cement factories!!!Cement factories out of our parks and streetsUniversal health careFor more trees

The ArtsFor a continual artistic communityDiana Reyna to give more money for arts funding in BushwickFor affordable options to buy artist spaces in Bushwick.Everyone would stay happy and show off some art

Social Services + Community NeedsGo give homes to the homelessHomes for the homelessKids in Bushwick had lots of choices of things to do after school.I want more opportunities for teensMore English ClassesTo go to college

Equality + PeaceRacial HarmonyMore unity more community!For equality for allFor peaceEveryone should have peaceFreedomAll the love and support and goodness concentrated lives today and extends

Food + RecreationFresh affordable veggiesBushwick had healthier better food.For a coffee shop 2 blocks from my house with very good coffeeFor a tasty dishThere were other venuesDog run in Maria HernandezI would like a gay barMore people go out to see the stars at night

Jobs + Local EconomyBushwick, I wish for you to return to your industrial past an thrive! And provide jobs jobs, jobs for everyone.More community activities and jobs without exploitationThat all future pizza places use ovens brought to Bushwick from Italy

Space + Real EstateI owned a building hereThat people would know the neighborhood boundaries better!That I became more familiar with its streetsI hope the evil yuppies don’t invade BushwickThat low income Bushwick residents did not have to fear being pushed/priced out of their homes

Misc. WishesLove and a traveling mirror tentBrighter starzBushwick can become cool!To be skinnyFor non-stop sunFor lots of sunshine this winter!!! And not that much snow.That I was as fierce as Luther Cherry!Michael Hart moves back to wick and owned a giant loftI had a puppyFor peace love and more beacon’s closet!We could all take long baths!Deer

108 Condos

BUSHWICK HOUSING CRISIS DATA

There are a wide range of housing problems in Bushwick that signal a neighborhood housing crisis. These include a scarcity of affordable housing, rising rents, aging housing stock, serious housing code violations, overcrowding, harassment, displacement, eviction, and extensive housing foreclosures.

FORECLOSURES

The neighborhood of Bushwick had the third highest rate of housing foreclosures in the city of New York in 2007 at 57.8% per 1,000 1-4 family properties?

CODE VIOLATIONS

That Bushwick continues to have the highest number of serious housing code violations (per 1,000 rental units) out of all the neighborhoods in the city of New York, year after year? In 2007, there were 193.2 serious housing code violations per 1,000 rental units within the Bushwick neighborhood.

HOUSING STOCK

The median age of housing stock in Bushwick is 76 years old? Compared with other New York City neighborhoods, Bushwick ranks 19th on this housing indicator.

HOME OWNERSHIP

That even though the homeownership rate in Bushwick stands at only 18.7%, the neighborhood ranked fourth in the city for high cost home purchase loans in 2007?

COMPLAINTS

In 2001, Bushwick residents made 582 total housing code complaints per 1,000 rental units, 184.7 per 1,000 of which were serious violations- a rate of 450% more complaints than the New York City average.

(Compiled by Sarah Cunningham and sourced from: “This Side of Poverty: Bushwick’s Housing Crisis,” A report by Make the Road by Walking, Inc., (December 2003 <http://www.maketheroad.org/report.php?ID=128>)

Bushwick Condos: A Snapshot

Bushwick is a traditionally low-income community made up primarily by people of color. However, over the past several years, the neighborhood has seen a large increase in luxury development that is contributing to the gentrification of the area. This process may ultimately displace many of the people who have lived in this neighborhood for generations.

• Median Household Income is $31,531

• 32% of residents make under $18,302

• 8% of residents are unemployed

• Median Monthly Rent for a Bushwick Resident is $795

• Notice of Foreclosure Rate is 57.8%, which has nearly tripled since 2000.

• Total number of foreclosures in Bushwick in 2008 was 379

• Highest rate of serious housing code violations in the city

• Poverty Rate of 32%

RTTC-NYC’S CONDO COUNT: (108 BUILDINGS IDENTIFIED)

RTTC NYC members canvassed 36 census tracts in Community District 204 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Through this canvass, we identified 108 residential buildings that appeared to contain a significant amount of empty units (60 buildings), or appeared to be stalled in construction (48 buildings).

