Thursday, February 27, 2014

Who are the Gentrifiers in Plainfield?

The term "gentrification" has come up in public comment at meetings recently, though with not as much vitriol as Spike Lee used in his recent commentary.

Lee was talking about Brooklyn, where changes seem to fit the original meaning of the term. Sociologist Ruth Glass is credited with creating the term in 1964 to describe displacement of working-class people with middle-class newcomers. The result is more pricey real estate and a cultural transformation that obliterates the old neighborhood.

Plainfield's development originated with the plain-living Quakers, but by the late 1890s West Eighth Street was known as "Millionaire's Row" for its ornate examples of Victorian architecture, and the meandering roads of the Sleepy Hollow section were also lined with mansions. Some of these estates remain, but many were cut up into apartments. By degrees, many stately homes and even the not-so-stately filled up with renters who now make up half the population.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports a poverty level of 19.4 percent for 2008-2012 in Plainfield, compared to 9.9 percent statewide. The median household income for that time frame is $54,425 for Plainfield and $71,637 statewide. So where is the gentrification?  Or are speakers who decry a change really talking about a different shift in demographics?

The biggest change in Plainfield since 2010 has been the increase in Latino population, but those who go to work in camionetas are not so much in the business of gentrification. By and large, Latino newcomers are not what Lee calls the  "hipster" type that frequent dog parks and upscale bistros. They are probably engaged in the same daily struggle to get along as the people who dominated the neighborhoods in the 2000 census.

In a rebuttal to Lee's "rant" as described in New York magazine, another man talks about the opportunity for "wealth creation" when longtime property owners in black neighborhoods have a chance to sell their homes at a large profit. Lee acknowledges the reverse migration of blacks down South where their money goes further. But he sees displaced renters who can't leave the city moving further and further out of their old neighborhoods until they reach, perhaps, the Atlantic Ocean. What is needed, he says, is more affordable housing.

Gentrification is a negative word. The 'hood, shorthand for neighborhood, is now used by just about everyone to conjure up fond memories of the home place, where generations grew up and created a unique culture. It is an affront to residents to find the scene of their struggles to get ahead now being taken over by outsiders sailing in with more money and different tastes. But is that really happening in Plainfield? Or are we talking about language barriers and unfamiliar customs?

Those who want to invoke the specter of gentrification in Plainfield need to explain where and how it is taking place. It may be good to note that there are several local proposals for the affordable housing that Lee recommends to ward off displacement.

If it is really more a case of diverse people getting to know each other, the city needs to increase understanding through its religious and community organizations, or animosity may build.

--Bernice

15 comments:

  1. Animosity and tension is already present. But those who live their lives as plainfielders. on the outside looking in wouldnt know that.

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    1. Do you really think making a distinction between real Plainfielders and faux Plainfielders is going to help folks get along? Who are the insiders and who are the outsiders? What does it mean to be an authentic Plainfielder?

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    2. With all due respect bernice.i never used the terms faux or real. Nevertheless i respect your willingness to engage all residents regardless of ethnicity or social standing.but you cant denie the fact that the tension is real. So is the solution

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  2. Affordable housing may not equate with low-income housing, but it is interesting to note that the 'apartheid/segregated' school study being argued over by Old Doc and David Rutherford makes the recommendation that state and local governments should stop building or subsidizing more low-income housing in neighborhoods where children attend such schools, so as to promote racial and socioeconomic diversity in schools and on the block. Now that we are paying the freight for a Deputy City Administrator for Economic Development, we can hope there will be a concentration on business development rather than falling into the simple trap of space creation. Incomes need to be lifted. Space creation, on the other hand, runs the risk of undermining already existing spaces. The Muhlenberg plan for 600 rental apartments is a startling affront to revitalizing our city and making the downtown a go-to place for residents and visitors alike.

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    1. Alan, The recommendation that state and local governments stop building or subsidizing low-income housing in already segregated school neighborhoods is the third remedial recommendation in the report that I supposedly did not read.

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  3. Let's also hope that Gentrification never happens in Detroit, Michigan. Things have worked out so well there also.

