September 2007 Archives

test? did the internet break?

uh update.

A must-read: What the fuck is happening to Bushwick?

Says one real estate guy: "People in the neighborhood are ready to take their lives to the next level."

I'm so confused by that sentiment that all I can do is dribble green tea out of my mouth until my brain stops burning.

The crux of the problem is monetary, of course:

"It's happened so fast," says Roberto Marrero, a Legal Services attorney who has handled housing cases for the poor in Bushwick and Williamsburg for 10 years. "Rents were all around $600; that was what owners got. Then all of a sudden, in the last couple years, they doubled. Everywhere people looked, owners were asking $1,200—like that was the magic number all of a sudden." Even if the rent hike is well above the maximum set under state rent-stabilization guidelines, owners just take the chance that they won't get found out, Marrero says. "If no one challenges it for four years, it's legal."

Who's paying 1200 a month? Who? Where? ARGH.

The real travesty is that landlords don't listen to tenants, don't make repairs, and try to evict families if they think they can double rent. Read the article. It's astounding. (Thanks, Justin, for forwarding it.)

Check out this article from the Times about Evesham, NJ.

Long story short, an educational video called "That's a Family!" has just been banned because one of the families discussed is of the two-dads (a.k.a. "gay dads," "happy dads," "multi-dads") type, which upsets roughly 49% of the town. Apparently, if you show kids that gay people are normal and can raise families, you run the risk of convincing those kids to disown their parents. I don't get it.

Here's what one proud hetero child-builder had to say:

“I don’t think it was appropriate,” said Jennifer Monteleone, 35, who is a parent of two children at the Robert B. Jaggard Elementary School. “If it was maybe in fifth grade, but in third grade they’re a little too young.”

Riiight. By that reasoning, I know plenty of thirty-year-olds who are too young. Newsflash Jenny: Little bigots grow up and become big bigots.

These goings on in New Jersey almost disturb me as much as the disappearance of the bees and gorillas does. WTF, ebola gorillas? That's like some Bioshock Steve King South Park totally evil heavy shit.

I'll be in NYC 4pm Friday till sometime on Monday. As usual, I want to see most of you.