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Video: 'Degentrify America' Tackles One of NYC's Biggest Problems
By
Katie Whittaker
Published May 16, 2016
Modified May 16, 2016
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By
Katie Whittaker
Published May 16, 2016
Modified May 16, 2016
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Can gentrification benefit both long-time neighborhood residents and gentrifiers alike?
It's a knotty issue to tackle in five minutes, but filmmaker Nelson George uses interviews and animation in "Degentrify America," to dig into the question that is central to America's rent-burdened urban renaissance.
George's film is part of "Take 5: Justice In America," a series of five vignettes released by AMC Networks.
The film features interviews with urban planning expert Martine August and Donna Mossman, a Crown Heights resident and co-founder of the Crown Heights Tenants Union.
August gives the basic definition of gentrification as "the production of space for more affluent users." According to a recent report, 15 of New York's neighborhoods are currently gentrifying to varying degrees.
At the same time, there are concerted efforts to tamp down on gentrification's negative effects on New Yorkers as well as those who exploit the misery of long-time residents for profit. Steve Croman was arrested on May 9th, facing allegations that include harassing rent-stabilized tenants, incentivizing harassment, and ignoring work requests. Only two days before that, three of landlord Raphael Toledano's buildings were tested for toxic lead dust.
All five films in the Take 5 series will be available to stream online for free via the SundanceNow Doc Club website.
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