Empty Condos: (60 Buildings Identified)

To identify buildings with empty units, canvassers looked for evidence of people living in the units, for sale signs, and spoke with neighbors and building personnel. Using these criteria, we identified 60 buildings in Bushwick that appeared to contain empty units. Through our secondary research, we uncovered the following additionally information about these and other units currently on the market in Bushwick:

Condos/Co-ops/Houses:Average price: $405,959Average days on market: 216 daysTotal number of units: 40 unitsTotal number of bedrooms: 75 bedrooms

Multifamily Houses:Average Price: $565,795Average days on market: 158 daysTotal number of units: 81 unitsTotal number of bedrooms: 599 bedrooms

Below are two examples of some of the buildings we found:

979 Willoughby StreetTotal units: 15Total units available: 14Average days on market: 382Average price (unit): $507,750

326 Melrose StreetTotal Units: 10Total units available: 9Average days on market: 125Average price (unit): $325,000

Stalled Construction: (48 Buildings Identified)

Through our canvassing efforts, we looked for the following evidence of a stalled construction site: an expired DOB permit, boarded up windows, locked doors, lack of ongoing construction, and conversations with neighbors. Using these criteria, we identified 48 buildings that appeared to be in various stages of stalled construction. However, the DOB has only 4 developments on its list of “stalled construction sites” within Bushwick.

4.2.09 19:00 /Arts in Bushwick Open Studio Planning Meeting

4.3.09 16:00 /At the home of Chloe Bass /Member of Arts in Bushwick /Teaching and Performing Artist

“We don’t exist . . . There’s no one to talk to when water is pouring out of the ceiling.” (on not having a lease for her home)

4.8.09 12:00Coffee with Laura Braslow at Enids in Williamsburg /Member of Arts in Bushwick

“Gentrification is a process of choice sorting . . . There are people who choose to stay or go, or no longer have the choice to stay. . . There are landscapes of choices and options.”

(on gentrification’s impact on different demographics)

4.8.09 13:00Coffee with Aaron Short at Enids in Williamsburg

“People are afraid of rents going up. There’s a fear of water-front condos . . . there’s not that many places to move to and not enough protections for illegal conversions . . . Tensions are mostly in housing. As artists are coming in and raising rents [it’s im-portant] to volunteer with senior centers and youth education groups.”

(on gentrification and artist communities)

4.9.09 15:00 /At Lumenhouse with Aurora

“Bushwick is tough. There’s lots of crime. When we first moved, there were people shooting up on our steps . . . But we’re trying to raise a family here . . . The only racial tension we’ve experienced is from other white people who were here before us.”

(on challenges of running a community space and raising a family in Bushwick)

4.9.09 16:00 /At the Bushwick Public Library with Nate Hill

“The library is facing a huge budget cut and layoffs.[We’re] not just about the books - it’s the only real public space in the community.”

(on the need to use the library space for interactive educational and arts-based programs to engage teenagers)

4.8.09 19:30 / At Life Cafe with Jill Sigman

“Being off the grid was impossible in Williamsburg. In Bushwick you can still be off the grid . . . I think we’re in a process, not a crisis.”

(on being priced out of her Williamsburg studio and the gradual movement of artist spaces deeper into Brooklyn)

4.16.09 16:30At the Bushwick Public Library with Emily

“There’s no wrong way to use a library. Some teens only attend programs, sit and hang out with friends, or others just check out books and leave. The library supports all different users of the space.”

(on the library space as a community center)

4.17.09 15:15 /On the phone with Caron Atlas /Fractured Atlas

“Our point is that a lot of groups have been overlooked.We want to show the diversity within each group, and address issues of invisibility and impact . . . There are stereotypes of Williamsburg Latinos as not artists, and artists as transient by choice.”

(on Fractured Atlas’ study “Placed and Displaced”)

4.22.09 10:30 /On the Postal Delivery Route with Richie

“Maybe they’re making music, going to school or their parents kicked them out of the house . . . they are the bad kids from Wisconsin.”

“I’m in the heart of it all.”

(on the new artist communities that are part of his postal route)

4.23.09 12:15 / In the Ice Cream Truck with Juan

“People used to sell drugs on this street. Now I sell ice cream.”

(on neighborhood demographic shifts in demographics and improved safety)

4.25.09 19:00 /Surveying at the Lumenhouse Benefit

76% of visitors surveyed were not sure of where they were going after the event. 20% wanted to go out to drink, eat, or to another event, but didn’t know where to go in the neighborhood.

