Ukusuka apho ndihlala khona kwelona gumbi likhulu nelingacaciswanga laseManhattan, eStuyvesant Town, ukuqala kosuku ngalunye kubonakala ngathi kungabhalwa kumnandi, ngeminyaka yoo-1930 iHollywood comedy, into ekhokelwa nguFrank Capra. Njengokukhanya kwelanga okuqala ngaphaya koMlambo i-East, ndijonge emantla ngefestile kwenye yezona ziqwenga zikhulu zomhlaba ophethwe bucala esixekweni. Ukusuka kwiFirst Avenue ukuya kwiFDR. Qhuba, usuka kwisitalato i-14 usiya kwisitalato sama-23, iStuyvesant Idolophu kunye nomzala wayo othe tyaba kancinci, iPeter Cooper Village, igubungela iibhloko ezili-18 ezikwere iihektare zeendlela ezijijekileyo, iibhedi ze-tulip, imithi egcinwe kunye nemithombo-ipaki entle ephakama i-35 phantse ezifanayo izakhiwo ze-13-to-14 ezinemigangatho, ezakhiwe ngaphezulu kweminyaka engama-50 eyadlulayo yiNkampani ye-Inshurensi yoBomi ye-Metropolitan.
Xa ndijonga ngefestile, ngentsasa entsha kuza iqela lamalungu afanayo anxibe iyunifomu. I-S.U.V encinci eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka nomhlophe, ekhokelwa lilungu lomkhosi wezokhuseleko wabucala, iyaziphakamisa ngobunono ngaphezulu komgaqo. Ukusuka kwiifoyile ezinethayile kuvele ezinye zokuqala ezonyukayo phakathi kwabahlali abangama-20 000, abathi ngokuyila nangokwesiko bahlala ngokuphakathi.
Ngezinye iintsuku, konke endinokukwenza ukuze ndizigcine ndingaqalisi ngohlobo lweCapra-esque voice-over: Le yidolophu encinci edumbileyo enabantu abaninzi abalungileyo. Ewe, mhlekazi, le ndawo indifanele.
UCorinne Demas uziva imvakalelo efanayo ye-saccharine kutsha nje. Emva kokufunda kwimemo yakhe entsha, Amabali alishumi elinanye aPhakamileyo: Ukukhula eStuyvesant Idolophu, ngo-1948 ukuya ku-1968, kwisihlwele sabemi basehlotyeni e-Wellfleet, Mass., Wafumanisa ukuba unenkampani. Kwakukho inani labantu ababenobuntwana baseStuy Town, utshilo. Kwakumnandi…… ndicofe into ethile, kwaye wonke umntu ebonwabela ubumnandi bobuntwana bakhe.
Ngubani onokubabeka ityala? Umntwana okhulele kwiDolophu yaseStuyvesant kwiminyaka phakathi kweMfazwe yesibini (II) yeHlabathi kunye neVietnam wakwazi ukukhuliswa ngedolophu enkulu kwidolophu yasezidolophini. UNks Demas uyavuma ngokulula ukuba ibali lakhe alinabunzima, libekwe kwindawo eyayinoluntu oluntofontofo, olukumgangatho ophakathi, indawo ephezulu yama-50.
Kweminye, Idolophu yaseStuyvesant yinto engenakwenzeka. Umbhali wezakhiwo endimaziyo oye wahlala eRashiya wandixelela: Masijongane nayo, iStuy Town ijongeka njengeprojekthi yezindlu. Ke kutheni abantu abaninzi belinda ixesha elide ukufumana indlu apha? Ndicinga ukuba ibali lam liqhelekile kubahlali banamhlanje. Ndifumene iStuy Town ebutsheni bowe-1990, emva kokuqhutywa yiyo amatyeli amaninzi, ndihlala ndicinga ukuba yindawo yokuhlala yoluntu. Emva koko ndadibana nomntu endandikumgangatho ophakathi owayehlala apho, kwaye wandimemela kwitheko lakhe loSuku lwePatrick. Ndikhumbula ndiziva ndilahlekile ndingenathemba ngaphakathi kobunzima obunje nge-maze. Kodwa xa ungaphakathi kwigumbi elicocekileyo, eligcinwe kakuhle neliphangaleleyo, ukuva loo magama omlingo-irente-izinzile! -Ndacinga: Ndingangena njani?
Indlela esemthethweni yokugcwalisa isicelo kwaye uyingenise kwi-MetLife. Ukulinda kwezi ntsuku kwigumbi lokulala elinye (apho iirhafu eziphakathi ziye zenyuka zaya malunga ne- $ 1,200 ngenyanga emva kophuculo lwenkunzi yamva nje) kufanele ukuba ibe malunga neminyaka emithathu. Ndalinda phantse isihlanu. Uluhlu lokulinda lwamagumbi okulala amabini luvaliwe okwangoku. Ndiyazi umfazi ohlala kwigumbi elinamagumbi amabini anexabiso eliphantsi kumgangatho ophakamileyo onemibono yomlambo, othi abazali bomyeni wakhe bambeka kuluhlu xa wayeqala ikholeji, kwaye ukuba indlu leyo yahlala ivulekile emva kweminyaka eyi-12, xa wayekhona ukuqala usapho.
Ngenxa yokuba iStuy Town kunye nePeter Cooper Village ziqhutywa yinkampani yeinshurensi enkulu, i-bureaucracy yona ifana neKremlin. Njengomntu ocengayo, ucinga ukuba kuya kuba yinzuzo enkulu kuwe ukwazi umntu. Ukuba yipolisa, okanye ukuthandana, kuthiwa kuyanceda. Xa uLee Brown efika edolophini ukuba abe nguMkhomishinala wamaPolisa kaDavid Dinkins, igama lakhe ngomlingo laya phezulu kuluhlu ePeter Cooper Village. Kukho amabali e-Irish Mafia athi ngandlel 'ithile angene kwinkqubo yokukhetha. UFrank McCourt wakha wandiqinisekisa ukuba igama lakhe lokugqibela laliyimfihlo yokufumana indawo kwiminyaka eyadlulayo, kwakudala ngaphambi ko-Ashes ka-Angela.
