Julio Cesar Garcia

Many speak of it as “the new Williamsburg,” but the Bushwick neighborhood has been their home for generations of Latinos and the center of the universe in the so-called “navel of the world.”

“Calm, calm, there are no bad things here and I have been living here for 37 years,” said Ricardo Benavides, a Bushwick resident.

But for others, the neighborhood has undergone a transformation that cannot be denied. From Puerto Rican flags on every corner to a population of young artists sharing apartments from which families have been evacuated.

“It began from Williamsburg to here to change, they have knocked down the one-story houses, those of a family, they have knocked them down,” explained Roberto Camacho, leader of District 54.

Camacho.

New home construction is evident walking around the neighborhood. Real estate developers have had to concede a small number of newly built apartments for affordable housing.

“If you see the houses that are across the street, they are not for poor people like us,” Camacho added.

That is why elected officials and non-profit organizations continue to offer free legal consultation clinics in an effort to reduce evictions for low-income community members.

“Now we are seeing that there are the people who have these large building companies, moving in and removing people who live in small buildings, who are not protected by city or state laws,” said Maritza Davila, assemblywoman, district 53. “What has been happening is that they tear down these houses and make these buildings that are quite wide and large and that our community cannot live there, because of their income.”

Those who make a living from what they sell in the neighborhood to a changing community are also concerned about rising rents for commercial space and the changing demographics in the neighborhood, trying to ingratiate themselves with their new neighbors.

Contreras.

“We are in a strategy of giving them to try this and that and we see how they are already coming and sales are increasing a little more. Here cupcakes are becoming known around,” said Elvys Contreras Owner, Pastelitos Elvys.

“Business goes up and down, only when the pandemic passed is when the difference was seen, which was not the same,” said Florencia Cedillo Flores, Owner, Florist Floristry.

Florence.

“Much more difficult, the rents went to the top and the poor here cannot live and the income of the business is increasingly higher… until you have to leave,” added Luis Ruiz, owner, Barbería “Los Muchachos”.

And while the future may seem uncertain, those who feel roots in this neighborhood say they are betting on a better Bushwick.

“We fight to bring the community to a place where people can live healthily,” added Assemblywoman Davila.

Median rent in Bushwick increased from $1,160 in 2006 to $2,000 by 2021, an increase of 72.4%.

2023-07-04 16:45:00
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