From The Peopling of New York City
Response to Jackson Heights Tour
While walking down a street in Jackson Heights, I noticed many differences and divides within the community. As I walked, I could clearly see the divides that were mentioned in the reading; however, the conflicts that were mentioned were not as obvious while walking around in the neighborhood.
Around Jackson Heights, I can pick up on its two major divides: the commercial and residential area. The residential area didn’t seem as pleasant as it was described in the reading. I thought it would have been more spacious, but instead, everything is crowded together. The buildings have a small garden based on the “garden apartment” styles. This would have made me think that the gardens would have been more spacious, rather than how small they actually were. When we walked down Roosevelt Avenue in the direction of 76th street, I noticed that most of its occupants were of a Latino ethnicity; while, when walking towards 74th street, its occupants contained many Desi people. I thought that there would have been more interaction and it wouldn’t be as visibly obvious as described in the reading at the earlier point.
In the reading it mentioned initially that many public spaces were built and destroyed in order to build more apartment complexes. But, while walking today -- we only saw one park. The fact that there was only one park for numerous activities really surprised me because I would have thought that there would be more than one park available to the community, since it was built as a upscale neighborhood. In the reading it gave me an impression of there being open gardens, which sadly is not true today. Instead, there is just a garden in between a square, made by buildings. It was interesting to find out that a synagogue was used for parties and Islamic events. This also surprised me because it shows the interaction within the community. In my opinion, The United Methodist Church that is used by four different types of religion gives them much more interaction than it would, if only one religion was being used. These are the noticeable differences and divides that can be seen in the readings and in the walking tour.
Certain aspects such as hostility throughout the community weren’t really as blatant while walking through it. It wasn’t really conspicuous unless you count the encounter with the homeless guy, who was asking for money when he probably had more than all of us combined. That incident brought out the ethnic tensions and made me connect it to the readings, instead of just viewing it as a diverse community. This was a rare moment, considering I have been in Jackson Heights numerous times and it was the first time something like this happened. I think the readings made me more aware of the ethnic conflicts and tensions in Jackson Heights that are not visible. An example of that would be the school where children were bused out of Jackson heights schools and the “white parents” bitterly opposed this because they didn’t want their children to miss out on the growing up as a part of the Jackson heights due to the “schools being overcrowded and, predominantly Latino.” Also, another thing that didn’t cross my mind was the fact that some people think that the side of Roosevelt Avenue we were walking on is not a part of Jackson Heights; this also made me doubt that other people, who walk on it daily, know the difference either. I don’t really see how it’s more dangerous because I saw the same environment reflected on the other side of the street. There are a whole bunch of stores, bars, among many other types of shops and restaurants, on both sides of the street.
Today, I noticed many things mentioned in the reading such as the different divides (commercial, resident) and a lot of the things not present today, such as many of the public spaces. It is very crowded in the commercial areas such as Little India, and on the Latino side, but when you go to the residential (which is considered to be upscale) area, it is quite peaceful and quiet. The readings make it sound like a very ideal neighborhood; however, when you walk around, it’s not as great as the readings make it to be.
Question:
1) Does money matter or ethnicity matter more in real estate?
2) Are there any new apartment complex plans in the immediate future of Jackson Heights?
3) Are there any urban renewal projects in the work?
4) Do people who reside in Jackson heights really feel the ethnic divide or is it not that obvious from the inside?
5) Why is their very little African –American population present in Jackson Heights?
Works Cited:
Jones-Correa, “Intimate Strangers: Immigration to Queens.” 1998. Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York. Ithaca N.Y: Cornell University Press.
K.C. Williams. 2002. "Fear Desperation and Hope in Jackson Heights: The Effects of the Terrorist Attacks on Immigrant Communities." Literary Assistance Center pp. 1-10.
Philip Kasinitz, Mohamad Bazzi, Randal Doane .1998. "Jackson Heights, New York" in Cityscope, Vol. 4, No. 2.
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Jackson Heights – analyzing government info community district 3
Public Assistance (AFDX, Home Relief) – why is government decreasing amount of public assistance?
1994 it was $16,909
2000 it was $ 5,471
2004 it was $ 3,984
With time the amount of public assistance given to the community district (Jackson heights, East Elmhurst and North Corona decreases dramatically from the 1990’s to the 2000.
Amount of Medicaid help went up
2000 – $15,193
2001 – $18,256
2004 – $44,801
Education
• schools are overcrowded
• 9 elementary schools (PS 69, 92, 127,143,148,149,212,222, 228)
• 2 intermediate schools (i.s 145, 230)
• No high school
Even with 9 elementary schools, they are still overcrowded????
Why are there no high schools in community district three???
