[jet9011]

The neighborhood I have played double dutch, the stoop I had my first kiss the block I have called home is no longer the same. The newcomers are not friendly quite frankly I think they are afraid. If this is the case why move here ?

[danielle123]

Um, because they can't afford the rent in a safer neighborhood?

Maybe you should smile and say, "Hello," to people a couple of times. They are the newcomer, you are the local. They don't feel comfortable because they don't know the "lay of the land". Why not make them feel welcome?

[MeredithB]

Bed Stuy should be so lucky.
_________________
Walking on the beaches looking at the peaches.

[tennisfan]

I've been living in Bed-Stuy for more than two years now. I still consider myself as a newcomer of course.

Jet9011, you are right when you said most of the newcomers were afraid. That's why they don't look friendly to you. How would you feel if you were called "snowflake" and told "what are you doing here, you don't belong here"?

Since I moved in I've been trying to be friendly, to make eye contact and say hi. But at the beginning more than 75% of the locals would look somewhere else and ignore me. After a while some realized that they are the ones who appeared unfriendly or looked stupid. So now they say hi back to me.

Bed-Stuy has its own identity and will never become like Park Slope. I wish it could become safer and more welcoming to newcomers.

[Boygabriel]

: : grabs popcorn and takes a seat : :
_________________
Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

[whynot_31]

<--- sits beside by boygabriel, tells him/her to stop hogging the arm rest.
_________________
Hey you! Enlighten up.

[tennisfan]

::would sit next to Boygabriel if he's willing to share his popcorn::

[whynot_31]

there's two of us, we can take him.
_________________
Hey you! Enlighten up.

[Domino]

All neighborhoods change over and over again. Pitkin Avenue was once the main shopping street for all Brooklyn Italians. Fort Greene was once all Italian and Irish. The northern part of Sunset Park was all Scandinavian. Then Hispanic. Then Chinese and Hasidic.

The point is anyone that is new and different will not be welcome by people that have prejudices; those with open hearts and open minds will welcome ANYONE to the neighborhood that is willing to make it a home and invest in making it better.
_________________
WHY am I always the meat in the middle of an imbecile sandwich?

[Boygabriel]

These popcorn buckets are always way too big. Yall can have some.
_________________
Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Waits for the IP of JAH and cafeaulait to be confirmed as Jet9011's as well.
_________________
Babies aren't meat! They're not even people!

[arrbecca]

Anastasia --- too funny.

[tennisfan]

Jet9011:

Sorry, I am straying from the question.
In my opinion some newcomers may be at first afraid, but quickly realized that some of the unfriendly locals are just playing the intimidation game and are just words when they don't say nice things to them.
Rents are cheaper, the neighborhood has a unique vibe and the friendly locals (mostly homeowners from my experience) are welcoming. So why not move to Bed-Stuy?

[BoogieKnight]

Let's kick off the show! - I'm a lifelong Brooklynite - Bushwick, East New York, now Crown Heights. I'm Afro-Latino. Those neighborhoods I grew up in in the 70's through now - not so friendly all the goddamn time.

I'm sure there were smatterings of really cool Sesame Street-ish blocks where it was block parties and cookouts and blah-blah and love and all that nice horseshit - but mostly it was life like on any other big city.

Some neighbors were awesome and became life long friends if not like family, some neighbors are assholes and punks and thieves and no one likes them and the rest of the block would wish they'd move away and bother someone else. Some were friendly some were not. Some you said hi to, some you didn't.

All these posts that harken back to some mythological Brooklyn past where everyone on the block just spent their days just talking to and loving each other and saying hello and what have you are bullshit (IMHO).

You may have "known" everyone on your block - people tended not to move around so much back in the day so that you'd recognize the people you see everyday, but that doesn't mean everyone got along - even when everyone on the block looked alike and made about the same money.

First rule of hospitality - the old-timers are supposed to greet and make new people feel welcome. The old timers are supoosed to be friendly and smiley and say hello. The old-timers aren't kings and queens or gods that new people have to kowtow to and bring offerings of food and jewels to - the old-timers have get off their high horse and be gracious.

If you or your kids were to mad-dog me or my wife every day - I'd have nothing nice to say to you either (nothing nice, anyway)

That's all.

PS - I prefer the nachos, popcorn sticks in my teeth.

[Domino]

YEAH BoogieKnight! Totally with you on that - it was not all a love fest. But if you came and tried to become part of what was around you, you did feel the embrace. If you were just "passing thru" not so much.

Brooklyn was not the Capra-esque movie shmaltz of Its a Wonderful Life - and there were some neighbors that were pure assholes (hey who DIDN'T have the mean guy on the block that yelled and confiscated the Spaldeens) but for the most part people were good.

They looked out for each other and most people were like family. I can remember being part of the roving band of kids who played skelly, Red Rover and Johnny on the Pony ALL SUMMER LONG. We would often plan dinner at the friend's house who had better options for dinner. My house on Weds for pasta, Yvonne's house on Thurs for pork chops and rice, etc.
Not everyone got along - but try and mess with one of our own.

I cannot deal with this I was here first crap. Yeah you were - and now there is someone else on board that is trying to make it a home and make it a better place for their family. Try to be polite - isn't that what mom always said? If you were the newcomer that's what you would want.
_________________
WHY am I always the meat in the middle of an imbecile sandwich?

[divette009]

Bedford-Stuyvesant will always be Bedford-Stuyvesant. My neighborhood has a unique character. What makes Park Slope the "it" place to compare to? The extreme prices? PSSHH...If rent/the sell price of a property was cheap in Park Slope, I would still stay in my home
_________________
“Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don't Matter and Those Who Matter Don't Mind.”

[Fandango]

I hope so....I can't stand seeing the occasional addict or shrinking past some creepy unemployed gawker...bu-by. Now I'm going to nosh on an ice cream bar.
_________________
---------------------------------------------------------
If you ask me what's the weirdest thing I've ever done...I'm going to record your response and put it on Youtube...and pour Wasabi on your feet...I'm just warning ya :O)