Andria Santos

Engl 1100

Professor Young

September 26, 2014

My home town

            I was born and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey. In 2005 Gentrification took place two blocks away from my home, where people were pushed out of their homes, and forced to move somewhere else. Our city built a vacation place on the beach called Pier Village. Pier village is a shopping center that has five star clothing shops and restaurants. It has brought up the value of property in Long Branch but also has brought up property taxes. Due to this it has caused people to no long afford to live in Long Branch and has forced them to move. As a resident of Long Branch and coming from parents who are home owners this has affected us, my parents taxes have double after pier village was built. Pier village attracts people from all over the state and gives our town business, but it takes away the history of what was once there. Growing up my family and I use to eat dinner at a little Portuguese restaurant once a week, that was once where pier village is today. Now that it is gone, not only do I not get to enjoy the delicious food but I do not get to drive by and remember all of the great memories my family and I once had.  There was also a big hill right in front of the beach where all of the kids in the neighborhood would go when it snowed. Now that the hill is gone and pier village has been established, kids younger than me such as my brother will miss out on a great experience like that.

            In the essay, written by Valerie Kinloch “Harlem, Art, and Literacy and Documenting “Harlem is Art”/”Harlem as Art”. She talks about gentrification in Harlem and how it is changing the community. She emphasizes on how old mom and pop shops are being replaced with new stores such as old navy and mac. She states “see, the hard part of this project on Harlem and art is facing them new people who aint from Harlem and think this community is all about new things popping up(Kinlcoh 152).”

            When people come to Long Branch they just see the nice shopping centers and taste the delicious food, but they fail to realize that was once there and who was affected by this gentrification. Pier Village has caused the residents to have nothing but memories of what was once there and has made it more expensive for residents to stay.