“A lot of people have been stripped of their agency...with mutual aid, it really does a lot for people to see this happening.”

In this interview, Ariella Riapos, a Bushwick resident and G-Rebls member of Comida Pal Pueblo, describes how mutual aid workers have come together during COVID moving through this crisis with persistence and resilience.

“COVID has really put that on the map and made people much more aware of how important it is to have access to fresh food, and how you can do it here.”

In this interview, Martha Ma, the Farm Manager at the Bushwick Grows Community Farm managed under Riseboro Community Partnership, describes how COVID-19 has put food insecurity on the map, and how her community has responded by growing and distributing food locally.

“Mutual Aid was a very novel term for many people, but it was something that this community has been doing for decades.”

Samuel Nemir Olivares, District Leader for NY Assembly District 53 and co-founder of Bushwick Ayuda Mutua (BAM), talks about his work in mutual aid supporting his neighbors and fellow community members in Bushwick.

“Opportunities exist that encourage cooperation and encourage rebuilding the safety net.”

Rahel Biru talks about her work in mutual aid efforts as a staff member at MayDaySpace.

“When it comes to building community...I invite people to pursue that, to participate.”

Angel Vera, a community organizer with Make the Road NY, talks about his experience arriving to the United States from Ecuador where he was a political activist, and of his involvement with MTRNY's weekly meetings that address issues of housing displacement and rent fraud affecting Bushwick's immigrant Latino population.

“Things that resonated with me in Bushwick [in the 70s] ....They were finding joy. They were finding laughter.”

Meryl Meisler is a photographer who documented and worked in Bushwick during the late ’70s and early ’80s, capturing moments of joy and hope in the neighborhood when it was racked by arson and economic crisis.

“Don't be afraid of coming forward...you have to lose that fear.”

Group Spanish interview with Leticia Paguian, Vicente Mayorga, Jose Luis Rodriguez and Rigoberto Silva, members and community organizers with Make the Road NY, who talk about their experience fighting for affordable housing for low-income and working class communities in Bushwick.

“All I ask of those people that are coming into the area...that they get the history of their apartment.”

Gladys Puglia, a community organizer with Make the Road NY, shares her story of tenant organizing against buyouts for rent stabilized apartments for Latino and working class communities in Bushwick.

“In '66, when I moved in, it was the opposite of gentrification.”

In this two-part interview, Micheal Bell, a long-time Bushwick resident and actor, shares his history of the neighborhood where he grew up and the changes he witnessed that were brought on by gentrification and rising prices in Bushwick.

“Real estate people follow the artists. It's sort of like the fact that we're doing what we're doing makes it desirable as a money-producing location.”

Julia Rooney, an artist and former Bushwick resident, talks about her time living in Bushwick, the struggles artists face in finding affordable work/live spaces in the city and shares her reflections on the impact displacement and gentrification have had on her work.

“It’s made me realize the potential that I have as an organizer... the power of connecting to other people that are going through this because I’ve experienced it.”

Joshua Carrera, a former Bushwick resident, talks about his experience growing up in Bushwick, facing eviction with his family and his involvement with MayDay, Illumination Against Gentrification, and Mi Casa No Es Su Casa.

“I developed the passion, the drive, the lack of intimidation to reach for the stars, to call a commissioner, to call a congress person...We’re all here to provide services for the community.”

Angela Battaglia, the Assistant Executive Director for Housing Services and Community Relations for Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizen’s Council, recounts her experiences in organizing and establishing senior housing development initiatives in Bushwick.

“I really think that there is a chance for community, but I think it has to stem from the individual.”

Erin Anderson, an artist and Montana native, shares her story about her arrival to Bushwick.

“We're trying to be aware of role white artists frequently have in this gentrification cycle.”

Nat Roe, founding member of Silent Barn and Executive Director of Flux Factory, shares his experiences in struggling to participating in an artist’s collective in Bushwick.

“I would love to bring art to the younger people in my neighborhood.”

Kurt Steger, artist, shares his reflections on the important role artists can play in community building.

“I miss Bushwick in a lot of ways. The Bushwick that I miss isn't there.”

Native New Yorker Chloe Bass talks about her involvement in arts community organizing through Arts in Bushwick, and her eventual displacement from the neighborhood.

“We should build bridges because we're all inevitably affected by the negative effects of gentrification.”

Anthony Rosado discusses his early years in Bushwick, his family’s displacement due to rising rents, and his return to Bushwick as a working artist.

“The energy of NYC has to be geared into changing policies... to prevent displacement in the first place.”

Jose Lopez, an organizer at Make the Road New York, shares his experiences in fighting for housing justice on behalf of Latino working class tenants.