Jabari+Stroman

Jabari Stroman Jeff & P.G 902

Life In East Harlem 96th street is the dividing line from the upper east side and Harlem. Once stepping over the line there is a whole different society. The people are different, the stores are different, and the buildings are different. We live in housing developments that is known as the “ Projects”. The East Harlem community has changed and evolved in many ways. Drugs are moving in and spreading throughout the whole Harlem community and has a big affect on us as teenagers. Gangs are taking over and more crimes are being committed. Also there is Gentrification, more people are moving in and new places are being built.



The East Harlem Community has changed and evolved since the last 20 years in many ways. One major way is drugs. One common drug that has a big effect on teenagers is marijuana. Marijuana has been around for many years but somehow its effecting the whole East Harlem community and its destroying the youth. Also many teenagers are selling marijuana and getting arrested. A gang called the Fetti Boys were selling marijuana in a sour power patch candy wrapper. Eighteen suspects were arrested and charged with selling and distributing marijuana and crack cocaine. If our society come together and put a stop on this drug and drug dealers who sell it, our youth will get better and if these drugs don't stop entering our country it will affect our next generation. Another way the East Harlem has changed and evolved since the last 20 years is gangs. Gangs are taking over the streets of East Harlem. More crimes are being committed and there is more violence than before. The gangs are bringing us down and putting more negatively on us as teenagers. According to the article 63 members indictment in East Harlem Shootings by Russ Buettner, two Major rival gangs that has high tensions for each other is T.M.G ( True Money Gang ) and A.I.O ( Air It Out ). Most of the war start on comments from social networks such as Facebook. After the murder of John Williams there was comment saying “ Ain’t no A.I.O, Till i see some blood”. After his death there was a bloody war that had began. People getting shot, stabbed and beat up. People in the gang A.I.O and people in the other gang T.M.G. Also our community will get better because of the indictments. Over 63 gang members have been arrested or indicted for different things and went to jail for a long time.All males are in the ages from 16-25. They will be held in the Rikers Island facility. A facility designed to hold people that is charged with a crime. Fourteen of the men will carry up to 20 years in prison. Gangs need to stop the violence because more people are losing their lives and most of the time it is the innocent people dying or getting shot for mistaken identity or shootouts. The last way East Harlem has changed and evolved in the last 20 years is gentrification. Gentrification has been a big thing. New people are moving in, New stores are being built and new developments are being made as well. There is a East Harlem Dream Charter High School that is being built in George Washington Houses. Accordingly to “It’s An East Harlem Dream Come True: A Charter School Beneath Affordable Housing” by Jheneal Walters and Douglas Fieden It is a 80 million dollar building that will house Harlem RBI’s new dream charter school with affordable homes above. In the article it says “This project is all about building a more prosperous community and city and a more prosperous future for our children.” Gentrification will better our community because the more new things are being made ,new people coming in and new developments being made we all would start to communicate and try them and we will start to feel better about ourselves.

East Harlem has changed and evolved since the last 20 years in many ways. The three main ways are drugs, gangs, and gentrification. The society and community doesn't always stay the same eventually its going to change. Either it will get worse or it will get better. I hope our next generation will be better because i don’t want my kids to go through what I've been through. There are so many mistakes I've made i wish i can take it all back, but i have faith that the new generation will be better and no one will have to go through negativity.