4.2.09 19:00 /Make the Road NY with Jose Lopez / Youth Power Coordinator of BRAG - Bushwick Research About Gentrification

“The City will not bail out developers who have vacant condos.” “Young people are consistently pushing things forward. We want to design a research process that’s not just a report.”

(on vacant condos and the need to lobby for converting them into affordable housing)

4.29.09 16:00 /At Congee Village with Michael Heimbinder /Founder of Habitat Map

“For a long time people weren’t doing anything. Now they’re all making maps and not doing anything.”

(on the rising popularity of maps as research tools)

4.30.09 15:30 / At the Academy of Urban Planning with teachers Adam Schwartz and Josh Lapidus

flickr.com/photos/aupmaps

5.2.09 15:00In the Spacebuster under the BQE

raumlabor-berlin.de

5.2.09 15:00In the Spacebuster under the BQE

raumlabor-berlin.de

5.7.09 15:00 /At Lumenhouse with Aurora + Marshall

“Lumenhouse is a real labor of love. And it is evolving, changing and growing - just like the work it showcases.”

(on the multiple programming uses of their space and its function as a community resource)

5.14.09 11:00 / In DUMBO with Rebecca Jacobs of The Livable Streets Initiative

“We are a city of walkers. So few Americans walk.”

(on organizing events in Brooklyn for International Walk to School Day)

streetseducation.org

4.8.09 13:00Lunch at Norte Maar with Jason + Norman

“Wherever I go, I’m going to make it work.”- (Jason on setting up a gallery in his living room)

“People’s problems are magnified when they’re in the hospital.”- (Norman on family dynamics at Wyckoff Heights Hospital)

5.3.09 14:00Surveying the Rained-In Block Party at Third Ward

5.14.09 15:30 /Stuyding the vacant lot with Chavi

“This fruit has been here for weeks.”

(on researching trash typologies in the abandoned lot on Boerum and Bogart Streets)

5.14.09 17:00 /Meeting with MTR’s Youth Committee - Bushwick Research & Action on Gentrification

5.15.09 5:00 / Tea with Lise Brenner

waterunderattack.com

5.16.09 13:00Livable Neighborhoods Training at the Municipal Arts Society

“Zoning is not planning. It’s just a mechanism to control physi-cal space. It’s a regulatory measure . . .Unfortunately, zoning is abused by developers.”

(Tom Angiotti on the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure)

mas.org/cpa/lnp/

5.18.09 13:00Training at Make A Better Place

makeabetterplace.org

5.19.09 11:30 /Visiting the 83rd Police Precinct Office with students from the Academy of Urban Planning High School

“I’ve seen parents prostituting their own children on the street.”

(a man waiting to file a complaint at the 83rd Police Precinct on the safety and dangers of the neighborhood)

5.19.09 16:00Cultural Mapping Collaboration with Eric Ost of High-Five

“When kids get to meet the people behind the art and get behind the scenes access, it reduces the foreignness of the neighborhood.”

(on organizing high school students to author the cultural map of Bushwick)

5.20.09 13:00Crashing the company picnic / Boars Head distribution center

“Everyone has to eat. Whether you’re buying a bologna or stealing a bologna”

(Off the Record at the Boars Head Company Picnic on the impact of the economic downturn on business)

5.20.09 19:00 /Lounging at the New York Loft Hostel

“There are classical tourists and there are weird people who stay in all day.”

(The concierge, Paulo, on the different types of hostel guests)

4.3.09 16:00 /Mapping micro-economic ties in the Williamsburg Industrial Zone

5.20.09 12:00Fortune Cookies & Noodles!

5.20.09 11:00 /Incomplete transaction with Tommy

“Hi, I’m Tommy. Are you interested in vintage records?No? Are you interested in pot?”

(Advertising his “pot-mobile” outside Justice Ramirez Park on a Wednesday morning )

5.22.09 15:00 /In the car with Rudy Diaz of Puerto Rico Car Service

“ There are no air quality controls and so many of us have asthma and allergies. It boils down to politics. The people that are control-ling politics are also the rich ones - and so they have often never been sick like this because of pollution. So they don’t care about us . . . Someone really needs to speak up on our behalf.”

