Well, first off, Harlem is as "gone" as Lower Manhattan. But for much different reasons. Lower Manhattan in gentrified, where East Harlem is over 90 percent Latino now. But the developers are making inroads to gentrify uptown, too. Hell, if it wasn't for the real estate bubble back around 2006 or so, Central Harlem would be sporting nothing but new condos and Starbucks right about now. But the movement is picking up some steam again now that the economy has picked up a little bit. And it's a shame, too. Because when you remove the blue collar families who have been in New York City for generations, it's not New York City anymore. My position there may surprise you being that you know how I make my living, but I say it all the time. I'd much rather rent to blue collar folks who have been here for generations that to some hipsters from Wisconsin. But I'm getting off-topic now.Chris Christie wrote:But honestly, you've been around Harlem and the Bronx for much of your life, you've seen first hand the slow and gradual decline of things. You look at the 80's, 90's, 00's, '10, what's your own take on where things are going? Lower Manhattan is gone and half of Brooklyn moved to Staten Island. Back in the 1970's it was 'common knowledge' that the mob would never die, no one boldly states that in NYC anymore. No right or wrong (unless you think I'm wrong) but what's your take on the last few decades and where do you see it going?
As far as the future of OC, my stock answer is this: OC will always be around because criminal minded people will always exist. If you were to take food and shelter away from even the wealthiest and most refined people, in a week or so you'd find out that Darwin was right about everything. Survival of the fittest and all that. And having said that, as Italian Americans continue to assimilate and climb the social ladder in the United States, it can't help but affect the face of organized crime. Long story short, I think things will remain the way they are for another generation or so. Beyond that, it's like I said, OC will be around, but the face of it will have to change drastically. Because this isn't Italy or Sicily where it's ingrained into the cultural fabric of the country.
