EXTRA CREDIT

Out of the many films that were presented during the Codes and Modes documentary exhibit, Kelly Anderson’s film, My Brooklyn was the film I most keen to. Within the film, we follow filmmaker Kelly Anderson’s journey to figure out as to why the streets of Brooklyn, NY are changing. The film is based on the renovation of Fulton Mall, where most of its population is filled with African-Americans and Caribbean. This particular area of Brooklyn becomes distress when New York City Urban Planning System decides to rebuild Fulton Mall and downtown Brooklyn; resulting many residents and small businesses in foreclosure. Unexpectedly, the neighborhood were immediately replaced with high rise housing and other fancy retail stores (houses and stores that doesn’t relate to the people within the community).  

                The use of global corporations, politicians, and public-private partnership has all contributed in the change of the community. The people of the downtown Brooklyn community tries to retaliate when they are threatened to move out of their community by having their rent or mortgages increased. Based on the film, it shows the history of downtown Brooklyn; showing that the downtown community began with the population of whites. When African- Americans, Caribbean people,  and Hispanics migrated to the area, the whites moved out. Now that the whites are willing to  come back in the area, many people of the downtown Brooklyn community are forced to move out. I took interest in this film because I was a former resident within this community. I have witness the changes in Brooklyn, but I never understood why these changes are happening. Watching this film helped me to a  better understanding as to what was happening within my community.