Brownsville, New York is known as one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Within the past year, there were approximately 936 assaults, 198 counts of robbery and 33 shootings. The neighborhood struggles with poverty as well. More than 54% of children live in public housing and less than half of adults have jobs. During my research process, I conducted two interviews with residents from the Brownsville community. My goal was to support or deny the argument that Brownsville is a dangerous neighborhood to be in.

It was a Wednesday night, about 6 p.m. when I entered the grocery store located on Ralph Avenue. The royal blue sign that read, “Lily’s Mini Market”, contained bright lights, which made the store stand out on the dark block. The deli contained see-through glass windows, giving the opportunity for people to see what’s going on inside. As I walked into the store, the refrigerator aisle is located straight ahead. I noticed a man sitting on a black milk crate, restocking Snapples in the refrigerator. He was an older dark-skinned man, with a full beard that contained white patches of hair. He wore a Yankees hat tilted to the side, a black hoodie, dark blue denim jeans, 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 is Pablo. He shared with me that he isn’t technically employed at the deli, but helps organize the store for a couple hours a day, 2-3 times a week. His duties consists of: greeting customers that enter the store, stocking shelves and refrigerators, and maintaining a clean work space. The owner of the grocery store pays him about $150 dollars a week, depending on how much he works.

Pablo has been part of the Brownsville community for about 40 years. He was an alcoholic all his life, and ended up being homeless multiple times. 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. Pablo got punched in the face and pretended to be unconscious for the man won’t hit him anymore. He laid on the floor until the ambulance came.  He has been living in and out of shelters for years. Recently, Pablo became sick and was hospitalized for kidney disease. He is now on dialysis, and lives in a small apartment in Brooklyn that a social worker from Brookdale Hospital provided him with. I asked Pablo what were his thoughts 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 environment of Brownsville. After 40 years, this neighborhood has seen him at his lowest points, and he eventually met people who helped him get back on his feet.

I was walking down the block around 6:30 p.m. and spotted the next person that I was going to interview. This man goes by the name of “Junior”. He was exiting out of a brick, two-family house surrounded by a fence with a stoop of four stairs. Junior is a skinny, tan-skinned Dominican man. As we were introducing ourselves, I noticed that he had a very strong accent so I decided to continue the interview in Spanish. When he got closer to shake my hand, a strong odor of sweat brushed my nose. He has 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. Whenever someone passed by us, they would greet him, showing me that he is well respected around this community.

While interviewing Junior in front of the house that he exited of, I found out that he lives there. The building is a couple houses down from the store that Pablo works at. Junior works as a building superintendent. His job responsibilities consists of: throwing out garbage, painting apartments and repairing broken household objects.  He keeps everything organized inside and outside of his building. He has been working as a handyman for this building for more than 10 years. I asked Junior what were his opinions about the block that he works and lives on. 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.” Junior knows that where he lives isn’t paradise.  However he can’t complain because he lives for free.

After my interviews, I concluded that Brownsville, New York is not considered a favorable town in New York City. Both my interviewees gave off the impression that Brownsville is not the place to be. Pablo and Junior only reside there because they have nowhere else to go. I came to the understanding that there are many residents in Brownsville who live here just because it’s all that they can afford. It really changes my viewpoint of Brownsville being a dangerous neighborhood, into just being one of the least economical towns in Brooklyn.