Last night, Montclair State University facilitated a town hall panel discussion at NJPAC entitled, “Renaissance or Gentrification – How Do We Discuss Redevelopment In Newark?” The panel of community leaders and journalists discussing the transformation of Newark and the issue of gentrification included Akintola Hanif, photojournalist, filmmaker, and Editor-In-Chief of HYCIDE magazine, Derek Ware, Publisher of glocallynewark.com, former Washington Post reporter Dale Russakoff, Deputy Mayor and Director of Housing and Economic Development Baye Adolfo-Wilson, and Francis J. Giantomasi, a local real estate attorney, moderated by Merrill Brown, the director of Montclair’s School of Communication and Media.
A number of things caught me as noteworthy as I was listening to the individuals on the panel as well as those in the audience who were given a chance to speak. First, as Derek Ware pointed out, the intent of the panel discussion was largely to speak to media’s role in telling the stories of Newarkers through the particular lens of renaissance/gentrification and the effect it will have on Newark. Largely, the media narrative of Newark has been told through writers at The Star-Ledger and nj.com and that narrative has in many ways gone out of its way to paint a picture of blight, corruption, despair, crime, and violence. That’s what people across the country and people in Newark’s backyard think of when they think of Newark. Then, from time to time the media narrative sprinkles in the new Hotel Indigo, plans for a new Whole Foods, or Better Block Bergen. What that message says to readers is that Newark is in need of saving. It says that Newark will be better off because of gentrification and all of its effects. Even the hashtag of the event was #ChangeNewark.
Then there is the impression that the media voices like The Newark Times, Brick City Live, Glocally Newark, Newark Pulse, etc. aren’t serious voices that warrant attention. It was said over and over by panel guests and those in the audience that “media doesn’t talk about the positive stories in Newark” when positive stories are exactly what these media voices are talking about. So what does that mean? Does it mean that the Star-Ledger, nj.com, etc need to broaden their narrative when they talk about Newark? Well, that’s up to them. Does that mean that The Newark Times, Brick City Live, Glocally Newark, Newark Pulse, The Brickerati, etc. need to include more of Newark’s crime & violence stories to attract larger audiences? Well, that’s up to us. But, for the audience of people interested in what is going on in Newark – all of Newark – there are more options to gather content from than traditional media. And they’re free. And they’re hyperlinked. And they’re free.
Another point that struck me as I listened to people share their thoughts and concerns was that on both sides of the table, selfish interests has to be checked. It is selfish interest that governs much of the economic and commercial development that we see as gentrification. The selfish interests of politicians and big business. The selfish interest of traditional media. And even the selfish interests of the community needs to be checked (and this will likely be the harder pill to swallow). It’s easy to see underwater mortgages as a top priority if your mortgage is underwater. It’s easy to see the needs of the artist community as a top priority if you’re among the artist community. It’s easy to see displacement as a top priority if you live in an apartment downtown and can see the development and the asking price of the new apartments is double what you’re currently paying. However, it’s easy for those who aren’t emotionally invested in Newark to see the gentrification as an opportunity to cash in on the corporate investments in the city. And it’s also easy to see Newark as benefiting from gentrification and even its harsh effects if you’re not likely to suffer from them.
Whatever the case, the need to extend the discussion and make a real effort to be more inclusive cannot be argued. And hopefully, there will be many more conversations between government, big business, small business, and community and quantifiable efforts to make sure Newark is not just another Brooklyn.
