GENTRIFICATION: The war against the homeless, poor, and long time residents

In June of 2023, recently re-elected mayor of New Britain, CT Erin Stewart said that the city is working to provide resources for homeless people and “have been more than accommodating for the past seven years but the needs of the community are shifting, along with their ability to provide additional services.” (1) Accommodating who exactly? Because from everyone we’ve talked to on the street since fall of 2023, homelessness is the worst its ever been. Let’s paint a more accurate story of what’s going on, as told to us by homeless and formerly homeless people on the street. But first some context.

Looming Gentrification, two worlds in downtown New Britain

Gentrification is a process marked by an increase of wealthier residents in a neighborhood or city, often driven by luxury real estate developers who invest in and renovate properties in undervalued neighborhoods or demolish and build on vacant undervalued properties. As these areas experience a transformation, property values soar, making it very difficult for lower-income residents to afford the rising costs of living. At the same time, landlords and real estate capitalists in the surrounding area see this change and start raising rent knowing that richer people will likely pay more and landlords will be more likely to evict low-income tenants to “clear house.”

Gentrification is supported by capitalism because capitalism allows real estate developers and companies to make money off people’s need for shelter, rather than treating housing as a human need. These residents are often displaced and are either pushed out to areas they can afford or become homeless. Local businesses catering to the original community may be replaced by more upscale establishments, changing the areas cultural and social dynamics. The combined forces of wealthier residents, luxury development, and speculation from landlords contribute to the displacement of long-time inhabitants and reshape the overall fabric of the community. This is taking shape in New Britain.

In September of 2023, Avner Krohn of Jasko Development said he plans to deliver over 500 new housing units downtown, which by his estimates would allow about 700 people to move to downtown New Britain (2).

One of his three developments, the Brit Luxury Apartments, starts at an insane $1,650 for a studio (3), so it’s clear that this would be for 700 wealthy people. The Brit was announced Summer of 2021 and is being built where Burritt Bank used to be, a building that had certainly been devalued as it sat vacant since 1992. Besides this cheap real estate, in order to attract Avner Krohn along with other high end developers, millions of dollars have been spent since 2013 to make the downtown look prettier, what New Britain calls the “complete streets master plan.”

This includes the new police station, renovations to central park that removed wooden benches, tree shade and public bathrooms, and the Beehive Bridge which cost the city $2 million (4). In an article about the central park renovation in May of 2016, the Hartford Courant mentioned how the goal of the central park renovation was “to attract residential and commercial development by making downtown more attractive” (5). Along with beautification and luxury developments comes the trendy restaurants and bars like the Assembly Room and promises of walkability and transit-oriented development, for those who can afford to stay and visit of course.

Downtown is covered in security cameras and signs that read “no smoking, $99 fine”

Rent in New Britain was relatively stable between 2013 and 2019, during which HUD Fair Market rent for a 1-bedroom went from $832 to $880 on average. Five years later it is now $1,183 on average, rent is rising! (6) According to CT Data Collaborative, in 2022 there were 1,167 evictions filed in New Britain, this was higher than pre-pandemic levels going all the way back to 2017. Since 2017, the highest number of evictions filed in one day was in 2023, 23 evictions, evictions are up and rising! (7). Rents and evictions are increasing at a higher rate city wide at the same time this development is happening. From the data, widespread sentiment, and from our conversations with people on the street, gentrification has already started, but the floodgates are about to open once these 2 luxury apartments are done.

Sign that reads “arch street is getting safer,” by making it look prettier

To prepare for the incoming wealthy residents, the city of New Britain along with local establishments have been making moves to make areas “safe.” Understanding gentrification and how it is starting in New Britain is needed to understand why the homeless and poor people in New Britain are being displaced, criminalized, and mistreated. It is also needed to understand how we fight back.

Out of sight out of mind, the quiet and brutal policies pushing homeless people further out

Homeless peoples’ existence is criminalized and they are mistreated by society at large because people under capitalist-imperialist society are taught individualism, to put one’s interests before others, even if its morally wrong. Many of the renovations under the complete streets master plan utilized additional town resources to push homeless people further and further from downtown. Central park now has less benches, no tree shade, and no longer has public bathrooms, 85 arch street since last June no longer has benches or public bathrooms, both spots were community spaces frequently used by the homeless and the formerly homeless population. The benches at TD Bank might be next!

