Welcome to the Fish News Special Report. I'm Connie Fuss. Today we take a look at the effects of gentrification in Fishtown through the eyes of one long time resident, Sonny. You will hear the candid thoughts of Sonny as he reflects on the continuing changes in his neighborhood.
We simply posed one question to Sonny. How has gentrification effected you? We then let the camera roll without interruption. Here's Sonny from Fishtown.
"lawdy, lawdy it aint rite." "you'unt think it happen here..but it come heer." "I...I kin heer it ..I can see Tom Hanks, you know dat baseball movie, Tom Hanks standin at the dugout tellin dem baseball players, "Aah come onnn." "White people don't get jentrefried."
"we did." "we all got gentrefried." "what a funy word." "dey call it dat!" "but dey aint railly knowin wut dat word mean." "wut it do to people."
"dem folks, a lot of dem, a lot of dem dount have no family, no kids, dey aint go no church, no friends dat dey grow up wit, call heer home an dey cant live heer no more." "lawdy, dey dount think about dem thangs, dem thangs wen dey have kids." "dem kids, if dey hav any, dey hav to move too, dey wont be affordin to live heer eeder." "dats what make fishtown solid, the genration." "we'in look out for each udher rich or poor." "we look out fore each utder makes fishtown solid." "dey aint a looking out fo no one but dem selfs." "we'n count anymo." "leftovers, not on the menu anymo.'
"dey make fun of us cause we pass our home to our chil'ren for little or nothin." "they meen people puttin us down, " "dey make the naiborhood better...dey say dat...why dey move heer because we make it nice, we made it safe to bring up a family." "lawdy, dey hav der head up der backsides." "dey don't wanna heer dat." "dey only heer dem selfs braging." "deyn't listen, deyn't talk a to no body but dem selfs."
"dem conmitey people and all der conmiteys and not a thang for poor peole to hang on to." "dey just happy dey got thears and not a peep 'bout dose who strugel cause of home taxses." "dem taxses are crazy now." "dey aint thinkin bout dat." "I hope dey do'nt loose a job." "dey be movin to."
"new house, they ugly paper plate house an wo'nt las 20, 30 yeers." "trow away houses like a, like a ciggeret ligter" "my new naibor show me his compuder and da web of dem conmitey type people." "it look good, lots of nice thangs dey sayed." I say to ken, he nice, who dees people on da conmiteys?" "we look, and look, and a look sumore." "aint no body deer." "dey muss be goast." "no names, aint no body deer." "but dey suren hav lot to say." "dey hiding?" "look you self youn't find dem eeder"
"dey find out if dey live long like me." "jentrefried!" deyn't no wat dat word mean." (camera fades out)
A changing neighborhood doesn't always change for the good of everyone who lives there. It's about what Sonny was saying of the less financially fortunate having to pull up their roots of the generations that helped make this neighborhood so attractive to others. Now they are left out, as Sonny would say "gentrefried", because progress tends not to know the lives it effects regardless of the results.
I'm Connie Fuss, Fish News Network Special Report.
lampoonery by roman blazic
I got it. You turned the table on everybody. You're mocking yourself. It's so obvious now.
ReplyDeleteYes. You're welcome to break the news.
DeleteUnreal! The Fishtown Neighbors Association revamped their entire web site after this blog appeared. Now the ghost have names and a picture of who is who. If only you could write something to get them to be all inclusive and expose how they cater to the few and their self interest.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that you were mocking yourself. Trolls have no defense. That's how I saw it until I read again today. My wife read it too. She reminded me how a good friend had to move because living here became too expensive. It made me think that many others had to move from their homes for the same reason especially those who rented a house. It's unfortunate and now I understand that you were acting as a voice for these people. What a crazy way to do it but now I understand. I hope other understand.
ReplyDelete