Published on : 08/11/2013 – 16:46Modified : 08/11/2013 – 19:26
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correspondent in New York – The former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, leaves behind a very unequal city. The poorest are gradually driven out, even in the sectors that were hitherto accessible to them. Reportage in the Harlem district of Manhattan.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will officially take office next January, has promised to tackle the housing crisis and property prices in a city where the poorest are struggling to pay their rent, even in neighborhoods where they could still afford it.
Closing the growing gap between rich and poor will be among the challenges of this Democratic mayor who will succeed Michael Bloomberg. And not least. In 2012, 1% of workers alone earned 40% of the payroll, making New York one of the most unequal cities in the United States.
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However, the “Big Apple” continues to exert an incomparable power of attraction in the four corners of the world. Ever more populated, the economic capital of the United States is struggling to involve everyone in its growth and its most modest inhabitants are the first to suffer. Disadvantaged for a long time, the neighborhoods where they settled have become popular places for the new trendy bourgeoisie.
“The poor do not disappear, they are released”
Nothing really new, of course. Long a symbol of the segregation of black Americans and the ghettoization of their neighborhoods, Harlem has been experiencing a renaissance since the 1980s. But gentrification is accelerating and the gaps are widening. The arrival of the new rich has irremediably caused real estate prices to jump, thereby making the low-income inhabitants of these neighborhoods more precarious. As bobo bars and Starbucks open on every street corner, historic residents find it increasingly difficult to pay their rent.
Warren Bradley, a teacher and artist who lives in Harlem, had no choice but to accept the 35% increase in his rent. It was pay or go, so he’ll pay while he can. “People think that gentrification has eradicated poverty in these neighborhoods,” Bradley told france24.com, “but the poor don’t disappear, they just get out!”
Poet, Brad Bathgate draws inspiration from the social reality of his neighborhood to write the verses he declaims in the subway. According to him, Harlem has become “the playground of the bourgeoisie”. “When they installed a Starbucks at 125 rue, I knew the rents were going to go up!” he laments. Cornered, Brad Bathgate was forced to leave the neighborhood where he grew up. He is convinced that crack and cocaine were introduced to Harlem to aggravate the poverty of its inhabitants, and thus, to dislodge them more easily. “It was to take advantage of the misery of the workers,” he says.
The rich have everything to gain
On the other side of the mirror, affluent New Yorkers have done well. According to real estate agent Michel Madie, the market in Harlem is booming. An apartment acquired for 750,000 dollars (about 560,000 euros) can resell on the market for about 2.5 million dollars (1.9 million euros), according to his estimates. Of French origin, Michel Madie himself lives in a huge apartment worth nearly 12 million dollars (8.9 million euros). “Much more than I bought!” he boasts.
The gentrification of their neighborhood is therefore often a source of pride for the owners. “It’s wonderful to see our property take on so much value. It’s sad for those who rent, but it’s great for us,” says Andrea Nye, mother of two and owner in Harlem.
For others, gentrification is the inevitable consequence of a constantly changing city. Gaku Takanashi, Japanese immigrant and jazz musician, has lived in New York for 25 years. He says he no longer recognizes the neighborhood where he settled in 1988. “There is a lot of diversity today,” he admits to france24.com. “The whole world is in Harlem and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Everyone wants to live in New York! The whole city has changed and Harlem is part of it.”
Marjorie Elliot, who opens her doors to all comers every Sunday for house jazz concerts, is also delighted with the diversification of her neighborhood. “Look at these boys,” she says, pointing to the three musicians, including her son, playing jazz on the stage in her living room, “one is from Japan, another from France and the third coming from down the street. For me, Harlem is that.”
Adapted by Sarah Leduc
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