Comments on: ‘White hipsters get out of Pilsen’

By: PrincessandtheWarrior

PrincessandtheWarrior — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 21:29:56 +0000

Since this point hasn’t yet been brought up, I thought I’d add it to the discussion … One of the major reasons that artists, art students, and the like move to these neighborhoods is because they themselves are poor. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to make a living wage as an artist – especially a young and/or studying artist … So artists find these communities that are cheap to live in and are also usually quite interesting – culturally and visually. The problems then begin when landlords start to take notice, start raising rents and then use that money to start fixing up the buildings and the neighborhood (businesses and such) also starts to change to cater to it’s new residents (health-food stores, vegetarian restaurants, quirky shops, etc open up). This would all be a fine thing until the rents start to get so high that first they push out all of the original residents and then they eventually push out most of the young and poor artists … All of the people who helped to make the neighborhood a “cool” place to live in and then they have to find new places to live, so it happens all over again in the next “poor” neighborhood. Just look at NYC – it happened to Manhattan in the late 80′s and now is spreading out into the other boroughs. It’s really not the artists who are to blame – it’s the landlords and the lack of helpful laws that would serve to allow these sorts of neighborhoods to flourish, grow, and be revitalized WITHOUT pricing most people out of their homes – something like rent-control or grandfather-type clauses or subsidies for people who have rented/owned for a specific amount of years before prices went up. I don’t know THAT much about renter’s laws and rights, but I think that that is wherein these problems should be fixed. It’s really not about racism or discrimination so much as it is about money. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m an artist and I’ve lived in a few neighborhoods (in NYC and Boston) in which this was happening. In Boston, things seemed to work out much more peacefully and the rents, although raised to reflect the renovation, didn’t exclude everyone who isn’t making at least $70k a year. In NYC, things get completely out of hand and there is no longer a section 8 program to help out … It’s really a shame, I had to leave NYC (I was living in Williamsburg) because with a job that paid $40k/year I simply couldn’t afford it anymore. So, just remember – the “hipster” artists get screwed in the end as well – perhaps we are screwing ourselves but it’s really only in an honest attempt to find affordable housing, just like everyone else is looking for (and we don’t have the benefit of being eligible for welfare, food stamps, section 8 or similar programs, Medicaid or anything like that – many of us have no insurance and less money than the average poor person who is eligible for government assistance). The point of all of this being, blame the correct people … Vote wisely and in every election, write letters, petitions, get out there and do something instead of just complaining, better yet complain to the people in charge – that’s the best we can do.

By: violetsareblue

violetsareblue — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:04:41 +0000

I’ve been though the gentrification of many neighborhoods and the problem is when you fix up a cheap place and then some rich jerk comes along and steals your place from you for higher rent.

The problem is the rent.

CHEAP RENT.

DON’T MAKE IT ABOUT RACE, WHEN IT IS ABOUT FRICKING MONEY.

By: pinche pendejo

pinche pendejo — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:29:24 +0000

Awesomely subtle spam post, my friend — I hope this business proposition works out well for you!

By: wedding dj

wedding dj — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:49:58 +0000

My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for yourself? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome site!

By: pilsen native

pilsen native — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:07:21 +0000

this is an idea presented by someone very bad at saying what they mean. because they dont quite know what they mean, its hard to define, but the issue exists. because its so hard to pin point, all i can say is how i feel. these people, not all white, but from originally somewhat privileged backgrounds, at least more privileged than pilsenites, have taken this community and accessorized themselves with it. they preach about the hollowness of yuppies, often times their own parents, and go on to tell me about the rawness of my neighborhood. they feel like theyre back down to the earth their parents kept them from. the graffiti, the ruckus…the cheap apartments. everything they love about it is everything I cannot stand. we WANT the privileges theyre running from. we want a clean, gang-free, flourishing community. what that sign should have been saying for years is get out, gangbangers and lowlives. but no, i dont take these people wearing our community like a new pair of thick rimmed glasses, or skinny jeans, lightly.

By: someone

someone — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:33:01 +0000

The people they should be protesting are wealthy developers and city officials who raise property values. Not cheap white people who want to live in cheap housing. Targetting individuals will just result in race riots. Hate begets hate.

By: jummy

jummy — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:28:44 +0000

there was several years back a similar missive posted around pilsen; fliers which said “gringos no, gringas si” and “whites out of pilsen”. would you be surprised to learn that these were the work of a white anarchist collective calling itself ASAP (anarchist skins and punks)?

By: Jonboywalton

Jonboywalton — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:31:52 +0000

I am a person from another country with a much more homogeneous population, the UK. But to say they we don’t have racism would be a big lie. As an English guy in the USA I am regularly amazed at how segregated the cities are here and how normal that feels, I can’t cite any studies but it feels much less so in many comparable countries. A person’t “race” is an issue that gets talked about in the USA when it is irrelevant elsewhere, for example here I here talk about a political candidate’s “race” whereby elsewhere it is a non-issue for the vast majority of voters and therefore not talked about.

By: HajjaCajja

HajjaCajja — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:10:22 +0000

Poor people always get pushed around, sometimes it involves race. End of ugly story.

By: HajjaCajja

HajjaCajja — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:04:44 +0000

Wait…I think you need to clarify.
Some of my personal experience is that yes, the US is pretty close-minded and slow-for-change.
However, have you ever talked to some people from other countries with more homogenous populations?
Some of the most outright bigoted individuals I’ve ever met in my life.

By: pat

pat — Sun, 15 May 2011 22:32:50 +0000

^ best comment

By: SFitall

SFitall — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:54:48 +0000

I’m always “Knee Deep” in PBR. totes.

By: CAPTAINAWESOME

CAPTAINAWESOME — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:45:05 +0000

After growing up in the silverlake/echo park in L.A. in the late 80′s/ early 90′s, i have seen this firsthand, it’s NOT THAT BAD. I’m sick of these whiny pussies who AREN’T from the area the’re trying to “protect”, you moved in before it was “cool” and now your entitled to pull bullshit like this? People are always going to need a place to live, white, black, hip, square, chzech, russian, latino, WHATEVER, people will move into a neighborhood always with opposition first. Get over it, this is the way of the world. You whiny fucks.

By: T.C.

T.C. — Fri, 13 May 2011 22:16:54 +0000

If you don’t like what’s happening in your neighborhood, change it.

If you can’t change it and it bothers you that much, then leave.

If you don’t want to leave, shut the hell up and deal with it.

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:49:50 +0000

Funny, I thought it meant friends that he slept with; which I thought was clever, but maybe not intended, either.

Anyway, the whole thing is about classism, not racism.