Stronger Together

With the highest rate of poverty and the highest number of unemployed young adults in Brooklyn, Brownsville’s 86,000 residents struggle with the realities and reputation of their neighborhood; high rates of violent crime and incarceration, as well as police surveillance, are the legacy of a long history of resource deprivation. But, from the first birth control clinic and children’s library in the US in the early 20th century to the work of organizations like the Brownsville Community Justice Center and Made in Brownsville today, community spaces have also stood against tired narratives of poverty and violence, promising new opportunity and neighborhood pride. In this video produced for UO by youth creative agency and innovation hub Made in Brownsville, residents speak to their experience of the neighborhood and where safety can and can’t be found.

Made in Brownsville is a youth creative agency and innovation hub providing a gateway for young people to learn marketable hard skills in STEAM, access postsecondary education, achieve economic mobility, and engage in placed-based community revitalization. Modeled as a creative service agency, their projects teach design thinking, art, multimedia, tech and communication skills to give young people the technical and leadership tools they need to compete in the innovation economy and to be leaders in their community.

The views expressed here are those of the authors only and do not reflect the position of The Architectural League of New York.

Series

The Location of Justice

An examination of the pervasive and often overlooked infrastructure of criminal justice in New York and the spaces that could serve a more just city.

In This Series