Planning To Succeed: Equality for Flatbush, Turning the Corner on Gentrification

Friday, February 1, 2019

Equality for Flatbush, Turning the Corner on Gentrification

It is Imani Keith Henry who maintains the stamina to lead two social change organizations: Equality for Flatbush (E4F) and Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network (BAN). E4F’s tagline is “Before It’s Gone, Take It Back.” It asks community residents to do more to hold onto their neighborhoods now, rather than face the insult of loss of a home base.

This grassroots organization does not have a central office. Rather, the E4F volunteers, including Imani, work from their homes, coffee shops, and other places to carry out the mission. Imagine sitting in Tugboat Tea Room on Flatbush Avenue and casually glance at someone’s laptop screen to read a snatch of a memo about a recent demonstration. This writer is doing his or her part to stabilize a community.

Formed June, 2013, the organization describes itself “as a people of color-led multinational grassroots organization that does anti-police repression, affordable housing, and anti-gentrification organizing in the Flatbush and East Flatbush communities of Brooklyn, NY.” The term “multi-national grassroots organization” may suggest that E4F involves itself in international affairs or has affinity groups in different nations. However, “multi-national” is used to mean that the volunteer members come from various cultures or that the group is multicultural.

Addressing police repression, housing affordability and gentrification is done through 12 campaigns that include B4G Tenant Harassment Documentation Team, The Empire Study Group, Real Estate Watch, Dollar Van and Cab Driver Solidarity Campaign, and the Rapid Response Fund that gives bail. This group also is concerned about longstanding viable business staying in place. Recently, E4F staged a successful demonstration on behalf of Errol’s Bakery. The business owner had received notice that his lease would not be renewed.

It appears that the Funders for Justice’s web portal, (fundersforjustice.org) wherein E4F is included, may shape E4F strategies. This web site’s Analysis and Reports section contains papers on police brutality, racial justice, instructions to execute mapping projects, transformative campaigns, and establishing rapid response funds.

Henry holds a MSW and MPA from NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Therefore, one would anticipate him being a change agent that uses transformative collaboration and on the look-out for points of agreement during negotiations. His organization fulfills the needs of those who have fallen through the civil cracks. Henry explains:

Across the board, every single campaign we have worked on--tenants, business owners, etc all have said they have gotten more results through E4F than they have had in the past. Many have already tried to work governmental agencies, legal non profits, merchant associations, etc.

We're just not for the status quo, or for photo ops or for the accolades. We are here to fight and win. That is our goal: To keep our people in Brooklyn and not be murdered by the police. That is the work of E4F.

In review of Association for Neighborhood Housing Developers (ANHD) membership, Neither Equality for Flatbush or Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network (BAN) is currently counted in the membership, though BAN member group UPROSE is an ANHD member. Given many ANHD member agencies use similar social activism such as staging that E4F deploys, demonstrations, leading marches, organizing block watches, sponsoring street social justice performances and public arts, perhaps E4F coalesce with ANHD membership..

Where E4F and BAN fall short--as do other community organizations—is the absence of strategies to effect and increase homeownership for low to middle income households. As the saying goes, “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” Whereas a homeowner is building equity, a renter is simply helping a landlord to pay his mortgage. Gentrification or, more to the point, displacement occurs because it is the property owner who is stronger. It is local government that adjusts the scale that weighs owner and renter interests. Therefore, a social movement that disregards municipal agencies and not-for-profit community organizations is not developing an equation to effect transformative collaboration.

E4F can be commended for drawing a body of supporters and co-operators to itself. Its Facebook page has 3,012 likes. The rapid response fund has paid the bail for a number of people. Community residents have come to court to bear witness to trial proceedings. In sum, E4F significantly contributes to community adhesiveness.

Labels: ant-gentrification, BAN, E4F, Equality for Flatbush, housing affordability, Imani Henry, Rapid Response Fund