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In all of the discourse over white-collar people leaving NYC, it’s important to remember that the working class can leave as well.
When I did BBBS, my ‘little’ lived in the south Bronx, and his mother spent a year planning their move to Orlando. 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/nyregion/bronx-unemployment-covid.html
When I did BBBS, my ‘little’ lived in the south Bronx, and his mother spent a year planning their move to Orlando. 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/nyregion/bronx-unemployment-covid.html
She and her son lived with her parents. She did not have a vast pool of savings. She had a) a smart son, b) some cousins in Orlando she could crash with, c) a ton of grit, and d) a great desire for her son not to come of age in the south Bronx. 2/
They left for Florida at the beginning of the year. It took time for mom to find work (she drove an Uber in the interim), and about six months to get an apartment of their own, which my little tells me is nicer than what they had in the Bronx - there’s even a pool. 3/
He has zero nostalgia for the old neighborhood.
I say all this because in the mayoral race, we’re getting nativism from @cmenchaca, @ericadamsfornyc and others. It’s ‘bad white gentrifiers come in, and make existing residents feel like strangers in their own neighborhood’ 4/
I say all this because in the mayoral race, we’re getting nativism from @cmenchaca, @ericadamsfornyc and others. It’s ‘bad white gentrifiers come in, and make existing residents feel like strangers in their own neighborhood’ 4/
But the fact is, the working-class, the blue-collar base, are no different than the rich when it comes to perceiving opportunity (or a lack thereof), despite candidates’ efforts to infantilize them and frame them as helpless. They will leave if they can and feel they must. 5/
The below chart, from @unitedvanlines, helps tell the story (although it probably understates it). 22% of move-outs from NYC earned less than $75k. Mobility is lower among a lower-income population, but it’s certainly not zero. 6/
So whenever a politician rails against ‘gentrification’, it’s worth asking if he’s actually speaking for his constituents - or if he’s speaking for the non-profits, community organizations, local activists and other entities that drive votes and help him consolidate power. 7/
In a sense, my little’s mother ditched the old neighborhood because it *hadn’t* changed. It was the same crab-in-bucket mentality as when she grew up there, and the thought of her precocious son never seeing opportunity beyond those immediate blocks scared her. 8/
And now Florida will most like reap the future benefits of having my little as a resident - he is smart, funny, and will succeed in whatever he ends up doing.
Just remember, though - he wasn’t ‘pushed out’. His mother saw opportunity elsewhere, and she’s not the only one. 9/9
Just remember, though - he wasn’t ‘pushed out’. His mother saw opportunity elsewhere, and she’s not the only one. 9/9
Bonus tweet: wish we would see a lot more of this from our elected officials. This is real leadership, and real representation. https://mobile.twitter.com/NYJohnSanchez/status/1335938658780721156
