Harlem
If you would have said Harlem, New York about ten years ago located in New York City some of these terms would come to mind; globetrotters, violence, drugs, hookers, crackheads, gangs and many others. But now in 2008 the community of Harlem has done a 180 degree turn in the other direction on the property scales. If you said you lived in Harlem ten years ago you would have been living in a bad neighborhood, a slum in some cases, and you would have been laughed at by people form better neighborhoods; now if you say you live in Harlem your probably living in a million dollar brownstone. The addition of former president Clinton’s office to the neighborhood is one the key components to what i like to call the Harlem revival. This neighborhood has been famous for good things like the globetrotters, jazz, and the Apollo theater as well as the bad things like drugs, dirty cops, and the American Gangster “Frank Lucas”. This historic African-American neighborhood is rich in African-American culture and the black community who has been living there for years through the good times and the bad, feels as if they are being stripped of their rights and being displaced from their neighborhoods.
“This is a takeover,” said Sikhulu Shange, the owner of a 125th Street record store. “This is theft. This is highway robbery. … If we don’t fight to win, this will be the end of an era.” This was said by a Harlem resident and he is right. This happens all over the United States, governing bodies say that they will pay residents for their buildings or for their land. Most of the time they will say yes, but if the people say no they are pretty much forced to sell and move ou. While the city makes a profit and the construction companis renovate or build overthe lan, turn around and sell the land for as much as ten times for than they parid for it. What ever happened to the good old days when your neighborhood was the only place where could go back too? Harlem not so much anymore unless you make some serious dough.
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