Balloons rising over the Langston Hughes Houses at the memorial for Anthony Barlow, who was killed on April 8, 2024. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
I first photographed in Brownsville in the Spring of 2021 when I was commissioned by GQ Japan magazine for a story on the neighborhood. But I quickly realized there was more going on than could be covered in a few visits.
In the early fall of 2022, I began my project in earnest. I want to show the lives of those who live there, the issues that are faced by the community, those who work to try and correct the problems they can, and how the neighborhood is more than the sum of its problems.
Brownsville hosts the largest proportion of public housing in the city while also facing encroaching gentrification. It has major issues with gun violence, drugs, and gangs. The neighborhood lacks access to fresh food, has high poverty rates, and faces major issues around homelessness. Many of the root causes of these problems can be traced back to the city governments’ ignoring the neighborhood and marginalizing it over decades.
But there are those working to fix the problems faced by the neighborhood. Groups like Agape Food Rescue, Brownsville In Violence Out, and the Bethesda Healing Center face the issues head on in the hopes of making the neighborhood better for all those who live there.
In the end, I want the project to tell the story of what life is like for those who call Brownsville home and that there is more to the lives of people in the neighborhood than just the bad news that is all that ever seems to be reported.
Dupmster with "Kill" written on the side, behind NYCHA Tilden Houses, Rockaway Ave, Brownsville, Brooklyn, Octoaber 2022 Dupmster with "Kill" written on the side, behind NYCHA Tilden Houses, Rockaway Ave, Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2022
Birthday Girl at a Halloween Costume giveaway and neighborhood BBQ at Shoppers World, Pitkin Avenue and Herzl Street, Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2022
Child in a Mask at a Halloween Party, hosted by Brownsville Community Culinary Center, Belmont Avenue. Brownsville, Brooklyn, 2022
Mural to those killed by gun violence in Brownsville. Watkins Street and Belmont Avenue. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Dushon "Bigga" Almond outside the Brownsville In, Violence Out (BIVO) offices on Pitkin Avenue. BIVO is a group of violence interrupters who work to cut down gun violence in the community. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Women help to prepare meals for the community at the Bethesda Healing Center on East 98th Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Church and community center holds a soup kitchen and clothing give away on Saturdays from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2022
Ayoub (right) watching as his grandfather Salah says some prayers privately before Asr prayers on a Saturday afternoon at Masjid Al-Huda. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2022
Kids starting an Easter Egg Hunt at Hilltop Playground, put on by Love City Church. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Emmanuel (L) and Buddha (R) flashing gang signs on Mother Gaston Blvd outside of the Van Dyke Houses. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
"Brownsville never ran, and never will." Panama, on the corner of Blake and Rockaway, Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
"Brownsville for Real." IMF (L) and IBorn (R) on Rockaway Ave near the Rockaway Ave Subway Station. Brownsville. 2023
Rasako Charles outside of a corner store on Mother Gaston Blvd and Belmont. He told me the cops stand around and do nothing. "We fight each other, fight friends, and fight the cops." Mother Gaston Blvd, Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Construction SIte. Mother Gaston Blvd. Brownsville, Brookly. April 2023 Construction SIte. Mother Gaston Blvd. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Antoine sitting in the doorway of his shop on Pitkin Avenue. Brownsville, Brooklyn. May 6, 2023
Jordon watching a basketball game in "The Hole" behind the Van Dyke Community Center, between the Van Dyke and Brownsville Houses. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Steve Johnson serving up shaved ice in the playground on Bristol Avenue between Blake and Dumont. He has been serving the icy treats for 3 years. He wants people to not be afraid of the neighborhood, and come and enjoy themselves in the open spaces without fear. Brownsville Brooklyn. 2023
Women Standing in Praise at "Back To Church Sunday" at Bethesda Healing Center. The day was started in 2009 in response to smaller congregations at churches. Church memebers are encouraged to invite ithers to come to church with them. Servie is held outside so neighborhood can hear them. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
A 3 subway train rides above East 98th Street past the C Town Supermarket, one of the few in and around Brownsville. The neighborhood is considered a food desert, with a lack or large supermarkets, leaving residence to shop at more expensive bodegas of small groceries with a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. 2023
New apartment buildings going on on Mother Gaston Blvd and Belmont Avenue. The rise in new construction and the speed at which the building are being put up in Brownsville has many in the neighborhood worry about gentrification. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Christmas Toy Giveaway hosted by Risen Christ Lutheran Church. Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Church is currently battle to regain access to it space which is current in court over lease issues. But Church memebers continue to host events outside the building and do out reach in the Brownsville community. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Blood (L) and Donald (R) in front of Blood's van on Rockaway Blvd near the Roackaway Ave 3 Train Subway station. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023
Children playing in a bouncy house at Betsy Head Field after the Brownsville Easter Parade. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Dance Group at Betsy Head Field after the Brownsville Easter Parade. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Women from the Nation of Islam preparing to give out free meals to residence of the Brownsville Houses for the 91st birthday of Louis Farrakhan. One of the buildings has not had gas since February of 2024 because of a gas leak in one of the apartments. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Police in Howard Park Playground watching over Brownsville Safety Alliance week (BSA). Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Waiting for the announcement of the winners at the Tilden Houses Youth Kitchen. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Arthur, a heroin addict whom I see usually near the park on Mother Gaston Blvd and Sutter Avenue, looking healthier then usual. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Crowd at Brownsville Old Timers Day on Linden Blvd. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Brownsville In, Violence Out (BIVO) Living Angels Basketball Tournament. Sutter Avenue and Mother Gaston Blvd. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
Dance-Off as a DJ plays between people jumping rope at the Fesitval of Flags, Zion Triangle. Brownsville, Brooklyn. August 31, 2024
Police Officer watching commuters in the subway station at Rockaway Avenue. The city has deployed extra police to Brownsville to try and combat the rise in crime and gun violence. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2024
MLK Mural on the side of Food Bazaar supermarket at Dumont Avenue and Junius Street. Brownsville, Brooklyn. 2023