Opinion Sur Joven

There’s a way to know whether someone lives in New York or is a tourist that works every time: how they take the subway. If they swipe the Metrocard at once and have no problems, there’s no doubt about it: they’re true New Yorkers. But if they get stuck at the turnstile, we can immediately notice they’re tourists or newcomers. Something similar happens with crises; there are two options: whether you get through the turnstile or not; whether you move on or get stuck at the system for an undetermined period of time. The current international crisis, the deepest one since 1929, is not the exception. Millions of people all over the world are suffering the consequences of the global economy freezing.

This time, the core of the crisis is not in some Asian country with a strange name, nor in Brazil, nor in Mexico, nor (surprisingly) in Argentina. As we all know, the financial earthquake began in the United States. This article describes how the crisis is dealt with at the very heart of the problem, in New York. What happens on the streets of Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx, where the immigrant neighborhoods are placed? And what about Wall Street? Can the crisis be noticed in luxurious Manhattan? What are the world leaders talking about at the UN headquarters? A virtual tour through the Big Apple in times of crisis.

Tell me another story, I’ve heard this one already

As I saw how New Yorkers lived with this crisis, I had a déjà vu, that strange feeling of “God, I’ve been there too”. Inflation, unemployment, recession and uncertainty are much more than just familiar words to us, Argentinians: they’re a part of our everyday reality. In our country, we are such experts at this matter that we could speak at conferences and run workshops for our American friends on how to deal with crises. They’ve spent so many years trying to teach us how to lead our countries, that it wouldn’t be that bad if, for once, we were the ones to write the books and speak at masterly conferences. Who wants to start the list of recommendations? Let’s diagnose the situation first.

“You ask me if I’m affected by the crisis?!” I used to live with 100 pesos a week; now I still earn 100, but I need 140 to make a living”, says Luis, a Mexican citizen who works as a waiter at a student residence in Manhattan. He tells me that his wife is pregnant and that he’s very worried about the next months. Overhearing our conversation, some of his coworkers approach us and give their opinions, filled with complaints. They all have something to say.

“All prices are rising, even commuting is more expensive now”, says Lilian, a Dominican woman. In this city, public transportation costs have increased by more than 30 percent in a few months. For instance, the Metrocard went from 1.50 to 2 dollars, and it will soon cost 2.50. It’s not a minor issue, since about 7.7 million people use New York public transportation every day. Every morning, people from all ethnic groups such as Latinos, Arabs, Asians, Africans and many others use the subway. The crisis has affected everyone, no matter where they are from. Even if they have nothing to do with the causes of the problem. As Brazilian president Lula da Silva put it recently, “this crisis was caused by the irrational behavior of white, blue-eyed people who before the crisis seemed to know everything and know have shown they know nothing”.

Gimme shelter

They say that, in Chinese, the word “crisis” is also used for “opportunity”. Something similar happens with homeless people in Brooklyn. It turns out that, with the construction boom, many condos were built to sell their apartments; but, with the crisis, many people just weren’t able to pay the 350,000 dollars each apartment costs, and banks were about to auction them. So the city officials took an unprecedented step: they reduced the number of homeless families who ended up on the streets due to the crisis by accommodating them in those buildings. The government pays a rent to the owners: “It’s like a hotel. It’s the best place I’ve ever lived in”, said Nelson Delgado (36), who now lives in a luxurious apartment with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and granite floor. Neighbors are outraged, not only because they have to “coexist with these people”, but also because the government is paying for those rents with their taxes. Here you can see some pictures of the condo.

The Bronx and Harlem

The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of New York City, and it’s famous for being the place were hip-hop music was born. Almost one million and a half people live there, and most of them are immigrants or born to immigrant parents.

The Spanish Harlem, also known as “El Barrio”, is in the north-eastern part of the borough of Manhattan, and most of New York’s Latino community lives there. There are millions of Latinos from many countries, but most of them are Puerto Rican descendants, called “Nuyoricans”.

