The Accidental Playground: Brooklyn Waterfront Narratives of the Undesigned and Unplanned

6. Residential Life

CHAPTER 6 RESIDENTIAL LIFE Hardship and Resiliency on the Waterfront while the neighborhood locals were probably the longest-tenured recreators of the North Brooklyn waterfront, they were not the constituency that spent the most time at the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal. As the locals and others socialized, sunbathed, fished, or pursued art or sport, a group of homeless men carried on with the mundane activities of life, often just feet away. Each night somewhere between three and three dozen people slept at BEDT (although usually the number was under twelve) in improvised or store-bought tents or in shanties assembled from construction debris and other found materials. Many of these men lived communally, and their ubiquitous but mostly nonthreatening presence and occasional participation in leisure activities created not just juxtaposition but also a certain harmony. Most of them—well aware of their own tenuous status and right to space that so many others had also colonized or claimed—treaded lightly, avoiding conflict. Their experience was a more extreme version of the vernacular enjoyed by recreators: living without rules, supervision, or security. Yet it was also was more in keeping with conventional expectations. The appropriation of vacant or marginal spaces for shelter may be discouraged or illegal in many places, but it remains a common practice , particularly in crowded, competitive cities with high housing costs. 160 residential life While the raw living conditions on the waterfront were far from ideal, these men—and they were mostly men—enjoyed the freedom that it afforded. Living in the open air by the water allowed them a lifestyle and perhaps, at times, a degree of health that would be unlikely in typical homeless milieus, whether on the street or in a shelter. They were also, in a sense, liberated from the degrading stereotypes of being homeless bums or “street people” who panhandle on corners and in the subway and sleep on city sidewalks and in parks. Additionally, they were freed from the expectation that those who want to do the right thing will seek out not just work but also social services while living an abstemious life. As such I got to know them on more personal terms and not just within the context of their own misfortune. Yet it was still difficult to fully understand who they were and what had brought them to the waterfront. My encounters were rarely straightforward, complicated by language barriers and other issues. Thus their stories are incomplete, missing important details, and, at times, ambiguous. ThemenIcametoknowdidnotrepresenteveryonewhowaslivingatBEDTatthattime.Individualsandanoccasional family, like the young Polish couple who lived in a sturdy store-bought tent with their young son, came and went. For a while a wooden Guinness Beer sign leaned against their tent and toys were often strewn around the perimeter, but they were almost never around when I was. Some people living at BEDT simply kept to themselves or avoided me, and others were not around much during the day, even on weekends. And few wanted to advertise that they were homeless. Over the course of three years, I rarely found more than four or five tents or shanties arrayed across the terminal. This was not a major homeless encampment or “skid row,” and conflict between those living here and police or property and business owners never approached the level of conflict of notable 1980s–1990s homeless spaces, such as Tompkins Square Park and “the Hill” on the Manhattan Bridge ramp embankment in Manhattan, or those in other American cities.1 Some of the residents of BEDT, including (clockwise from top left) Jimmy, Roberto, and Erasto (2001). hardship and resiliency on the waterfront 161 The Residents of BEDT and Their Dwellings The residents of BEDT were a group of men nearly all of Latin American descent ranging in age from about twenty to forty-five. They lived communally, pooling part of their limited resources, and mostly slept in a single shelter that was rebuilt a few times at different locations. The majority were natives of Mexico, but among them were also native El Salvadorans , a Puerto Rican native, and occasional mainland American natives. They were a diverse group, and most had found the site independently of one another. Most of these ten or so men were also undocumented immigrants, a status that greatly complicated their quest for work, housing, and a more stable way of life. Their existence was generally dayto -day,focusedonpursuinglife’sbasicnecessities—food,shelter,andincome.Duringgoodtimes...