In the first of a series of neighborhood profiles that we call Neighborhood Watch, we focus on Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of the largest communities in New York City. Known as an African-American cultural center, the area has played a prominent role in several Spike Lee movies (Do the Right Thing, Clockers, Crooklyn, Summer of Sam), and is the garden from which a number of recording artists have grown (Aaliyah, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, and numerous others). Recently, Bed-Stuy has been embroiled in the center of the gentrification debate with an influx of hipsters into the neighborhood.

In order to get a better grasp on the ins and outs of Bed-Stuy, we spoke with Bed-Stuy Banana, a self-professed “yellow girl raised in a white suburb shacked up with a white boy [who] had a tan kid in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a primarily black neighbourhood in Brooklyn, New York.” Here’s what she had to say.

How long have lived in Bed-Stuy and what attracted you to the neighborhood?
I left my apartment in Prospect Heights four years ago and moved in with my partner, Big Joe, in northern Bed-Stuy. To be honest, at the time, he was the main attraction, not the neighborhood. Big Joe could have lived in a dumpster in New Jersey and I would have made the best of it. Lucky for me, he lived in a beautiful brownstone with a garden. In my fifteen years in New York, I’ve been happier in Bed-Stuy than any other neighborhood, in that it’s the first place I’ve lived where I’ve actually gotten to know my neighbors.

Which other neighborhoods have you lived in?
In Manhattan: Greenwich Village, the East Village, and the Lower East Side. In Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Park Slope and Prospect Heights.

What is it about your time in Bed Stuy that’s helped you become closer to your neighbors? Is there a tight-knit sense of community?

Random strangers on the street in our hood congratulated me when I was walking around pregnant and also when our son was first born. Plus, the first week I moved in, while I was out weeding around our stoop, a neighbor two doors down introduced herself and welcomed me to the neighborhood. And of course, being a part of the rejuvenation of our block association was a huge community builder. My partner fixes the kids’ bikes on the block and we’ve helped other kids with their homework. We borrow and lend tools, say hello to any and all our neighbors, and we all help one another with the shoveling when the snow falls. Our neighbours invited us for drinks on their stoops when the weather is warm, accepted our FedEx packages when we’re away and given us free Tai Chi lessons in the playground. When there were a few break-ins on our block, we banded together and formed a “Neighborhood Watch.” Our neighbours also look out for my son when he’s riding his scooter down the sidewalk, and he plays with the other kids when they’re hanging outside their houses.

Yes, I would definitely say there is a tight-knit sense of community in that for the most part, the people who live here aren’t just passing through, this is their home and it has been for many years. They care deeply about what happens to their neighbourhood and would love for newcomers to do the same. I think they’re sceptical about young renters who are here for a short time and are only concerned about personal gratification – who may have a what-can-this-place-do-for-me attitude as opposed to what-can-I-bring-to-my-newfound-home perspective. Community is something that is built and worked upon with love and grace. Not something you pick up at the corner bodega.

Bed-Stuy is one of the largest (if not THE largest) neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Do the rents vary greatly as you move from one area of the ‘hood to another? What is the typical rent for a studio or 1 bedroom?
The southern end of our hood is more gentrified with cozy coffee shops, tree-lined streets and gorgeous buildings untouched by the riots of ’77. While the northern end next to Broadway is the cheaper, grittier side. Obviously, pretty and more amenities, equal higher rents. As for the actual numbers, it keeps changing. Craigslist could give you a better idea of that than me.

Is there anything unique to Bed Stuy that other New Yorkers may not be aware of?
The largest collection of Malcolm X street murals in the country. Now I can’t verify that fact, but I’m willing to bet a veggie burger on it.

Back in the day, Bed-Stuy was pretty rough and tumble and may still carry that stigma in the eyes of a few folks. What is the current state of Bed Stuy?
Don’t believe the hype. It’s all what you make it. Look for trash and you’ll find it, look for beauty and you’ll find that too. Although if your idea of beauty is chain bookstores, six dollar lattes and a majority of white residents, then Bed-Stuy is not for you.

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