Who are the Gentrifiers in Plainfield?

The term "gentrification" has come up in public comment at meetings recently, though with not as much vitriol as Spike Lee used in his recent commentary.

Lee was talking about Brooklyn, where changes seem to fit the original meaning of the term. Sociologist Ruth Glass is credited with creating the term in 1964 to describe displacement of working-class people with middle-class newcomers. The result is more pricey real estate and a cultural transformation that obliterates the old neighborhood.

Plainfield's development originated with the plain-living Quakers, but by the late 1890s West Eighth Street was known as "Millionaire's Row" for its ornate examples of Victorian architecture, and the meandering roads of the Sleepy Hollow section were also lined with mansions. Some of these estates remain, but many were cut up into apartments. By degrees, many stately homes and even the not-so-stately filled up with renters who now make up half the population.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports a poverty level of 19.4 percent for 2008-2012 in Plainfield, compared to 9.9 percent statewide. The median household income for that time frame is $54,425 for Plainfield and $71,637 statewide. So where is the gentrification?  Or are speakers who decry a change really talking about a different shift in demographics?

The biggest change in Plainfield since 2010 has been the increase in Latino population, but those who go to work in camionetas are not so much in the business of gentrification. By and large, Latino newcomers are not what Lee calls the  "hipster" type that frequent dog parks and upscale bistros. They are probably engaged in the same daily struggle to get along as the people who dominated the neighborhoods in the 2000 census.

In a rebuttal to Lee's "rant" as described in New York magazine, another man talks about the opportunity for "wealth creation" when longtime property owners in black neighborhoods have a chance to sell their homes at a large profit. Lee acknowledges the reverse migration of blacks down South where their money goes further. But he sees displaced renters who can't leave the city moving further and further out of their old neighborhoods until they reach, perhaps, the Atlantic Ocean. What is needed, he says, is more affordable housing.

Gentrification is a negative word. The 'hood, shorthand for neighborhood, is now used by just about everyone to conjure up fond memories of the home place, where generations grew up and created a unique culture. It is an affront to residents to find the scene of their struggles to get ahead now being taken over by outsiders sailing in with more money and different tastes. But is that really happening in Plainfield? Or are we talking about language barriers and unfamiliar customs?

Those who want to invoke the specter of gentrification in Plainfield need to explain where and how it is taking place. It may be good to note that there are several local proposals for the affordable housing that Lee recommends to ward off displacement.

If it is really more a case of diverse people getting to know each other, the city needs to increase understanding through its religious and community organizations, or animosity may build.

--Bernice

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