A sizable and diverse crowd gathered across the street from the newly-opened pawn shop on Franklin Avenue and Park Place to protest the institution, chanting "No Pawn Shop!" and listening to speeches from
Crow Hill Community Association leaders and the four elected officials who turned out (pictured speaking above, from top to bottom): Councilwoman
Letitia James, State Senator
Eric Adams, State Assemblyman
Hakeem Jeffries, and State Assemblyman
Karim Camara, all of whom stressed the negative impact pawn shops have on communities (increasing property crime and trapping people in downward spirals of debt) and demanded that the
Department of Buildings investigate and shut down the pawn shop for violating New York City zoning and permit laws (see the document in the post below for more information). All four of our elected officials stressed the importance of building community, commended the work of the CHCA and other local associations, and urged local residents to continue to organize for safe, stable neighborhoods. Councilwoman James took on the issue of gentrification, saying that many reporters had asked her if the protest reflected neighborhood change. "This is not the beginning," said James, emphasizing that groups like Crow Hill had been at work for decades and that their, and her, goal was to improve the neighborhood for all residents.
Across the street, a small group gathered with the pawn shop owners, and after the speaking program finished, James and several of the organizers crossed the street to talk with them (bottom photo, above). What followed was a fair and frank discussion about the two issues that underlie the pawn shop's presence, namely, the unavailability of
jobs and credit for many residents of Crown Heights. One woman pointed out that no bank or credit union would give her a loan and defended the pawn shop as a source of short-term credit, while a man said that he was sick of hearing new business owners say they were hiring "their own people" while lifelong residents were turned down and often forced out of their apartments in buildings undergoing renovations. Another local woman, hired by and working for the pawn shop, echoed his concern, saying that no other business had accepted her application and she was thankful to the pawn shop for offering her employment. All three individuals expressed frustration with the protest, saying that it did nothing to address their concerns or improve their access to jobs and credit, and asked whether the organizers would be willing to stage similar events to support their needs.
These are very, very important questions - pawn shops would not be viable businesses if mainstream lending institutions didn't routinely avoid and ignore lower-income communities, particularly communities of color. Likewise, the people who pawn shops exploit wouldn't have to patronize them if they had better access to employment opportunities, particularly in their neighborhoods - employment provides both income and improved access to credit. These two concerns are connected: many businesses opening on Franklin are the work of entrepreneurs who work borough- and city-wide. Improved credit access would allow would-be local entrepreneurs to compete in this market, and to provide employment at businesses of their own. Any way you slice it, pawn shops are a symptom (a pernicious one that the protesters are right to oppose) of a much larger systemic problem, one that creates markets for predatory lending by denying employment and credit to low-income communities.
Councilwoman James agreed wholeheartedly with the concerns raised, suggesting both improved financial education and a rally to insist that local businesses hire locally. It's up to those of us who were at the pawn shop protest today to work together with the elected officials and business owners to realize these goals - unless the larger issues are addressed, pawn shops will continue to target Crown Heights, even if this one gets shut down (and it seems likely it will). By way of helping out with this process, here's an important link - the
Pratt Area Community Council is hosting
FREE financial literacy courses just up Franklin Avenue at Lefferts Place this November, and registration is open now. Call 718-783-3549 or email Charrisse Smith at Charrisse_Smith {at} prattarea {dot} org for more information or to register.
One final thought: I'm sure there are dozens if not hundreds of pawn shops are doing business illegally around the five boroughs, and the DOB and NYPD just don't have the time or money to check on every single one. It takes a concerted effort by citizens to draw attention to these (and many other) problems - in a city as large as NYC, things happen when people make them happen, and not until.
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