Brownsville, located in east Brooklyn, has been considered one of New York City’s most dangerous neighborhoods, with violence being its primary concern. I chose to observe one of its streets located on Ralph Avenue, between East New York Avenue and Sutter Avenue. My goal was to prove whether the neighborhood was a safe place.

Low Income Buildings

It was 3 P.M. on a Sunday afternoon when my friend and I got off the B12 bus. As we walked down Ralph Ave, heading towards Sutter Ave, we noticed 3 low-income buildings made of dark brown bricks, which took up majority of the block. The smell of marijuana tickled our nose as we approached this side of the block. Young African American men were outside the buildings with their bikes thrown on the floor in the middle of the sidewalk. Cars were double parked, with their windows down blasting music while everyone gathered around. There were a lot of older African American men who would hang out outside as well. Dressed in a white short-sleeve tank top, “sagging” jeans, sneakers and a hat, they would just be standing outside having casual conversations with other men.

The population in Brownsville shifted from Jews to an African American and Latino community. Most of the new residents were poor and socially disadvantaged, especially the new African-American residents coming from the South. The New York City Housing Authority built more public housings, due to the increase in population. The city began to redesign abandoned apartment buildings and turned them into low-income housing beginning in the late 1970s. The houses became the home base of a local gangs, and poverty went up to 40%. (Bellafante, 2013)

The Grocery Store

The only grocery store on this block contains a royal blue sign that reads, “Lily’s Mini Market”. On top of the sign, there were a bunch of flags representing countries such as: Dominican Republic, United States, Trinidad & Tobago etc. The deli contained see-through glass windows. I walked past the store, took a quick look in and saw one of the many Hispanic employees smoking hookah behind the counter. I asked myself if the owner of this store was okay with this. Meanwhile, the door was wide open, and the greasy smell of bacon touched my senses. I felt comfortable being around this deli, due to the fact that I was surrounded by people from my nationality.

I walked in the store and noticed the refrigerator aisle located straight ahead. I saw a man sitting on a black milk crate, stocking Snapple’s into the refrigerator. He was a dark-skinned older man, with a full beard containing white patches of hair. He had on a Yankees hat tilted to the side, a plain black hoodie, dark blue denim, and dirty Nike sneakers. As we were conversating, I noticed that he only had one tooth. The smell of cigarettes and beer left his mouth every time he spoke. The older man told me that his name was Pablo.

Pablo was able to share some of his life experiences with me. One night he was intoxicated and got into a fight with a younger man. He laid on the floor until the ambulance came.  He has been living in and out of shelters for years. I asked Pablo what his thoughts were on the neighborhood. He chuckled and said, “At first, I didn’t like this neighborhood at all. However, after living here for 40 years, I’ve met some people who I consider family.” Pablo learned to adapt to the dangerous environment of Brownsville.

Religion

The town of Brownsville was mainly populated by the Dutch. The land contained factories manufacturing stone slabs, used to create buildings. In 1823, the Dutch founded the New Lots Reformed Church in New Lots because the church in Flatbush was too far away. (Kadinsky, 2016) The church has its own cemetery that was built in 1841, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. (Covell, 1983)

Across the street from Lily’s Mini Market is a a Christian church with the name of Emmanuel Deliverance Temple. It was difficult to read the name of the church due to the camouflage of the beige, bricked walls. The church was surrounded by a huge, metal two-tone fence. We had arrived at a great time because mass had recently finished. We saw two older African American females walk out of church into their car. They were wearing fancy dresses with blazers, a big pink hat, excessive jewelry with nice classy heels. How long were they in church? Is that excessive attire part of their religion? Seeing these women made me feel a sense of relief, due to the negative aspects of this block, the church seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ralph Ave Restaurant

Next to the low-income buildings, was a Jamaican restaurant called “This and That”. The bright yellow and green sign really caught my eye and I thought it was interesting how the color of the sign represents the colors of the Jamaican flag. Outside was a big, black rusty grill where a man was cooking chicken on. The smell of smoke and jerk chicken touched my senses from even across the street. There are plastic chairs for people to sit on outside in front of the restaurant while they wait for their food.

