Oct 1, 2019

One of the neighborhoods I grew up in before I moved here was Bushwick. Bushwick is where I grew up mostly, until I moved here in 1969. I went to junior high school there, public school there. But you know, it was a fun block because I lived on a private block, and you know, everybody knew everybody on the block. Summertime, I liked that we had block parties like that, we’d party and all of that with the neighbors. That’s what one thing I liked, it was more community-oriented at that time – that was in the 60’s.

I moved here in 1969, April the 24th, right down Wyckoff – 185 Nevins Street. I’ve been here 50-something years. I know I don’t look it, but I’ve been here since I was 16, when we moved down here, and I”ve been in these projects for 50 years. So I’ve seen a lot of things come and go, a lot of changes in the neighborhood, and I still see it. It was quiet, it wasn’t crazy like it is now. It was very nice, it didn’t look like a project, it looked like a co-op when I first moved here. That’s another story…well over time, you change things. They had different things happen, drugs, violence, all of that stuff. That a lot of the projects have, that I’m sick of lookin’ at, but what can I do about it, I’m just one person… But otherwise, I still like this neighborhood, I don’t care how they change it around. I like this area. It’s convenient, you can get to Manhattan because you’re near all the subway stations, all the transportation and it’s easy for you to commute from here anywhere. We’re going through regentrification, where they buying out the people, and they tryin’ to put it in for the rich… A lot of people moved away because of violence, a lot of people passed away. A lot of people moved down south because they thought it would be much better because the rents here are gettin’ too darn high. They move to places where it would be cheaper, affordable, it’s not affordable here anymore. That’s my story, I sound like I’m complaining. But I just want to stay here in this area where I am because I like it so much. So I have to fight the powers that be here. The rich..