Two luxury real estate developers, Somerset Partners and The Chetrit Group, have organized an exclusive party in support of their newest project of turning Port Morris into a new Williamsburg by building two luxury towers with 1,200 units. However, the locals are not happy with the company's rave.
According to nydailynews.com, many have raised their eyebrow when party organizers from the luxury real estate companies have used burn out cars rigged with bullet holes and trash bin fire to depict art.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito tweeted her reaction with the said party. She said "Lack of empathy & basic awareness are signs of an ailing society. Who thought 'Bronx is Burning' theme a good idea?"
Also, one tone deaf attendee of the party tweeted that the homeless in the area are "not amused" with their choice of party. The party was located in an old piano factory under the Third Avenue Bridge and artist Lucien Smith called the event as "Macabre Suite."
Long- time residents of are also not happy with the two companies efforts of rebranding South Bronx as "Piano District." The companies have already bought two chunks of land in the area, the one in 2401 Third Ave. and the land in 101 Lincoln Ave., which both run along the industrial line in Harlem River for $58 million.
Gentrification has long been an issue for the communities that live along the Harlem River and the impending project of luxury towers in the area might get things worse.
In a report by gothamist.com, a lot of personalities were seen attending the exclusive party. Attendees include Baz Luhrmann, Gigi Hadid, Adrien Brody, Kendall Jenner, Carmelo Anthony, Travis Scott, Naomi Campbell, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Ed Garcia Conde, a Bronx blogger, had said that attendees of the party has been rampantly using cocaine and "being done quite openly at the VIP bar."
He also added "How could these individuals cosign such an event where there was no concern for the real world issues which the community faces outside the gates of the party on a daily basis? The struggles? The parents trying to provide food on the table for their families as they are working non-living wage jobs and are overburdened with rent?
Meanwhile, just across from the party lives a homeless man in a cardboard encampment and just a couple of blocks north you'll find Mitchel Houses, one of the largest public housing projects in the city where folks live in abject poverty and know all too well the realities of death, drug addiction, and many other issues which plagues our communities."
What are your thoughts about the exclusive party by the two real estate luxury companies? Sound it in the comments!