Nokuba bendingenamtya wokutsala, ndafumana ileta ngenye imini isithi ixesha lam liza kwaye kufuneka ndingenise ulwazi lwezezimali. Kwakhona ezinye iinyanga zadlula, emva koko kwafowunelwa umntu othile ukuba andinike indawo yokuhlala. Awufumani ukujonga kuyo-konke okufumanayo yidilesi. Uneeyure ezingama-24 ukwamkela okanye ukwala, kodwa ukuba uyawawa amagumbi amabini, ubuyela ezantsi kuluhlu. Ndonzakele ngento engaphantsi kwendawo ekhethiweyo: umgangatho osezantsi, ukubonakaliswa emantla, kufutshane nendlela yenkonzo enengxolo.
Okwangoku, iveki endingene ngayo bendikhwele ikhetshi kunye nomhlali oneminyaka ephakathi endincedisile ukutyhalela ibhokisi eholweni. Ndazifunga ukuba andisokuze ndiphinde ndinyakaze, ndamxelela.
Ewe, wathi, eli iya kuba lixesha lokugqibela.
UCorinne Demas akajonganga nanye kwezi zinto zibalaseleyo. Abazali bakhe babekwigagasi lokuqala labahlali baseStuy Town, kodwa nalapho kwakufuneka kusikwe. Bangamashumi amabini anesihlanu amawaka abantu abachongiweyo kwizicelo ezingama-200,000. Abahloli beMetLife batyelele abo banokuba ngabaqeshi babo ukuqinisekisa ukuba ubomi babo bucoceke ngokwaneleyo kwaye bugcinwa kakuhle. Kwidolophu yaseStuyvesant, UNkosazana Demas ubhala, yonke into ibifana, ilinganayo kwaye inocwangco.
Kodwa emva kocwangco yayilucalucalulo lwamaziko. AmaNigro kunye nabamhlophe abaxubeki, usihlalo weMetLife wathi kwi-1943. Mhlawumbi baya kuthi kwikhulu leminyaka, kodwa hayi ngoku. Njengesonka sokuqhankqalaza, iMetLife yakha encinci, iyunithi enamanani ayi-1,232 eHarlem. Kodwa amatshantliziyo ayesebenzela ukwahlula iStuy Town, ehambisa izindlu zabo kubantu abamnyama. (I-MetLife iya kubuyisa iitsheki zerhafu zingachazwanga.)
Ngo-1950, iintsapho ezintathu zabantsundu zangena ngokomyalelo weBhunga lesiXeko. Ubalo lwabantu lwango-1960 lwabalwa abahlali abangama-22,405 eStuy Town, kubo abangama-47 babengabantu abamnyama nama-16 ePuerto Rican. Namhlanje, ngokutsho kwamagosa aseStuy Town, kukho umgaqo-nkqubo wokuqeshisa ongaboniyo-ngokuqinisekileyo, ngokomthetho abanakukhetha. Okwangoku, ubunzima bunobumhlophe ubukhulu becala. Ke kwakhona, kunjalo i-tonier Upper East Side, kwaye uninzi lwabahlali abamhlophe baseStuy Town babengenakukwazi ukuhlala apho.
Omnye unokucela, umphathiswa wenkululeko ogama linguArthur R. Simon wabhala phakathi kwiminyaka yama-60, ukuba leliphi ixabiso abahlali baseDolophu yaseStuyvesant abathi ekugqibeleni bahlawule ngemali yokuziphatha ngokuhlala kwighetto ekumgangatho ophakathi. Sinezinye izinto esinexhala ngazo. Udidi oluphakathi lungqingqwa kwimarike yanamhlanje yokuthengisa izindlu nomhlaba. Ethetha neqela labakhi kungekudala, igqwetha likaRhulumente uMark Green uthe, Simele sakhe iiDolophu zaseStuyvesant zangomso. Kodwa ngubani oya kuhlala kuzo?
Ngokuka-Alvin Doyle, umongameli we-Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, umba ophambili malunga ne-Complex kwezi ntsuku kukonyuka kwerente. Kutshanje uMnu. Doyle uve amarhe okuba abaphathi banethemba lokunyusa irente ngaphezulu kwesilingi engama- $ 2,000 eya kubasusa kwimigaqo yerente. Kwimakethi yangoku yeManhattan yokuthengisa izindlu nomhlaba, enokubonakala ngathi ayisiyonto ingako- kodwa kusapho olunabantwana esikolweni, ukuphela kommiselo kuya kusongela ubukho babo obulindelekileyo phakathi-eManhattan.
Okwangoku, nangona kunjalo, i-idyll yoxolo yasezidolophini yencwadi kaCorinne Demas isekhona. Ngeentsuku ezishushu, ndijonga ngefestile yam ukuba kwindawo yokudlala egcwele abantwana abajingayo, bekhaba iibhola kwaye bejinga kwindawo yokuzivocavoca ehlathini. Iinkumbulo zabo zeDolophu yaseStuy zisenokuba mnandi njengeenkumbulo zikaNkskz Demas.
Kodwa abo bantwana bangxolayo bandenzela amandongomane ngamanye amaxesha. Ndicinga ngokufika kuluhlu lokulinda ukutshintshela kwigumbi elizolileyo.
