When real estate companies and developers begin to look at your neighborhood more and more intently we know that there is a big danger of gentrification creeping in. When investments begin to top $2 billion in The Bronx, that means we’re no longer the final frontier but things are already happening.
From Martin Kleinman’s The Real New Yorkers:
“As I write this, the rain falls on a cold and dreary day and that, I suppose, is as it should be, for a Real New Yorker has fallen.
There is no great tragedy when a person dies at 85 — at least that is what some would have you believe. The common wisdom is that the death of a child, or young adult is, somehow, sadder, because of all the promise that lays ahead in life and because the pain of the parents resonates so fully. Children should not pre-decease their parents.
Welcome2TheBronx is one of 19 blogs who have provided anecdotal stories on gentrification creeping into their respective neighborhoods for a feature Curbed worked on for the 50th anniversary of the coining of the word ‘Gentrification’.
Producer and President of Odd Girl In Entertainment Linda Nieves-Powell is seeking die-hard JLo fans to to give Jennifer Lopez’s haters a piece of their minds. If you are lover of all things Jennifer Lopez then this is for you:
“I’m looking for JLo LOVERS to SKYPE into our @Latinaschatmedia session on Saturday, from 1pm-2pm to give the haters a piece of their mind. I’m looking for FB friends or friends of friends who are passionate about Jennifer Lopez, over-the-top fanatics would be great. The Skype session will be filmed. If interested email me here oddgirlinentertainment@gmail.com.”
So come on, we know you’re out there. What are you waiting for, hurry up and reach out to Linda!
In one fell swoop (after 4 years of planning) the head of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, ushered in the largest reorganization of the archdiocese in its 208 years of existence. Six parishes in The Bronx are slated to merge with six others which will leave the borough 6 churches that will close by August 2015. In total, 112 parishes will be merged across the archdiocese.
For those not looking to travel outside The Bronx for Halloween, Welcome2TheBronx has compiled a handy list of fun and free events in our own home borough for tomorrow. From FREE Holiday portraits at the Bronx Documentary Center to spooky readings of Edgar Allan Poe’s classics at Poe Cottage, to Baron Ambrosia hosting a special Safe Streets and Treats event, there’s something for folks of all ages!
Bally’s gambling complex proposal at the former Trump Links in Throggs Neck relies on getting state approval to alienate parkland, but lacks local leaders’ support as the legislative session winds down. By…
This Saturday November 1st is the opening reception of ‘Point. Click. Shoot.’ at Wallworks New York in Port Morris.
The exhibition includes photography from some of the biggest names in the craft who have documented people and neighborhoods with a cast of Bronx and Downtown photographers including the world-renowned Annie Leibovitz.
Between the screeching of the 4 Train overhead and the sounds of drills and valves, you can hardly find serenity on Jerome Avenue in The Bronx. All of that noise is probably ambiance for the mostly immigrant mechanics who keep one of the last few auto repair zones of its kind Downstate functioning. For all of its noise and environmental pollution, Jerome offers refuge to many. Consumers come there for its cheaper auto repair prices. And the employers keeping it running are some of the few fortunate enough to still hold automotive repair jobs, in a market where those opportunities are increasingly harder to come by.
It’s here that the City is exploring “designing” a new neighborhood, to be called Cromwell-Jerome. According to the Department of City Planning’s website, the initiative will be “a community-driven neighborhood plan centered on affordable housing in Community District 4 and Community District 5 in the Bronx.” Promises are that there will be a comprehensive plan to improve traffic safety, crime rates, and food access for the neighborhood also.
In light of the recent attacks on two innocent, young Bronx African boys from Senegal and were called “Ebola”, the following is an important educational awareness event:
In response to the deadly Ebola virus outbreak that directly and indirectly affects the African community here in the Bronx and throughout the city, we the Ghanaian community in collaboration with the Hip Hop Pioneers Ground Breakers of the Bronx, have put together a comprehensive program to educate the immediate communities citywide and eventually take it globally. This collaboration is so great because the hip hop pioneers who were the original messengers are now being rebirth through this collaborative efforts with the new and growing Ghanaian community to bring forward awareness. We are requesting the assistant of local media and national media help us educate the global community. We invite the press to to take coverage of this important event and help disseminate information. You can also inform your media contacts that we have an open schedule for pre and post interviews. If we can get some press before the event it would be great!
Since we first began discussing Cromwell-Jerome on Welcome2TheBronx and throughout various Bronx Facebook Groups, many residents have been disturbed by the idea of the rebranding of a neighborhood and the community not having input in even the proposition of the study area which was presented by Department of City Planning last month.
On Saturday, during the second tour of the study area which was hosted by DCP, Bronx residents disrupted the tour in anger. Welcome2TheBronx received calls and emails about what had transpired including their fear and anger at what they perceive is going on.
Thousands of cyclists rode their bikes across the borough to enjoy the beauty that is The Bronx for the 20th annual event known as Tour De Bronx which is hosted by Transportation Alternatives. The tour had two routes to choose from: a 25 mile route and a 40 mile route which took you across all the neighborhoods of our borough.
Check out this awesome video by Jose Gonzalez who took part in this event. I had registered for the event but due to a last minute conflict in my schedule, I couldn’t make it and boy it looks like I missed out on a lot of fun! There’s always next year!
Here’s an excellent article and interview with Bronx Hero David Gonzalez, a Bronx born and bred New York Times reporter.
Reporter Samy Nevir Olivares of CentroVoices says of Gonzalez:
“After working at Newsweek, Gonzalez moved to The New York Times in 1990, becoming one of the first Latino staff at the paper. There he led the Bronx and Central America/Caribbean bureaus. Along with reporting, he co-edits Lens Blog and does the biweekly Side Street photo-essay feature for the City Room blog.
For his social conscience and in-depth work, Gonzalez won Columbia University’s Mike Berger Award in May 1992, and the 2008 Distinguished Writing Award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors for “House Afire,” a feature for The Times. He was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Hall of Fame in 2013.”
