Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

Lured by modest rents to Central Harlem, new faces are moving in and making long time residents feel that they are being pushed out.

The voices of those newcomers like Joe Friedman, 32, have often gone unheard. But to hear people like him is to listen to the story of a neighborhood undergoing a controversial transition from a different viewpoint.

Friedman, a guitarist that has played on tour with jazz legend Eartha Kitt, moved to New York from St. Louis in 1999. He lived on the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen before moving to Harlem a year ago. He said his former landlord in Hell’s Kitchen raised the rent so high to force the tenants to move.

The Beginning
http://www.vimeo.com/2570596

A studio apartment in the SoHo/Tribeca neighborhood runs for at least $2,395 per month, a one-bedroom in the Lower East Side costs about $2,250, while an affordable studio in Harlem for those fleeing more expensive neighborhoods can be found for nearly $1,500 per month, according to data compiled for November by Citi Habitats, a New York City brokerage.

Central Harlem had only a small white population until recently. In 1980, white residents accounted for 1 percent of the population with just 672 people. From 1990 to 2005, the percentage of white residents increased from 1.5 percent to 4.3 percent of the population to a total of about 5,000 residents, according to census data. But many say that number has probably doubled during the past three years.

The Middle
http://www.vimeo.com/2570673

Even as the numbers of white people have increased exponentially in Central Harlem, it remains a symbol of black success and autonomy. The neighborhood has been among those newly gentrified communities most closely watched.

During 1990 to 2005, the percentage of black residents in Central Harlem decreased from 88 percent to 72 percent with a total black population at about 85,000, according to census data.

The End

Although Friedman laments that some Harlemites are not happy with the newcomers moving in to the neighborhood, he hopes that time will change things. Still, some long time residents of Harlem plan to continue their struggle to stop the displacement of families from their community through gentrification.

The Brighton Beach bungalow district used to be a thriving residential community. Rampant, aborted overdevelopment is turning the place into a ghost town.

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The introduction by Igor Kossov.

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Judd Fischler tells a story of his neighborhood’s decay.

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Gladys Gladkowski remembers how things used to be.

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Wayne Harshfield makes grim predictions for the future.

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Milly speaks out about the condos taking over the area.

My sister asked me to cat-sit for her this week while she goes on vacation with her boyfriend–and like the good sibling I am, I said yes.  The night before she was set to leave, she called to inform me that the hot water had gone off in her apartment building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Apparently, this happens often, about once a month, sometimes more. It could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. I asked her if she complained to the super, and she laughed, saying episodes like this are regarded as one of those things that come with the territory when you’re a New York City renter.

This incident—and the prospect of a weekend of cold showers—got me thinking. Sure, there are certain things that go hand-in-hand with urban dwelling, especially in New York. Tiny rooms are a given. Street noise is to be expected. Even bugs and rodents (ick) are usually met with a certain amount of reluctant acceptance. Most people are willing to deal with certain negative aspects of city life. But considering the cost of living and renting in New York, is a consistent supply of hot water too much to ask?

I checked out some websites on tenants’ rights and found on the New York City Department of Housing website that, “Building owners are required to provide hot water 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.” Were my sister a little less passive aggressive, she could file a complaint at 311, who would contact the buildings’ owner or send an inspector to the building if the hot water was not restored.

This article from the New York Times a few months back offered a look at another threat to renters—the foreclosure crisis. Many tenants, a group seemingly safe from the mortgage failures, have been forced out of their homes when their apartment buildings were foreclosed. Many buildings with no owners to repair and oversee them have fallen into dilapidated, nearly un-livable conditions for the tenants who have stayed behind.

In case you were wondering, the hot water came back on a few hours after my sister’s phone call. I’m curious to hear everyone’s landlord/rental horror stories (I know you all have them). Please share!