Both neighborhoods are characterized by their vitality, their energy and their constant movement: there are hundreds of stores, markets and hair salons, young men playing basketball, kids coming out of school… It’s impossible to get bored. I’m surprised at the large number of people hanging out on the streets, something we don’t see anymore in Argentina due to crime. However, the crisis can be easily perceived: many stores are closed, and bars, delis and restaurants are almost empty. The words of Nelson, the owner of a Mexican food restaurant in Harlem, confirm my theory: “We’re selling a fourth of what we were selling at the beginning of the year. It’s impossible. Wholesalers are upping their prices, and there’s nothing we can do to avoid upping ours. And people don’t go out, they don’t want to spend money… Have you seen how many ‘to lease’ signs there are on this block only?”, he asks me. “We had to reduce our staff by half”. And he adds yet another fact that sounds familiar to me: electricity and other services have become much more expensive over the last months.

As the crisis gets deeper, young people’s living conditions are the most affected ones. There are more firings, closures and strikes in companies. Maybe that’s why we can see so many young people on the streets, and the number of police patrols in the city has grown as well.

Pleasures and vices still on, but more expensive

For most people in the US, going out for lunch or dinner several times a week was a common habit, so not doing it anymore implies a significant “adjustment”. They still go out, though fewer times a week, and they only order the specials. Undoubtedly, the hurricane left a lasting impression on the people, and the impact on their everyday lives is big. However, some things are still the same; for many of us, these things would be a luxury: while walking the streets of Harlem, in six blocks I see five manicure parlors, three barbershops and three hair salons; they are all pretty full of customers considering it’s Monday afternoon in a workers’ neighborhood… so things are not that bad.

Sharif, a young man born in Yemen, has lived in New York for nine years and works at a supermarket. “People still buy the basics; certain things are necessary, but everything’s more expensive now”, he comments. Examples? Cigarettes. The Marlboro pack went from 3.50 to 4.75 dollars. They were already very expensive because of the taxes the State imposes on them to reduce their consumption, but they they’ve reached their highest level.

Bars are suffering the crisis as well, but not that much. Smiling, the waitress I interview tells me that, in times of crisis, people need alcohol and fun more than ever. Reggaeton and salsa can still be heard coming out of the stereos of the cars passing by, and in clubs and discos too, of course.

Wall Street Boys

Taking a walk through the Financial District is a very particular experience: giant skyscrapers appear everywhere and seem to wobble every time we dare to look up. Behind each little window of those buildings, the finance experts of New York are working; perhaps they are the only ones who understand the real estate speculative bubble that burst into a crisis.

A fourth of New York workers are somehow related to Wall Street. Undoubtedly, all of them are feeling the impact of the crisis, especially because rents are at outrageous prices and the lifestyles they’re used to are now really expensive. The void the Twin Towers left at Ground Zero isn’t the only one. A bank teller tells me their situation has drastically changed: they went from having the highest salaries of the city to being unemployed. Many of them even had to make extreme decisions such as moving to another state, because NY no longer requires their services. I wonder if they’re studying gardening.

The most expensive areas of Manhattan are as splendid as usual; they’re still filled with Broadway shows, and I keep finding furniture in excellent conditions on the side of the streets every day. The famous Central Park is full of people on Sundays, and just by seeing the amount of food they prepare for their picnics makes me realize the crisis doesn’t affect everyone the same way.

What will happen over the next months? How long will this crisis last? Will it generate real changes in the current system, which actually caused it? Too soon to know. A significant part of the answers lies in the decisions the leaders of the world make.

A UN summit of world leaders was held a few days ago in New York; the current international financial crisis was analyzed, and decisions were made.

Most G8 leaders (from developed countries) basically believed the Conference had to exclusively deal with the crisis in terms of its impact on development, instead of discussing worldwide financial matters or economic regulation. Many attempts were made to boycott this summit and minimize its importance, but the Conference was held with leaders and ministers of many countries and adopted an outcome document containing some proposals for addressing the concerns of developing countries, specially the poorer and smaller ones not represented in G-20. What do you think? Crisis = opportunity?

Illustration: Lorena Saúl