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  4. Here is my definition of gentrification. I want people who live in Plainfield to:

    1 - Take responsibility for themselves and their property. Thank means, paying your taxes, keeping your property well maintained so the "hood" looks good and maintains their value

    2 - Obey the laws of the city. Keep debris out of the streets except for 24 hours before pick up. Shovel their sidewalks 24 hours after the snow falls. Business owners should keep mattresses off the sidewalk, and only 1/3 of their windows should be covered with signs. People should not post bills on public poles, garbage cans or anywhere else they please. AND - the city needs to enforce these laws and collect fines regardless of the whining of the people. Those who claim they cannot afford this responsibility, should find another alternative. I would imagine they would want to anyway

    3 - Help make this city safe. Partner with the police to make neighborhoods safe for ALL of Plainfield, not just your area. Help drive out the low lifes who have no care about the city, and just bring it down to the gutter

    4 - Respect all differences and celebrate it. This includes those who are need of subsidized help, AND those who do not. There seems to be a resentment of certain people and areas in Plainfield, and an inordinate emphasis placed on those in need. Not all those in need are worthy, and we should pull our head out of the sand, recognize that and adjust our policies accordingly

    5 - Stop allowing politics and power run this city. Get a spine, stand up for yourself, speak up if there is an injustice, and feel the satisfaction of being your own person

    6 - Know that a few people in power are keeping Plainfield the way it is so they can maintain power, and caring about you or me is not even in their vocabulary

    7 - GET INVOLVED!!!

    If this is gentrification - I am all for it!

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  5. As an outsider looking in yet living in Plainfield I'm going to guess that gentrification is a politically charged term of art referring to the sense of losing territorial, economic and cultural control caused by the Latinoization of some neighborhoods, the increase in development activity by outsiders and the subtle re-balancing of power in city hall appointments and hires resulting in fewer people "who look like us".

    Gentrification is a negative term only to those on the inside. To middle-class outsiders priced out of, say, Jersey City or Montclair, it's a positive. It means that settling in a town or neighborhood with a "sketchy" reputation but undergoing change is not likely to result in a loss of investment or in decrease in safety. That's a good thing. It's been going on in Plainfield since the 70s. No reason to get too excited now.


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    1. I grew up in Brooklyn where you could remain as anonymous as you wanted and no one would bother you. Since I moved to New Jersey and specifically to Plainfield I have been excited by the open access to being involved in the community. But, I have been dismayed by a lack of a shared desire to get involved to build a community. We can get to know each other if we want to and then we can work together. Remaining anonymous does not build community.

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  6. There's barely any gentrification, if there is any it's the gay community...no one is going to open a starbucks until there's a critical mass of "gentrifiers" though.

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  7. I thought the references to gentrification were directly related to plans for over 600 "luxury" apartments on the Muhlenberg Hospital land. The plan appeared to be part of a gated community and the residents depicted in the promotional video did not reflect the Plainfield community. They also weren't going to need parking or adversely impact traffic because private jitney buses would transport them back and forth to the train station or jobs instead of being a part of our community.

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  8. Gentrification in Plainfield? With the facts that my property is worth less than I paid for it in 1987, there are three foreclosures on my block, and my property taxes have gone up almost 500%, I haven't seen it. The eternal promise of Plainfield is that with concerted hard work by the Administration, The Council, and the citizens, together we could raise Plainfield up on a parr with the surrounding communities. But over the decades it is clear the "Powers That be" in Plainfield are far more interested in using the City's resources to help themselves, their friends and families, and furthering their political interests rather than all the people of Plainfield.

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  9. GENTRIFICATION......... Bring it on

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  10. In all honesty, part of the concern probably has to do with possible discrimination. Someone in our fair city should look into how many of the new business actually employ--or are willing to employ--African Americans. Let's start with that attitudinal and cultural exploration!

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  11. Are the people in Plainfield qualified? Not liking the fact that people feel entitled to a Plainfield job if they live here. You have to be qualified to do the job - and perhaps at some point someone will figure out that it means a good education. Which Plainfield does not - today- afford our young people, who we constantly say we care about.

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