By Mariya Pylayev and Thomas Berkley
Gentrification and a Gypsy Cab from Mariya Pylayev on Vimeo.
Modesto “Flako” Jimenez is Dominican, a poet, a gypsy cab driver and a native of Bushwick, Brooklyn. He identifies with the gentrifying artists who’ve flocked to the area in the last decade and the Hispanic locals with whom he grew up when Bushwick was better known for its crime rate than its hot new galleries.
Flako’s documentary, ¡Oye! Para mi Querido Brooklyn (Listen! For my Dear Brooklyn), is comprised of a series of poems aimed at sparking a dialogue about Bushwick’s transformation.
“My neighborhood right now has a lot of people that picking sides,” Flako says. “Where to hang out, where to go. I chill in both worlds and I’m getting kind of tired of it.”
[box]¡Oye! Para mi Querido Brooklyn will play at the Bushwick Starr on June 1-3 as part of Bushwick Open Studios.[/box]