Where my Canarsie gone? Double Consciousness & Messed up Standards in the Black Community

This is for my Fallen Soldiers by Demarco plays in the back of my mind this morning. Initially I was going to just focus this article on one aspect. However, the spirits of my fallen childhood friends urged me to write this. That song was the one on repeat at my God father's wake at the well known Guarino funeral home. A song that made a hint at the fate of my god father. For he was a soldier. A soldier in a war zone not from the army or navy But perhaps instead a war he had been fighting within himself. It's that double consciousness. The destruction of the black community stems from this warring of two souls.

Wanting to remain loyal to what you believe defines blackness. Which usually unfortunately is stereotypical, negativity i.e. violence, gang affiliation, sass, "toughness" etc.
But, none of the above things are what it means to be Black. Blackness does not need to be associated with negativity but sadly it is. Whereas positive, more desirable traits are commonly solely associated with "Whiteness".
For example being college educated or pursuing a college education (mainly for black males),

Thus, pursuing anything outside of the stereotype is seen as betrayal to your community. So Blacks fall victim to self-sabotage due to the fear of losing ties with ones "roots" and "community".

At my God father's funeral, his little cousin gave a chilling speech speaking out against the problems of gang loyalty in the black community. She said she would die before she allowed his young son (then aged 7) to succumb to the same fate as his father.

Canarsie, my hometown. Once a warm, welcoming family friendly atmosphere. Full of Caribbean migrants who relocated to create a better life for their American born children or children freshly brought young from their home countries. Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad just to name a few. A piece of the American dream is all they wanted. All they strived for. But, that dream has quickly turned into a nightmare as Canarsie goes downhill fast. As if all their hard work has gone in vain.

Regions varying from Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana etc. I just came back from my old area and boy was it painful to see how much it has changed. Drastically for the worse. A lot of new stores and businesses have popped up seemingly over night. Perhaps in an attempt to "get with the times" and "gentrify" the area like so many other vicinities are succumbing to. One that stood out to me was a new TD Bank that appeared around 2014. It's green glow a reminder of the upcoming transitions.

The Canarsie I once knew and loved has seemed to vanish from existence. Canarsie's wholesomeness, along with its family friendly, welcoming, tranquil atmosphere is a thing of the past. It's now been renamed mainly by the recent young, stereotypical, migrants only in most recent years having relocated there from crime ridden neighboring vicinities i.e. East New York, Brownsville and East Flatbush. It's new alias is now "Flossy" or "The Floss" Made to reflect the privileged, entitlement that most of Canarsie's Original youth have access to.

Floss being a slang term for flaunting your wealth or riches/ financial status. Indication of the privileged background and upbringing Canarsie native youth have derived from. Most families are middle or upper middle class there. Working class families, medical professionals, business owners i.e. nurses, etc. Overall, hard-working people. Perhaps, this is what fueled the care-free, non-chalant, reckless, live in the now, attitudes of the youth residing there.

The fact that they've never had to learn the concept of self-sufficiency because they "got it made" is working against not just them but the community.
It's almost as if they're oblivious to the fact that there is life beyond their teenage and young adult years and that they're not invincible.

There needs to be some type of intervention and there needs to be one fast. Cause at this rate Canarsie' youth are on the verge of becoming extinct.
Once upon a time not too long ago, Canarsie was a desirable place to reside. Steps up from the busy, dirty, city life commonly associated with New York. This place was different. Home to the Canarsie Native American tribe is where its name stems from.

During my time there I never really had much exposure to New york's high crime rate. It's almost as if there was a safe haven away from the usual New York or more specifically Brooklyn antics.

Now fast forward just a few years I'm now age twenty-three. All of my peers also growing up in the early ninety's are now in their early twenties as well.

Canarsie, streets once paved with happiness, containing mainly local mom and pop shops are no more. Upon visiting last month it looked entirely different. Not much difference from the rest of Brooklyn. Having fallen victim to dreaded gentrification. No surprise there. If one were to take a look at other neighborhoods transition like the case with Bedford Stuyvesant etc.

Canarsie is NOT and WAS NOT known originally for gang affiliation, gun violence etc. That type of thing was unheard of.

But, in recent years it seems as if the new generation have something to prove. They were tired of being underminded and underestimated by "tougher" towns. And thus they decided to reshape the image, perception and reputation of Canarsie. To them being considered dangerous and tough fulfills their ultimate goals of being considered "down" or with the in-crowd". The in crowd being a bunch of stereotypical, undesirables.

There's been a major spike in the amount of shooting and other deaths in our community. Once associated with serenity, tranquility and peace now ruled by fear, quest for popularity and ignorance.

And thus, the dreaded double consciousness. Something all Blacks face or have faced at one point in time or another.