We walk up Wyckoff Avenue. My companion, Modesto ‘Flako’ Jimenez, Bushwick’s theater and poetry wunderkind, is loyal to his moniker flako and also very, very friendly. Our walk is interrupted again and again with heartfelt hellos, holas and hugs. This is his neighborhood and he knows it better than most.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Flako moved to Bushwick as a child with his family. His love for arts, and particularly for theatre, lead him to Bennington College, which he attended on a full scholarship. He used his earnings as a street gang leader to buy books and a mini-fridge for his dorm room.

Now he lives a life of a critically acclaimed actor, writer, producer and arts educator, as well as a life of someone who was raised by Brooklyn streets. With greater or lesser success, his two worlds often collide. Flako, very prolific in his endeavors, works tirelessly to bring the two communities he’s part of together while addressing the negative impacts of gentrification.