Image from “Deconstructing Harlem” by D-Nice

Although not nearly a town, this group of shanty style apartments should still make us all feel incredibly uncomfortable. How long before the squatters are raised up? Reminds me of this short NYTimes piece, published last month, about a Bowery man who attempted to live in a box. Link

While driving through Harlem, I came across a site that disturbed me. I never imaged the day that I would see a shantytown in the streets Harlem. With all of the reconstruction going on, it seems that some of the residents can’t afford the rent increases or the $800,000 price tag of a two-bedroom condominium and have been forced to relocate. In many cases people have been displaced and left homeless.

I thought that the revitalization of Harlem was intended to empower the people of the community by creating jobs and improving living conditions. Is this considered an improvement?



  1. T. Reynolds (Reply) on Mar 24, 2008

    A large scale Skid Row exists in LA that is really crazy.

    There was this guy in Brooklyn that was an ex con living in a junkyard similar to these images, with old cars, scrap metal / wood etc. on Marcy. But he was the only one, he let me see his house one time and gave me mad unopened frosted flakes boxes LOL