(On the environmental challenges facing Bushwick residents)

5.23.09 16:00 / P.R. Auto Repair Flat Tire Repair/Daycare/Dollar-Store on 113 Troutman Street

“We’re using space to the maximum here.”

5.28.09 17:00Prototyping Condo-Popsicles at Make the Road NY

5.28.09 13:00Architect Volunteers at Chez

5.31.09 16:00 /CAPITAL B meeting at Ad Hoc Gallery

6.03.09 11:00 /Interviewing the security guard of Grove Street Condos

“There are some artists who live here. They moved from SoHo. But there are mostly regular people, like cops and people in finance.”

6.10.09 15:009 & 10-year-olds at Bushwick IMPACT - P.S. 377

The heart of Bushwick is . . .

“the hospital.”

A negative place is . . . “the police station.”

I want to make my neighborhood a better place by . . . “talking to people that don’t pick up trash.”

6.03.09 11:00 /Economic Indicators Walk with AUP students

A negative economic indicator in my neighborhood is . . .

“Unfinished construction, which means that companies ran out of money.”

6.10.09 19:00 /MTRNY Youth Power Benefit at Galapagos Art Space

A place where different people come together is . . .

“the public pool on Metropolitan.”

6.12.09 13:00 /11th Grade Human Geography Class at AUPt

My neighborhood would be a better place to live by . . . .

“having more recreation centers and internships for teenagers and kids.” “educating people.”

“if people would be committed to each other.”

6.12.09 17:00AUP Benefit at Tandem Bar

“There is a lady who sells Mexican tamales on Myrtle and Wycoff. This is a place that is important for my culture.”

6.17.09 09:30Diana H. Jones Senior Center

An important place for arts and culture is . . .

“The arts and crafts room of Diana Jones Center.”

“I don’t know. I never leave home.”

“the Menonnite Church on Knickerbocker.”

6.18.09 15:00 /Lounging at 38 Wilson Avenue Condos

“You can’t really tell on a cloudy day like this, but the views ofManhattan are really spectacular.”

6.18.09 16:00 /Spiros - Landlord of 4 homes on Troutman St. and Self-Declared Real Esate King

“Hey, you looking for an apartment?”

6.18.09 16:00156 new apartments under construction on Troutman Street

6.18.09 15:30 / Magalis of Ana Fashion

“It’s been two months since I was completely robbed. They stole all the merchandise and even the windows. I think thepeople who did it lived in the same building.”

6.17.09 09:30 /Diana H. Jones Senior Center

“The safest place in my neighborhood is my home.”

6.18.09 21:00 /Jose from Bolivia on Boerum StreetRecently unemployed from a metal recycling factory in Peekskill

“The neighborhood doesn’t have problems. The people are calm and there is no violence.”

6.24.09 09:30/ Diana H. Jones Senior Center

“All kinds of people come together in the parks. They are the heart of our community.”

5.28.09 13:00Dollar-Store Warehouse on Johnson Street

5.18.09 16:00 /Spiros - Landlord of 4 homes on Troutman St. and Self-Declared Real Esate King

“10 years ago I used to own Astoria. I was the king there and now I’m the king here.” “The new white kids. They run around naked in their apartments. They don’t put curtains up. They have no fear.”

6.23.09 17:00 /Location Shoot on Flushing and Wilson Ave.

6.26.09 9:50-11:40AMMeals on Wheels route through public housing with Angie and Jose

“I’m a travelling person. I move around a lot. I want to move toRed Hook near more white people . . . I like the hippies.”

6.22.09 17:30 / Tandem Bar (fashion photoshoot + benefit for local choreographer + bar)

6.26.09 15:00 /Empty ESL classroom at Borinqueyen Plaza Senior Center

“We used to have ESL classes, but our funding was cut.Now we’re storing equipment here.”

6.26.09 9:30 / The Cafeteria of Borinqueyen Plaza Senior Center

“Every senior center has a reputation. We’re the rhowdy ones.And these are the troubles.”

6.26.09 11:30/ Lindsay Park Housing Co-Op bulletin board

A great place to advertise community events!

6.26.09 12:30Sternberg Park next to Lindsay Park Housing Co-Op

- A place that several people at the Diana Jones Center identified as a postive, safe place and as important for arts and culture.

- A cultural mapping intern from High Five - Genesis - revieweda community festival there on 6/27.