Looking Forward

Chaney is optimistic about the future of the Melrose community, and the South Bronx as a whole. In the past five years, he has witnessed significant change in his neighborhood—vacant lots that have been empty since his childhood, are becoming housing. Chaney sees gentrification and the influx of new people as a positive: “It’s getting stronger and the strengths are that it’s becoming more diverse. And, it could only get better from now. Diversity is a great thing—that you never thought you’d have a Chipotle on one-six-one or Starbucks so you know, like diversity is good but people have to embrace it.” While he is enthusiastic about the neighborhood change, he pointed out that newcomers should understand the history of the South Bronx before living there. Education was at the heart of Chaney’s concerns—he expressed the need for better schools, access to the law and fair policing, and a historical education for new residents. Chaney calls for more“openness” among all who engage with the South Bronx. Decades of systematic racial segregation are still being felt in his community and Chaney believes that, “People have to be reprogrammed to live with each other.” He envisions a South Bronx where new people and new ideas are welcome and history is justly preserved.

Looking Forward