As the iC’s were wrapping up our day of shooting on Saturday we drive down Roosevelt Avenue in my old stomping grounds of Corona, Queens. The police had 111th Street blocked off and there were seemingly hundredss of people in the street. I thought to myself that we must be missing some awesome latino holiday. We had just finished having a meal at La Cabana which is a popular Dominican eatery on 103rd Street so we had all had our fried pork allotment for the year.
Just know that if there is a latino holiday upcoming you will be required to eat some manner of pork. Shouts to RAFI for eating mofongo. Even I WON’T eat that shit, but bless RAFI’s brave heart he went in on that joint hardbody, rather hard artery. We weren’t missing a holiday on 111th Street however. Some dude hacked up his wife and his son and had them stashed in the apartment’s closet.
Queens Man Charged With Murdering Wife, Son
*Soundwave: That shit was in the Owen’s family building*
Corona was such a fun place to grow up in when I was a child. The diversity of latin folks, asians, whites and everything in between gave me an early world view that would be destroyed by the time I got to middle school and learned that it wasn’t normal for a Black kid to have white friends (from outside of the neighborhood). The other magical mysteries of Corona have begun to fade as well. Visiting the old junkyards during the shoot also brought back a lot of memories about the neighborhood that I think I may have forgotten.
The Willets Point Blvd junkyards was the place that we would go to get bike parts from when we were younger. When BMX bikes became popular the junkyard streets were like our own private training course. Everything possible took place in the junkyards so you didn’t go in there alone. If you can remember the Fat Albert show then you can imagine a bunch of kids traipsing through the scrapyards looking for some summer adventure. When we got older and our means of transport went from bikes to stolen cars we came back to the junkyards to peddle instead of pedaling.
The thing that made me sad though was that the junkyards looked exactly the same as they did twenty plus years ago. The streets that were fucked the fuck up then were beat down even moreso. The neighborhood remarks of a shantytown in South Africa or India. There is so little infrastructure development in the area mainly because it serves poor people. Who do you think comes to the yards to have their cars fixed? People that can’t afford to go to a dealership or even a repair shop on the avenue.
The city has gotten along just fine ignoring this segment of the population because they pay their taxes and don’t expect to have rights anyhoo. I tried to buy a drink from one of the Salvadoran ladies that pushes their shopping carts through the yards. They ignored me as if I were the police. I was such an outsider to these women. That pissed me off. I hate being labeled as a doppelganger, but here I was in the yards now impersonating a working class person. Nevermind the fact that I was just in court this past week to resolve my arrest from a few weeks prior.
I’m torn in my emotions now from preserving the yards so that the poor and working class people that make NYC tick can have a place to have their cars fixed, or to just raze the whole neighborhood and let the asian money that has been developing Flushing move into Corona. One of the OG selling points the former mayor Giuliani had issued about reconstructing the new stadiums had been the notion that these sports team monuments would redevelop the neighborhoods they were nestled in. That ended up being politricks double speak, but I wonder now if this neighborhood couldn’t use a touch of the Disney-fication that the rest of NYC has been blessed with?
because of all the new yoricans and the other loud mouths who NY it up everwhere i absolutely hate ny everthing.minus the hiphop. this post put a more human face on the beast that is NY. great piece.i still hate NY.
^ “he diversity of latin folks, asians, whites and everything in between gave me an early world view that would be destroyed by the time I got to middle school and learned that is wasn’t normal for a Black kid to have white friends (from outside of the neighborhood).”
Perfect.
DDConyers– you ever been to Baisley Park in Jamaica, Queens on a crisp autumn morning? It’s quiet pleasant.
I bet Rafi is feeling that mofungo today– gotta be native to handle it well, tho’ a bowl of mondongo afterwards can sometimes set you right– sometimes.
Hunts Point (where I’ve spent some time over the years) is like the Upper West Side compared to Willets but I’m still dogmatically opposed to eminent domain for PRIVATE development.
Sidenote: paternal (fake) liberals vilify Robert Moses but if you look at his refusal, say, to give Flatbush & Atlantic (site of old BK meat market, now the horror that is the Atlantic Center) away to the Dodgers, there was some rectitude there also.
FUCK YOU Walter O’Malley: why should NYC be supporting a goddamn baseball team, even one as characterful as the Dodgers?
It ain’t that the Dodgers weren’t profitable on Bedford either– O’Malley wanted more $$$.
Blinkered Robert Moses haters in their ersatz brownstone utopias should go ask the brownskins of Chavez Ravine how that one worked out.
If you have not seen a movie called Chop Shop, you most definitely should. Some straight up beautiful cinema shot in Willets Point that paints a real picture of what life is like.
Word to big bird.
Hey Dallas, it was really cool running into you on the street on Friday night. I was the dude that you met on Broadway and we chopped it up about myspace and your Vend Diagram video. I moved to NY just a few months ago so it was nice to get a live Dallas performance. Hope I run into you again sometime. Don’t give up on your blog!
