give yr prada to the poor. greenpoint. on Flickr.Gentrification has been a major issue in Greenpoint and Williamsburg for years. The class divide is apparent, especially with rents going sky high & condos popping up everywhere, so its no wonder why some are bitter. This was taken on West Street in Greenpoint & is reminiscent of Basquiat’s street poetry written on city walls in the late 70s.
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give yr prada to the poor. greenpoint. on Flickr.

Gentrification has been a major issue in Greenpoint and Williamsburg for years. The class divide is apparent, especially with rents going sky high & condos popping up everywhere, so its no wonder why some are bitter. This was taken on West Street in Greenpoint & is reminiscent of Basquiat’s street poetry written on city walls in the late 70s.

the gantrys. lic. on Flickr.As soon as I graduated from Queens College in 1997, I was ready to finally move out from my family’s garden apartment way out in Oakland Gardens (commonly referred to as Bayside, since no one really has heard of Oakland Gardens). I wound up in Long Island City, in a walk-up on 44th Drive. At the time, the area was desolate - but very cheap! I had a roommate and our total rent was $700. Then again, that was 15 years ago. City Lights was just going up, and the all the high-rises that are in this photo did not exist - it was a graveyard of abandoned factories and industrial buildings. Part of me misses the grittiness of the area, and Gantry State Park didn’t open until after I just left the neighborhood.
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the gantrys. lic. on Flickr.

As soon as I graduated from Queens College in 1997, I was ready to finally move out from my family’s garden apartment way out in Oakland Gardens (commonly referred to as Bayside, since no one really has heard of Oakland Gardens). I wound up in Long Island City, in a walk-up on 44th Drive. At the time, the area was desolate - but very cheap! I had a roommate and our total rent was $700. Then again, that was 15 years ago. City Lights was just going up, and the all the high-rises that are in this photo did not exist - it was a graveyard of abandoned factories and industrial buildings. Part of me misses the grittiness of the area, and Gantry State Park didn’t open until after I just left the neighborhood.

gentrification of brooklyn billboard on Flickr.This billboard on Fulton Street was part of the promotion for the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts’ (MoCADA) exhibition on The Gentrification of Brooklyn. These billboards were created by the Toronto based artists, Specter. The exhibition included the works of several Brooklyn-based artists, as well as those who have been forced to relocate as a result of gentrification. Growing up in New York City, I’ve always been fascinated by the constant changes of neighborhoods. Whether it’s gentrification or migration, everything evolves. Lately, it seems that in the never ending quest for cheap rents in Manhattan and now Brooklyn, the lower classes that have settled and made homes in these now desirable areas are being pushed out. First, it may start with a simple organic grocery, and then the real estate developers come, driving out established residents with their bulldozers.
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gentrification of brooklyn billboard on Flickr.

This billboard on Fulton Street was part of the promotion for the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts’ (MoCADA) exhibition on The Gentrification of Brooklyn. These billboards were created by the Toronto based artists, Specter. The exhibition included the works of several Brooklyn-based artists, as well as those who have been forced to relocate as a result of gentrification.

Growing up in New York City, I’ve always been fascinated by the constant changes of neighborhoods. Whether it’s gentrification or migration, everything evolves. Lately, it seems that in the never ending quest for cheap rents in Manhattan and now Brooklyn, the lower classes that have settled and made homes in these now desirable areas are being pushed out. First, it may start with a simple organic grocery, and then the real estate developers come, driving out established residents with their bulldozers.