Eileen McDermott and Brittany Carrasco, a resident of Carmel, outside a coffee shop in Cold Spring.
➤ PUTNAM COUNTY,, from p.18
at 38.2 percent of the population.
The village’s atypical demographics
for this area of Putnam
County have not played out well.
Some of my fi rst encounters on
local social media pages included
current and former white residents
of the area referring to Brewster
Village as “Little Mexico” and to
the residents in far more pejorative
terms. When I challenged such
comments and even called out to
the page administrators to police
them, I got kicked off some pages.
The demographics have also
resulted in a starkly segregated
community as well as a proposed
plan to redevelop Brewster Village
in an effort to attract more white
residents from New York. This is
all framed in the plan’s language
as attracting “millennials,” but
the true intent is clear to those
who live here. The redevelopment
plan would bulldoze many of the
village’s historic buildings to the
ground and replace them with
condominiums and offi ce space. If
carried out, it would undoubtedly
chase out a signifi cant number of
Latinx residents, many of whom
own businesses in the village that
would be affected or eliminated.
With many Latinx residents worried
about endangering their own
or family members’ immigration
status — ICE raids have “surged”
in Putnam and Westchester lately
— that community has been
STEPHANIE SCHLEICER
broadly afraid to speak up in the
debate over redevelopment and
other public concerns.
And even as some are trying
to attract city people to Brewster,
the dynamics at play, in fact, don’t
bode well for progressive and LGBTQ
newcomers. While Putnam
libraries and some organizations
have hosted Pride events in recent
years and some schools have Gay-
Straight Alliance groups, there
is no nearby LGBTQ Community
Center, no gay bar in Putnam or
even within reasonable driving
distance, and there has never been
a Pride Parade. LGBTQ people and
artists can often be the lifeblood
of progressive communities, but
without public spaces for queer
people to convene and be visible,
communities remain insular and
conservative, keeping progressive
values in the shadows.
One bright spot in Brewster is
the Studio Around the Corner,
owned by the Cultural Arts Coalition,
a non-profi t “dedicated to
creating and sustaining cultural
arts within the Town of Southeast
and its surrounding region.” The
Studio serves as a space for artists
and theater geeks to gather,
hosts ESL classes and support
groups, and is spearheading an
effort to restore Brewster Village’s
historic theater. At the same time,
it is funded partially by the local
Republican-run government and
➤ PUTNAM COUNTY, continued on p.25
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION FROM
SOUTH AFRICA AND COLOMBIA
SPENCE-CHAPIN
For over 100 years, Spence-Chapin
has been finding loving adoptive
parents for children in need of
adoption.
As a leader in LGBTQ adoptions, we
provide culturally affirmative care in
supporting your family. Our team of
experienced social workers provide
guidance, education and support
before, during, and after the adoption
process.
Contact us to learn more about
international adoption for ALL
Families.
212-400-8150
info@spence-chapin.org
spence-chapin.org
November 28 - December 4 24 , 2019 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
/spence-chapin.org
link
link
