June was apparently a big month for this crazy yuppie spaceship. It got an article in the New York and LA Times. What publicity! And it seems like everything is going great for those wanting to live like Gordon Gekko on a budget.
But au contraire baby bear, something is rotten at Myrtle Place and these two articles see only the calm duck above the water.
I recently told someone that I felt like this building was a failed experiment, but I think I spoke too hastily. After all, experiments require a hypothesis, but what is this one’s? Join me as I hypothesize a list of possible hypotheses of this peculiar experiment. The LA Times article has a subheading that includes “It’s a test of coexistence.” That is enough to begin the list.
- Can a load of newcomers to the established community of Bed-Stuy coexist with current residents?
But perhaps there is more to the story than this. What about for those who built the building? Do they care if the people in this building coexist with the neighborhood? The fact that it is a for-profit business shows that their chief aim is to make money, so coexistence is not required. We have (and have been promised more) amenities to keep us in: doormen, an on-site laundry, a “fitness center”, Fresh Direct delivery and our very own convenience store.
Our own little minty fresh ice cave.
- Can a load of newcomers to the established community of Bed-Stuy coexist with current residents?
- Can a load of newcomers be sold condos rented apartments in Bed-Stuy if they are sufficiently separated from the established community?
But then again the owners of this ludicrous speed vessel had help. These units are subsidized baby, by none other than the friendly folks at your State and Local government. What is their angle?
- Can a load of newcomers to the established community of Bed-Stuy coexist with current residents?
- Can a load of newcomers be sold condos rented apartments in Bed-Stuy if they are sufficiently separated from the established community?
- Are property values inversely proportional to crime rates?
- Bonus How far can we ride this crazy wave of gentrification?
Concerning crime rates, apparently the police presence around this area was increased significantly once we moved in. Where was that heat coming from? Why would the police suddenly decide this block was worth policing? It’s a question which might have answers that many would like to ignore. Heck, I’d like to ignore it because it’s quite uncomfortable to think that I am being given special treatment just because I’m new. But I will not. I cannot. Now that I’ve worded the question, I need to find its answer, or at least acknowledge it. I don’t even know where to begin. Maybe they were already going to do it. Maybe it was, as someone else told me, all for the Jews. Maybe they only did it briefly which would explain the response time to pantless wonder who as it turns out was a resident (oops).
That’s where I could use your help dear reader. Which of these hypotheses have been proven true? Which are false? What are others that I have missed? What changed in Bed-Stuy?
P.S. An experiment normally requires a control group, but this ‘experiment’ could be construed as a measurement of a truth value, in which case no control group is necessary. Think of flipping a coin, but where the coin is shaped more like a basketball.
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