Brooklyn Divided

These images were taken within a four block radius around the Walt Whitman Houses in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The Walt Whitman Houses are managed by the New York City Housing Authority. The area around the complex has become one of the most sought after and expensive neighborhoods in Brooklyn. These blocks were part of a daily walk I took to take my son to school. Over the years I have observed the widening economic gap between public housing residents and the new wealth moving into the community. The two groups co-exist on Myrtle Ave and it’s surrounding streets but rarely seem to intermingle. New restaurants and shops have opened catering to gentrification and reside directly next to discount furniture stores and liquor stores with bullet-proof glass. There is a heavy police presence but it isn’t always obvious, police cameras and plain clothes officers are a constant presence. This project is a work in progress and I hope that it will spark conversations about how residents in Fort Greene and other areas like it can invest in their communities in ways that will make it more equitable for all who reside there. And to be advocates for neighbors who are caught in oppressive systems of poverty and mass incarceration.