City Change #9

Brenda writes from Brooklyn, New York: "The changes I've experienced while living in this metropolis have been drastic. NYC has been Disneyfied. It has been corporatized and gentrified to the point where one needs a permit to gather in any meaningful way. The attitudes cater to the rich and any "undesirable" element is quickly rushed out of view. Rent is way up as are real estate prices in general. The opulence is a decoy, a simulacra and a mask for the suffering under its surface. Is this the throbbing heart of Imperialism and Empire? I believe so!"