In addition, resources needed by this population like public outlets, electricity, and canopies have been removed or turned off. Local businesses are hostile to anyone who might even look homeless, and other places like hospitals and some shelters regularly mistreat this group. The quiet policies of the city alone won’t be enough though, the city has to use its repressive arm to enforce this displacement: enter the New Britain police department along with the state police. Aside from the verbal harassment, NBPD regularly give out $99 loitering tickets to people who don’t have a roof over their own head, arresting people after their 3rd ticket and for other harmless offenses like public urination when there are barely any public bathrooms they can use. Police are also known to harass people at encampment sites and state police regularly do raids at the FastTrack downtown, giving anyone who is “loitering,” at a bus station, upwards of $500 tickets.

Even the places that are supposed to be helping are part of this abuse

We’ve heard stories of the hospital in New Britain discharging homeless people around 5 am, leaving them out on the street, or not properly treating people. Shelters have kicked people out at random or for petty reasons, lied about their capacities, stolen or withheld supplies meant for residents, called the cops on people sleeping in front of their buildings, and have let residents eat moldy donated food, with several residents getting really sick. This is all based on numerous conversations with formerly and currently homeless people. Having a small budget does not give you the excuse to treat people like this!

What we need is organization, not to beg humanity from politicians!

History is made when the masses of people come together to fight for their rights to be able to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. In a system that’s on a never ending search for profit and greed instead of human needs, the politicians lie and only serve the interests of the ruling class; their only function is to sweep the suffering of poor people under the rug. Politicians and the ruling class need to be made afraid the same way they were in 2020. The official channels for airing out discontent aren’t gonna cut it. The police repression, downtown surveillance, beautification, and removal of public benches and bathrooms are being done in preparation for high end real estate to move in while ensuring homeless and poor people are moved out; out of sight and out of mind.

Here in New Britain, and by extension everywhere else, we must instead organize the homeless, formerly homeless, low income, and all sympathetic allies together into an organization, to fight against this gentrification and the moves being made to prepare for its acceleration. An organization where our only interaction with politicians, the greedy landlords, the corrupt abusive nonprofits, and the rich in general, should be to exert our demands, expecting nothing less until they are fulfilled. The first step is exposing this abuse to the general public, in order to move the people to action and to ruin the image of these institutions to pressure them into fulfilling our demands. This takes form in publishing media, documenting confrontations with the people, and not capitulating. Get in contact with us via email, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, lets start building a movement to end this and other forms of oppression once and for all!

To New Britain City Officials, New Britain PD, local businesses, greedy landlords and developers, and local shelters and hospitals, we demand the following:

Shelter for everyone NOW!

END police repression and harassment, especially against homeless people, STOP the criminalization of poverty! STOP the sweeps! STOP the fines! TAKE DOWN the signs!

END the abuse, harassment, and de-humanization from local entities such as shelters, the hospital, and local businesses!

ENOUGH with the gentrification, build the city up for the people already here!

BRING BACK the benches, bring back the public bathrooms!

END the rising rents, PUNISH predatory landlords!

Sources:

(1) Montague, D. (2023, June 17). In New Britain, tension between city services and unhoused residents. “where are we supposed to go?” Hartford Courant. http://www.courant.com/2023/06/18/in-new-britain-tension-between-city-services-and-unhoused-residents/

(2) Stacom, D. (2023, September 20). Developer: Over the next two years, this CT downtown will add more than 500 new apartments. Hartford Courant. http://www.courant.com/2023/09/20/developer-over-the-next-two-years-new-britain-downtown-will-add-more-than-500-new-apartments/.

(3) https://www.thebritct.com/apartments/, Date Accessed 2024/02/11

(4) Stewart, E. (2023). Downtown Development Update 2023. Finalsite. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1691429373/newbritainctgov/rw0guvbg3he66tcmvbzh/DowntownDevelopmentUpdate2023-BW.pd

(5) Stacom, D. (2018, December 7). New Britain’s Central Park returns with new look. Hartford Courant. https://www.courant.com/2016/05/03/new-britains-central-park-returns-with-new-look/

(6) Briain, T. U. (2023, March 2). Data shows large rent increases in New Britain. New Britain Progressive Newspaper. https://newbritainindependent.com/2023/03/01/rent-data/

(7) Collaborative, Ctd. (2024). Connecticut eviction map. Interactive Map – Exposing Connecticut’s Eviction Crisis. https://evictionmap.ctdata.org