The overall vibe that I got from being around this restaurant was very friendly. The majority of the people there were Jamaican and had loud-heavy accented voice. Everyone seemed content because they were enjoying their food. I thought to myself: “Do only Jamaicans come to eat here? Do other races like this food as well? Inside I saw an older Jamaican man with short dreadlocks waiting for his food. I asked him, “How often do you come to eat here?” He chuckled and said, “This is one of my favorite food spots in Brooklyn. Their chicken is out of this world! Their fast service is amazing, and they have reasonable prices.” This and That restaurant really opened my eyes to see the culture of Jamaicans. This business is just another addition to the diversity on the Ralph Ave block.

Family Houses: Are they comfortable?

There were multiple two-family houses next to Lily’s Mini Market. The houses were surrounded by a fence, usually having a stoop of four stairs, which led to old brick houses. People occasionally came out of their house with their pajamas and sat on their stoop, looking like they needed a bit of fresh air. There was also a giant, bright yellow Safeguard self-storage building. This made me wonder: How much is the monthly fee for having a storage unit in this neighborhood? Do a lot of people use this storage facility? Does this mean that the apartments nearby are little? Is there a relationship between the family houses and the storage facility?

I spotted a man walking out a house who goes by the name of “Junior”. He was a skinny, tan-skinned Dominican man. As we were introducing ourselves, I noticed that he had a very strong accent, so I decided to ask him some questions in Spanish. When he got closer to shake my hand, a strong odor of sweat brushed my nose. He had short hair and his hairline was pushed back. He was dressed in light blue distressed jeans, a white t-shirt, a black bubble jacket, and Timberland boots.

Junior has been living and working as a superintendent in one of the family houses on Ralph Ave for more than 10 years. I asked him what his opinions about the block were. He shook his head and said, “I hate it here. My tenants are rude and careless. I only live here because as a superintendent of a building, I am able to live in my apartment for free.” I also asked him, “In what conditions do you live in?”, and he replied “My apartment is very small. I live here with my wife and 13- year-old daughter and I feel like there isn’t enough space as we hoped for.” Junior knows that Brownsville is not the place to be. However, he cannot complain because he lives for free.

Conclusion

Walking back to the B12 bus stop, I realized that my research experience in Brownsville was coming to an end. The interviews that I conducted helped me answer some of my questions that I had about Brownsville. Their answers helped me form an opinion on the community. In my opinion, based on the interviews, Brownsville is not as bad as it seems. However, visiting the town in the early afternoon may have influenced my opinion. If I go back to Brownsville, I would still like to know: How much is the monthly fee for having a storage unit in this neighborhood? Is the owner of Lily’s Mini Market okay with his employees smoking in the store? How long is a mass in Emmanuel Deliverance Temple?

I felt a sense of relief because this street in Brownsville wasn’t as dangerous as I thought. I gained a lot of information from observing the street and talking to the residents of the community. I learned that Ralph Ave, between East New York Ave and Sutter Ave is a very diverse block. There were Latinos who were in Lily’s Mini Market smoking hookah. There were Jamaicans in This and That restaurant who were loud and obnoxious who enjoyed eating jerk chicken. There were African American men walking around the street with their pants sagging. All these people are part of different cultures.

 

Works Cited

Bellafante, Ginia (June 1, 2013). “In Marcus Garvey Village, a Housing Solution Gone Awry”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 4, 2016.

 

Covell, Anne B.  (March 1983). “National Register of Historic Places Registration:New Lots Reformed Church and Cemetery”. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved February 20, 2011.

 

Kadinsky, Sergey (September 2016). “Livonia Avenue, East New York”. Forgotten New York. Retrieved October 3, 2016.