Brownsville: From Jewish Enclave to Black and Hispanic Ghetto
A Dramatic Transformation
Until 1960, Brownsville was a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. Today, Leon Sternhell is one of only two Jews still operating a business in the community. The dramatic shift in Brownsville's demographics reflects a larger transformation that has occurred in many American cities over the past century.
A Stigmatized Ghetto
During the 1960s, Brownsville was stigmatized as a black and Latino ghetto with one of the city's highest crime rates. The neighborhood became home to the largest concentration of public housing in New York City. This, coupled with the city's fiscal crisis in the 1970s, led to a decline in services and infrastructure. As Brownsville became more and more of a Black and Hispanic neighborhood, it gained a reputation for crime and violence. In her 2017 book, "The New Brooklyn: What It Takes to Bring a City Back," Kay Hymowitz described Brownsville as the "permanent ghetto" and said that it was immune to the gentrification that was transforming other parts of Brooklyn.
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