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Tour Company Shamed Into Dropping "Ghetto" Tours Of The Bronx
By
John Del Signore
Published May 21, 2013
Modified May 23, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 21, 2013
Modified May 23, 2013
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After an angry backlash, a company called Real Bronx Tours has dropped a controversial tour "through a real New York City ‘GHETTO.'" So it seems you've missed your chance to safely gawk at people waiting on line at a food kitchen, giggle at the housing projects, or clutch your pearls while slowly driving by famous high-crime landmarks.
The tours were led by one Lynn Battaglia, originally from Pittsburgh. According to the Post, one of the tour's lowpoints was St. Mary’s Park, where she told the group, “If it were 1980 and you said to me, ‘Lynn, I want to die.’ My answer would be, ‘You’re in the right neighborhood.'" And she warned that the park was still scary and dangerous, crawling with pickpockets and con artists who would rip you off—which is why you need to pay Battaglia $45 to teach you street smarts!
Well, all that's over—or is it? It appears the company is still offering the tours through its website, but it's no longer describing them as "ghetto" tours. (You can see the archived version of the site here.) Instead the tour now promises a taste "of the real Boogie Down Bronx." But the Post reports today that the Bronx Tourism Council has received a letter from the company promising to “cease all scheduled tours to the Bronx.”
“To have foreigners come and gawk at a long line of people who are less fortunate than they are and to make money off of that and to view them as they are some sort of entertainment is pretty disgusting," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz told the tabloid. "They should tell people about The Bronx that we all know, and that’s The Bronx that’s had the lowest crime rate since 1963 last year." Seriously, just ask former Guardian Angel Curtis Silwa to tell you all about that on his tour of the Bronx.
Diaz's office released this statement today:
I am happy to hear that ‘Real Bronx Tours’ has decided to end its inaccurate and disrespectful tours of our beautiful borough. The Bronx has come a long way in the past few years, and we will not accept such a despicable and irresponsible depiction of our borough.
“I am relieved that this company has listened to the overwhelming complaints of community members, as well as public officials, who were outraged and sickened by the so-called ‘ride through a real New York City GHETTO’ tour. I am especially grateful to Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, who co-authored a letter to the tour company with me yesterday, expressing our collective outrage on behalf of our constituents.
“We are more than happy to welcome tours to our community that celebrate the rich culture and history of our neighborhoods, but using the Bronx to sell a so-called ‘ghetto’ experience to tourists is completely unacceptable.
“With that said, although ‘Real Bronx Tours’ has reconsidered and is no longer hosting this tour, I ask the company to communicate an official apology to the 1.4 million residents of this great borough for their terrible portrayal of our communities."
Tagged
ghetto tours
the bronx
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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