I've largely become inured to the assininity and entitlement that comes with the gentrifiers of my neighborhood. Sometimes things can get to you, though. Clearly this got my roving photographer's goat. The park is on Summer Street between Vinal and Putnam (near Union Square) in Somerville. In case you can't read the sign, it clearly states that the park is for picnics/play and that bringing dogs there is expressly forbidden. Forbidden for all but the Happy Few, I guess. Anyway, here's what Hal had to say about the scene:
"I was amazed to see these folks using the park as a massive dog
run!!! I think I saw about 15 dogs. The sign reads that "this space
is intended for picnic use" as well..now I know how kids get worms!"
5 comments:
Good blog entry, but why would this be an example of gentrification?
Easy - because it's only been happening in the past year or two, and, though you can't quite tell from the picture, the dog owners are decidedly not townies.
That park has only been "no dogs allowed" for the last few years.
It's a connundrum because the park wouldn't have been renovated without the gentrification.
It's an easy enough thing to enforce. The dogs come at specific times of day. But the Somerville Police are very busy hasseling people of color at that time of the morning.
It isn't a conundrum at all. Regardless of when the sign went up it still says "no dogs allowed." I see no exception posted for who figure that their paying higher taxes on inflated housing costs got the park renovated.
As for the Somerville Police hassling dark people - really, now.
Yuppies, guppies and puppies
the Gentry Family...
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