The effects of gentrification continues to be more evident across the nation. In Brooklyn, New York, a borough that has experienced extreme gentrification since the 2000s, gentrifiers are discriminating against Black residents.
A coffee shop in Bedford-Stuyvesant is being accused of only serving Halloween candy to White kids, according to New York Daily News.
The Strand Cafe invited kids to get trick or treat candy by posting a sign that read, “Tricks for some, treats for others.” However, two customers witnessed the discrimination by the store’s employees. They saw the store workers turn three groups of Black kids away who were dressed in Halloween costumes. But when an older White woman walked in with two White kids, the store workers gave the kids cookies.
The individuals who witnessed the discrimination blasted the store on social media with a Facebook post. They also blasted the cafe on Google and Yelp.
The Strand Cafe represents the reality of gentrification. In many cases, gentrifiers are discriminating against Black residents who have lived in the area for years. They have called the police on Black residents for simply walking outside and created tension in communities by disrespecting the residents. Diversity should not have to come with rising property taxes, less affordability, and overt discrimination.
The owner of The Strand Cafe denounced the actions of the workers who discriminated against Black kids and apologized.
