| Mural by Kalli Arte collective |
Gentrification in Boyle Heights
By Denise Rodriguez
Within Los Angeles lies a community called Boyle Heights; where streets are vibrant, and filled with culture. Immigrant residents have long thrived in this community but face a silent transformative shift as remodeling companies view the community as one more money grab for folks who love the trendy downtown Los Angeles ultimately overlooking the displacement, economic disparity, and identity that urban renewal causes to many residents. Gentrification is an unstoppable tide that wipes out those who are deprived of equal opportunities, who struggle with displacement and resilience from trying to preserve a home that's been deeply culturally rooted. According to National Geographic Gentrification is defined as " a demographic and economic shift that displaces established working-class communities and communities of color in favor of wealthier newcomers and real estate development companies". As Boyle Heights faces winds of change, the immigrant voices within this community grow stronger and louder to raise concern for economic inequality, displacement, and cultural expunction. The problem with gentrification is not only the rebranding of the location but how insidious its impact will be on those who call Boyle Heights their home. From the vibrant murals on local storefronts to the aroma lingering in the streets with homemade delicacies, gentrification threatens to erase the beautiful identity Boyle Heights has grown to be, leaving immigrants with the harsh battle to fight for their heritage, homes, and sense of acceptance in the face of urban renewal.
The benefits of gentrification often have a steep cost, one that burdens a minority group who already struggle the most in today's livelihood. Although the idea and success of gentrification is to bring respectable, peaceful living conditions for those who can afford it these gains often elude the vulnerable people of color and low-income individuals who once found and claimed a community of acceptance and culture.
Gentrification - " The process by which a place especially part of a city, changes from being a poor area to a richer one, where people from a higher social class live"
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| Mural by Levi Ponce and Marlene Solorio |
What is the problem with Gentrification in Los Angeles? Let's take a look
Gentrification poses a threat to communities like Boyle Heights, Chinatown, and South LA within Los Angeles, specifically targeting immigrants in several ways; gentrification is associated with the rising cost of living which leads to displacements for those who cannot keep up with the rise. According to KFF, "one in three ( 34%) immigrants say their household had trouble in the past year paying for food, housing, health care/or utilities" This data was published a few months back in 2023 indicating that these are active concerns that need to be addressed for working low-income class communities like these. Furthermore, the California Immigrant Data Portal says that the estimated wage for immigrant workers is between $19-26 per hour which is a salary of less than $40k a year. The average monthly rent in Los Angeles has risen up to about $1800-$3000 depending on the size of the unit and location. The average wage for this class cannot compete with the asking prices of rent. The urban displacement project features a map highlighting how gentrification is impacting different parts of Los Angeles, if you look closely at the figure below we can see that Boyle Heights is highlighted in light purple (early/ongoing gentrification) but surrounded with a light blue color ( low-income/susceptible to displacement) there isn't a high milage between these shared locations they are just streets away from reaching Boyle Heights. The generative map not only proves that Hispanic individuals are on the verge of being displaced but we can visibly see how gentrification creates marginalization by excluding those vulnerable to "enriching" projects that it claims to bring.
Urban Displacement Project Map from data collected in 2018
Why is this issue important? How does this affect me?
I am very fortunate enough to continue living with my family. Although, we are homeowners that does not mean we have been excluded from these ongoing issues that continue to increase. I have personally witnessed the increased amount that shows up in bills now; forcing us to conserve our money even more. It's not just having a paycheck to cover the cost of living and utilities because it has now also reached broader problems outside of the home. Examples of this include gas coverage to get to work every day and the cost of goods that arise when gentrifying residents move in. Local services that were once affordable and reasonable have transformed into these unobtainable luxuries. People now consider them to be a privilege to experience. I've also seen small immigrant-owned businesses disappear and be replaced with modernized norms, completely re-fabricated and stripped from the cultural institutions that once were. Gentrification silently marginalizes families because we suffer through these changes by trying to make ends meet consistently in different ways. My community has changed so much in the last few years familiar faces I grew close with are no longer my neighbors, and homes are either vacant because prices are too high or newcomers are changing traditional values and implementing new strategies like a neighborhood watch that enforces a fee that directly increases living costs. This issue is important to me because Boyle Heights holds so much pride in being a Hispanic community but what does it become when the people who created it are no longer here to continue embracing the small piece of home they thought to recreate. This neighborhood is slowly starting to turn into a bland, simple prospective tract housing development it is no longer filled with kids playing on the street and there is no joy or motivation to stroll on a bike down the road. I used to love looking out the window to view the different unique houses that my Hispanic community would decorate, but it's very easy to turn away and just focus on driving now that there's less vibrancy on my commute. My neighborhood has maybe 7 beautiful colorful houses that continue to thrive with color but the rest including ourselves have opted for a minimal look in hopes of being accepted and un-targeted because of fear of being turned away. This is important to me because we can no longer stand out, this affects my family and me because we are slowly being converted to follow modernized rules to keep the politeness that the higher-end people believe in.
A Few Words from the Community:
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| Beatriz Rodriguez |
“ I am fortunate enough not to struggle as harshly with my family as others but that does not mean I am not a shoe size away from being in their position. It's not our fault we cannot find careers like them, WE come with the skills we learn from youth and nothing more, We try our best to make an honest living to succeed and have a safer life than the one I left behind in Mexico. This community has treated me well for many decades as it is prideful of the Hispanics who are left to cherish it but the newcomers are very unapologetic. It’s hard to find opportunities that we qualify to take. I am now only left with one sister in the state of California as my other siblings have struggled with the consistent threat of living costs and low wages. “
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| Byron Angel |
" Gentrification has affected me directly by making me consider displacement as an option because of the rising cost of living. It is very enticing to me when I see just how good people are living with the same working wage I have in different parts of the country. It often makes me wonder what I am still doing here in Los Angeles but then I remember it's the culture, my family, and my community who make it so hard for me to let the gentrifiers win in their efforts to reclaim our city."
Resources :
Society, N. G. (n.d.). Gentrification. Education. accessed (4.17.24) https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/gentrification/
Boyle Heights Beat ( 8.20.21) Marketing and community pride combine in 'Somos Boyle Heights'
https://boyleheightsbeat.com/marketing-and-community-pride-combine-in-somos-boyle-heights/
KFF ( 9.18.23) Immigrants Overcomingly Say They and Their Children Are Better Off in the US, But Many Also Report Substantial Discrimination and Challenges, a New KFF survey reveals
https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/press-release/immigrants-overwhelmingly-say- they-and-their-children-are-better-off-in-the-us-but-many-also-report-substantial-discrimination-and-challenges-a-new-kff-los-angeles-times-survey-reveals/#:~:text=One%20in%20three%20struggle%20to,lower%20incomes%20among%20those%20groups.
Los Angeles - Gentrification and Displacement. Urban Displacement. ( 2018) accessed(4.17.24)
https://www.urbandisplacement.org/maps/los-angeles-gentrification-and-displacement/
Cambridge Dictionary accessed ( 4.17.24)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gentrification
CIDP. (n.d.) California Immigrant Data Portal Accessed( 4.17.24)
https://immigrantdataca.org/
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