Arielle Gray

Meet Arielle Gray, local Boston resident, shared with us the changing landscape of her neighborhood—Mattapan—due to new gentrification and new developments.

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1. How have you seen your neighborhood change?

I was born and raised in Mattapan, MA, referred to as Murdapan by some other Boston residents. The area is mainly black, comprised of many people from the caribbean. I grew up with the bodega and liquor store across the street from my house, grew up knowing crackheads and fizzles and their stories...and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Unfortunately, gentrification is now changing Mattapan's landscape. Prices are rising. Bike lanes are where they never used to be before. The city is sprucing up Mattapan because they know it's the new spot for gentrifiers, since Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and parts of Dorchester have already been converted. We have always been here, begging for the things they're now installing for people who aren't us. It's a deep sense of betrayal.