Dallas, that building has always been the equivalent of the ninth circle of hell. It absorbed light. Do you remember when the people who lived below the Owens’ got into a bangout for like thirty minutes. I was in MO’s crib at the time. Craazeee!
Frank, Chop Shop is one of the new classics. I posted a drop on this page about the flick to roll out at 8:20pm. That would be 20:20 in military time. Perfect vision.
Joe, thanks for grabbing me up just before I jumoped off the cliff. You saved the weblog with your friendship.
Detroit got THREE casinos that were supposed to turn around and beautify the neighborhoods. Didn’t happen. We still don’t have street lights or working fire hydrants. We’ve got a multi-state, multi-billion dollar lottery that’s supposed to help finance Detroit Public Schools. Nope, no luck there. DPS is still a nationwide joke to outsiders and downright SCARY to us Motowners (less than 20% graduate?? GTFOH!!).
I can’t even pretend to know the solution, Dallas. I’m assuming the money’s being made for both Queens and Detroit to improve. The system sucks badly!
A Yo, Dallas. This is Victor. The cat from the BN in Union Square. You, me, and my girl were talking about the Kool Aid flavored Herman Melville childerens books((Pause)), and upgrading the Ghetto Big Mac.
Son, you ever do stand-up? You could be the black Artie Lange, except with slightly less liver damage and no outward symptoms of the herpes.
But I’m feeling the site. Where can get the video links in a stricktly youtubular format. My job dud’n’t lemme do vimeo.
My nig you really hit home with this post. I feel that way whenever I’m on the 7 line specifically Elmhurst – Corona basically from 90 st – near me and Mike and 111st between you and Jr. – Love what you’re doing! Keep being our voice.
since we are all reminiscing/commiserating i would like to shout out bland houses, just on the other side of the chop shops at the other end of the bridge.
dallas when did mike owens get killed. i am from east elmhurst and moved to va i dated mike for a while many years ago. i was one of many girlfriends he had. i remember when billy ” billy bang” had the new black 325 bmw. and the acura legend back in the day. Billy Bang and Mike Owens ballers 4 real. Billy R.I.P
Shout to all my Corona, ‘hurst and Flushing family.
HatianGreggs, your boy Drew is on this thread too. Now where the fux is Mike?
Kim, I will do a post on Michael Owens and Billy real soon. Are we connected on Facebook? I’ll make sure I get that story to you.
fredMS, have you seen that new apartment complex across the street from Bland Houses. I think that deserves a post as well.
I love that the condemnation talking points for Willets Point Blvd junkyards was that the area was a breeding ground for crime. Ha! And Wall Street isn’t? Every month they figure a different method for stealing money by the billions and no one talks about demolishing the stock exchange.
yo word up no mofongo….ewwwww
wow dp rafi ate mofongo i don’t care who makes it i won’t touch it. any mix of african and spanish food can not be good for you.
mad hatin on mofongo goin on. thats cool, means more leftover for me. I’m goin into dominican food withdrawl, can’t wait to get back to nyc later this week.
YO KID…This one hit me in the heart D. As a Flushing resident who grew up in Corona my entire life, seeing such an elemental part of my life highlighted in this fashion was REAL. First off, you don’t touch mofongo?? YOU BUGGIN!! Mofongo de pollo (fast from the swine lol), without onions from La Cabaña with a nice cold Red Rock, a Presi, or even a “Pexi” is the shizznit. That building on 111 where dude murked his wife and kid is on my grandmas block. That’s where I grew up, that’s actually my mans building i used to get haircuts in the hallway at..This piece is a special one kid. I remember them days where we’d travel beyond the galaxy of Queens on the God’s line. Had it down pack so much we knew the crack in the cement close to the bench by the stairs led you to the train door that’d leave you right in front of the staircase that would leave you closest to the turnstile exit on main street, to avoid the stampede. I remember coppin my hooptie nissan altima for 1200 bucks i saved from summer work. Only having insurance cover liability, so when i did get into an accident and turn my hood into an accordian, the junk yard was my savior. Fixed the radiator, put a new bumper, hood, AND painted the whole joint the color of my car for $350. Lemme stop before I black out even more. Thank you DP. The Unisphere is ours.
^ Timeless Truth
The neighborhood remarks of a shantytown in South Africa or India
^^^
I swear that looks just like where my parents were brought up in India…i had to look at the cars in the picture just to figure out that can’t be where my folks came from.
wat up Drew! Got to see ya’ll soon! I be reminiscing about all the clubs and days and nights. Mike is around, gotta get his new math and will share it with you. My math is 347-743-3304 call me Dare and Drew fo real!!!!!
Check it out http://www.conversationswiththeliving.org – documentary me and my homey Marc are doing on HIV/AIDS crisis in Haiti. Dare it’s 4th quarter like you said to me the last time we built, and I’m trying to get this ring. Dare – talk to me brother – you need a tv show for real!
Enjoyed every bit of your blog.Thanks Again. Fantastic.
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