Category: Blog 2

Recently there was an attempt to rezone Industry City in Sunset Park around 2015 but was rejected in 2020. This was mainly because many of the people who lived in Sunset Park was opposed to the idea as rezoning Industry City would be yet another attempt of gentrification in the area. 

The rezoning project was an attempt at neoliberalism in Sunset Park that led the people that lived in the area, mainly minorities, to actively speak out against it. They ended up succeeding but even when they did, what they faced was similar to what graffiti artists faced in Dickinson’s text. During and after the rezoning process, rhetoric by the media was used to create a specific narrative that benefited neoliberalism. 

The media when speaking on the decision would focus on the loss of job opportunities and the overall misfortunate failure of the rezoning. While the decision was a victory for many of the residents who wanted to help protect their neighborhood by stopping the continuing attempts of gentrification in the area. Especially as many of the development in Industry City would not be aimed at the neighborhood’s demographic. Gentrification is also a serious issue in the neighborhood as Sunset Park has already been recognized as a neighborhood in NYC that is undergoing gentrification. 

The usage of rhetoric, especially about neoliberalism in the city, is important as outsiders will learn on the issue based on the media. Therefore, focusing only on how the loss of neoliberalism means the loss of jobs while ignoring and disregarding the negative implications it will have on the neighborhood and its residents, leads outsiders to side with neoliberalism, even if subconsciously. Similarly to how the media in the city would try to criminalize graffiti artists while praising neoliberalism as the savior of the city at the time. 

First off to begin this, I believe it is inevitable when living in a big market cities like (New York city, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.) that neoliberalism would be constructed. Since many people always want what is new and the lastest feature, I’m sure they would do the same with the places they live. I say this based off my experiences and what I see from a far regarding the older buildings or stores they have took down near my area to construct something new. It seems like if it profits them, then it will get done even if it affects a certain group of people. So yes I have witnessed the effects of neoliberalism as a resident of New York by seeing public areas or resources for the public turn into privatization. You would think that laws are made in favor of the people but sadly it does seem like it isn’t. Since my mother recently had her problems with Medicaid and how they didn’t guarantee long term care. However, as I said earlier if they see profit from it then they will indeed continue with it. The landscape of New York has definitely changed since I’ve lived here because so many places that I grew up going to has been changed to other businesses, and many new renovations have occurred as well. Many public parks and public places where people would go have been turned into private which will make people pay to get in.

Observations that relate to the Dickinson’s text would be that since the city was turning into a more business look and those who have private companies would prosper rather than the actual citizens. I would connect this to my observations because of the laws that seem to not benefit the people as they previously intended too.

Throughout my life, as a resident of New York City, I have witnessed the effects of neoliberalism and noticed my own community change with it. Starting off with health insurance, although there are programs built into the system to help low income communities be able to receive the care and help they need, you need a social security to be eligible to apply. Most low income communities are filled with immigrants in search for a better life. Privatization of insurance companies don’t only make it harder for these low income communities to apply for insurance, but make it a financial barrier for them as well.
With Covid-19 and the pandemic as a whole, everyone was affected disregarding your social class. Having insurance as a financial barrier families lived though an extremely tough experience, and were in debt coming out of hospitals. Covid-19 tests that were once free are now on the market for profit. I had an experience where I went to get COVID tested, standing on line for hours only to be told that the tests have ran out. Having to get tested by any means, I went to a location in Manhattan and there were about 8 people on line.

School, a public industry for all children to receive an education has also been turned into a neoliberal practice. Depending on the school you go too, the cost varies. Private investors in these schools have a heavily weighted opinion when it comes to the school making decisions as well. Families who can afford to send their children to these private institutions or pay for a tutor to pass exams made for these schools are put at an disadvantage. Education is valuable in New York City.  Neoliberalism affects communities not fit for the image of New York City.

Like in the passage by Dickson, she mentions how graffiti does not compliment the image of New York. Following this, society put a negative stereotype on black and Latino men, calling them criminals and thugs. This only goes to show economic value is more important in the acts of neoliberalism than the health or happiness of its citizens.

Within my time in New York City, I have witnessed the effects of neoliberalism throughout my time in the city. An example of the effects of neoliberalism is when I used to go to a park near where I lived at the time. There were usually ice cream trucks and people with icee trucks as well. The ice cream trucks were from a private company while the people that sold icees were typically independent and were just trying to sell their icees to the people in the area. Typically, an ice cream truck would pass by the park and it would get a good amount of people that wanted to purchase ice cream from the truck. The icee truck sometimes would sometimes walk around the park so that they could get money as well. However, the ice cream truck did not want the icee truck to go to park when they were around so that they could end up making more money. The ice cream truck was a part of a company while the icee person was independent and it resulted in the ice cream truck having more power within the situation. It is an example of neoliberalism due to the fact that the ice cream company did not take into consideration the food that the people wanted or the business of the icee truck, showing how private companies can have power over certain places. This connects to one of the arguments made in Dickinson’s text which was that New York City in the 1970s was being transformed into a city that revolved more around private companies and business people rather than the citizens themselves. It shows how the city focused on being more of a city that focused more on business people and it connects to the ice cream truck and the icee truck example. The ice cream truck was a part of a private company that wanted to have power near the park and they did not allow the independent icee truck to sell their food as well which did not take into consideration the icee truck and the people who wanted to buy from the icee truck.

The landscape of New York has also changed throughout the years. I have seen a lot of different construction occurring in certain places across the city. Some of them involve improving sidewalks which has been something that I have seen multiple times. The construction can take time and it can limit the amount of vehicles that can pass through the road which can cause more traffic and having to take other routes. I have not witnessed a public or social service being replaced but I am aware of the New York housing for lower income people being less accessible due to less funding. It shows how it is not one of the bigger concerns for the city and it affects the lives of lower income people. The meme in general means that going against the norm or what is accepted within society is looked down upon until it can be of use or something can be gained out of it. The article showed that graffiti on trains were looked down upon but in today’s world people put certain things inside of trains to promote companies which shows that it is done for something to be gained out of it.

As a resident of New York, I have witnessed the recent effects of neoliberalism. The pandemic has exposed just how present neoliberalism in our society. For instance, the covid-19 tests. At first, all tests were free of charge; regardless of which type of test you requested. This was encouraging New Yorkers to get tested and stay safe. More recently, however, I noticed how many tests now come with a price. In order to get tested to travel, for example, you usually have to get tested within a certain time frame, such as 48 hours before your flight. In order to get the results within that time frame, many testing sites charge you an amount of money. This shows how something that was once open to the public for free, has been privatized to those who could afford it. Since I’ve lived here, I’ve seen New York change in many ways. Certain parks have become closed to the public, and only those who have status or money can have access to those parks. People with money buy land like this just to limit access, so that people with power are surrounded by other people with power. I believe New York is a great example of how power wants more power.

Another public service that has been limited is Medicaid in New York. Recently, certain laws were added that make it more difficult for New Yorkers to get Medicaid benefits for long-term care. Medicaid was made to help out New Yorkers and make healthcare more affordable for them, but these laws do the opposite.

In Dickinson’s article, she argues that the government in New York had privatized public spaces not only to limit graffiti, but also to make a profit. This is exactly what goes on today, as an attempt to make certain areas in New York appeal to the upper class. The people doing this wanted to make sure the people in business had everything they wanted – which is what happened with the example of the park I previously stated.  Overall, I feel like neoliberalism in New York City is growing day by day.