222 Macon St is one part of a larger series about “gentrification.”

The purpose of 222 Macon Street and the documentary series about gentrification is to bring awareness to the rapid “gentrification” happening around the world.

There is a lot of discourse and uncertainty about whether or not “gentrification” is good or bad, but the truth is, that many people don’t even know what it really is.

So what is it?

Gentrification is a manifestation of cultural capital. The capital side of the equation refers to the reinvestment of capital after a period of disinvestment, the production of an aestheticized landscape, and lower class displacement followed by middle class replacement. The cultural part refers to the displacement of low-income residents to make way for members of the mobile middle class who are looking to consume a certain lifestyle.

Taking a look at Brooklyn’s image now vs just 20 years ago it’s very clear that Brooklyn has undergone a rebrand. Bedford Stuyvesant and Flatbush used to be highly stigmatized neighborhoods, but now in 2024 they are neighborhoods that are highly desirable, with Flatbush being named as Timeouts most popular neighborhood in the world. So how do we go from urban blight to the most popular neighborhood in the world?

That’s the gray area that my documentaries seek to explore.

The area becomes a lot less gray when you see that a struggle against gentrification is a struggle against capitalism.

A struggle against capital’s need for profit over people.

This is why the struggle against gentrification is intricately linked to the struggle our brothers and sisters are facing over in Palestine.

222 Macon Street premiered at a community forum against gentrification at Restoration plaza on February 22nd, 2025. There we brainstormed ways to get organized to stop rent increases, to stop new developments from engulfing our neighborhoods.

We will not be pushed out and we will win!!

Word to the Palaver Collective,

Watch the full film here