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WELCOME BACK.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> OBVIOUSLY I READ YOUR COLUMN
TWO TIMES OVER HERE.
YOU ARE PUTTING THAT BACK ON
SPIKE LEE.
YOU WRITE THIS IN PART.
SOMEBODY HAS TO CALL BULL ON
THESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT
GENTRIFICATION.
THIS IS A MAN WHO MADE EPIC
CONTRIBUTIONS TO WHAT HE FINDS
SO TROUBLING.
THAT BEGINS WITH THE HATCH
HOUSE.
EXPLAIN TO FOLKS WHO DON'T KNOW.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
>> THE ARTIST SOLD HIS ESTATE OF
9,000 SQUARE FEET TO SPIKE LEE
NOT SO MANY YEARS AGO FOR $16
MILLION.
SPIKE PUT IT BACK ON THE MARKET
FOR $32 MILLION.
ONE OF THE FEW HOMES THAT HAS AN
INTERIOR COURTYARD.
AN UNBELIEVABLE PLACE.
GOOGLE HATCH HOUSE AND YOU CAN
SEE THE PHOTOS.
ON IT'S AN UNBELIEVABLE PLACE.
THERE IS NO CORNER OF NEW YORK
WHERE WON'T FIND WORKING CLASS
PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO STAY ON.
RIGHT OFF THE BAT IT RAISES THE
QUESTION WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN
AND BUYS AN ESTATE AND LOOKS TO
RESELL IT AT TWICE THAT PRICE,
WHAT EFFECT DOES THAT HAVE ON
HOUSING PRICES.
IT'S NOT THAT ANYBODY SHOULD BE
CONDEMNED, BUT JUST LIKE ANYBODY
ELSE, SPIKE LEE IS BUYING AND
SELLING AND TRYING TO DO WHAT'S
RIGHT FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY.
NO REASON TO CRITICIZE FOR DOING
THE SAME THING.
THEIR TRANSACTIONS MIGHT HAVE A
FEW ZEROS LEFT OFF.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
YOU HAVE ROSIE PEREZ, A LONG
TIME RESIDENT OF BROOKLYN AND
FRIEND OF SPIKE LEE.
SHE TALKED TO HIM AND AGREED
WITH AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS
TRYING TO SAY, BUT IT'S EASY TO
DISMISS AS HIM BEING CRAZY.
YOU PUT IN THE TOP AND HERE HE
IS IN ALL HIS MOTHER F-ING GLORY
AND DID HE HAVE A POINT?
THE FOLKS WERE PART OF THE
RENAISSANCE AND LIVED THE
HISTORY ARE BEING FORCED OUT.
>> THIS IS THE THING.
ROSIE PEREZ IS PART OF THIS TOO.
THE ART SCENE IN BROOKLYN, YOU
INTRODUCED ME AS A HARLEM
NATIVE.
NOT SO FAR FROM THERE.
PART OF THAT TIME WAS IN FT.
GREEN.
I WAS MORE OF A BYSTANDER AND
THERE WAS AN INCREDIBLE CULTURAL
OUTPOURING AND SPIKILY WAS THE
LEADING EDGE OF THAT.
HE CONTINUED TO MARKET THAT
NEIGHBORHOOD AND MAKE IT COOL
AND HIP AND MAKE IT INTERESTING
LONG AFTER HE LEFT AND SOLD HIS
BROWN STONE FOR $1 MILLION AND
MOVED ON.
IF YOU DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO
RAISE THE QUESTION WHAT DID YOU
THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
WHEN PEOPLE SAW THIS WAS THE
COOLEST PLACE ON EITHER, DID YOU
THINK THEY WERE NOT GOING TO