Gentrification Continues to Cause Tension in New York

Gentrification continues to transform neighborhoods many New Yorkers once condemned as too violent. Bushwick, this blogger's home, remains an example of how a once maligned area has attracted a growing number of artists, hipsters and 20-somethings who have recently moved to the city. This influx of new residents continue to change the long-held identity on which Bushwick and other neighborhoods hold.

These changes inevitably cause tension among recent arrivals and long-time residents as the Los Angeles Times detailed today in an article about the evolution of the West Village. The neighborhood remains a cradle of the modern LGBT rights movement. But some long-time West Villagers remain unhappy with the new generation of LGBT people whom they say continue to disrupt their quality of life. Local residents have long complained of increased violence, vandalism and prostitution as a result of the youth who gather in the neighborhood. The murders of Sakia Gunn, Marsha B. Johnson and others only exacerbate these tensions.

The neighborhood and the Christopher Street Pier in particular remains a haven for many LGBT youth of color from the Bronx, Staten Island and New Jersey. West Villagers concerns about increased violence, vandalism and prostitution remain valid but it is perhaps disingenuous to exclusively blame the youth for the ongoing problems in the neighborhood. Many of these residents played prominent roles in the early gay rights movement. They, along with the youth themselves and their advocates, have a responsibility to ensure the neighborhood remains a safe haven for everyone.

House Passes Hate Crimes Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that would allow federal, state and local law enforcement to better prosecute hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act languished for nearly a decade in the formerly Republican controlled Congress before lawmakers passed it with a vote of 237 to 180. The Human Rights Campaign and other advocacy organizations quickly praised passage of the historic bill.

"This is a historic day that moves all Americans closer to safety from the scourge of hate violence," HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a statement. "Today, legislators sided with the 73 percent of the American people who support the expansion of hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity."

Legislation is a small part of a much larger solution needed to reduce the number of anti-LGBT hate and bias crimes in this country. Anti-LGBT organizations continue to frame LLEHCPA as an attempt by a radical agenda to stifle anti-LGBT sentiments. This argument is ridiculous but the Bush administration, which appears receptive to these positions, announced the President plans to veto the bill.

"The administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics such as race, color, religion or national origin," the White House said in a statement. "There has been no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement, and doing so is inconsistent with the proper allocation of criminal enforcement responsibilities between the different levels of the government."

Inconstant with the proper allocation of criminal enforcement responsibilities between the different levels of the government? Only 22 states have in place anti-hate crime statutes that include sexual orientation while less than a dozen of these states include gender identity or expression. The federal government has a responsibility to protect all of its citizens and the Bush administration's position fails to meet this responsibility. The murders of Matthew Shepard, Sakia Gunn, Brandon Teena and countless others are stark reminders of the tragedy these crimes continue to inflict in this country. Politicians, activists and average citizens alike all have a responsibility [and a duty] to work together to reduce the numbers of anti-LGBT violence. LLEHCPA remains a symbolic piece of this solution. But the Bush administration and other LLEHCPA opponents should attempt to explain their opposition to the friends and family members anti-LGBT hate crimes impact most directly before they further their gross misjudgments based on homophobia and transphobia.