“What they are doing is adverse possession [a process by which title to another’s real property is acquired without compensation],” said activist Julius Tajiddin, referring to the rapid and relentless gentrification of Black-owned businesses by buyers who are not native to Harlem.

In late February, the aggressive gentrification of Harlem snagged yet another victim—the well-known Shikulu Shange, the owner of Harlem Record Shack at 274 West 125th Street.

Now other Black-owned businesses are about to be pushed out. Two such people are Vera Wilson, the owner of House of Seafood, and Phillip Bulgar the owner of Manna’s, a well-known soul food restaurant in Harlem.

Vera Wilson has been the owner of House of Seafood for the past 11 years, and she feels “totally angry” and “frustrated” at the thought of the restaurant being taken from her. The loss of her business affects her along with the rest of the owners on the block.

“This is our livelihood, this is where a lot of us take care of our families, and we all have employees and everybody’s really, really upset about this.”

According to Wilson, a lot of other businesses have between “30-180 days” to leave. “We put a lot of money into it and just to leave in that amount of days, you know and I know that it can’t work.”

Wilson herself has put $100,000 into her business, because before she moved into the building there was a fire. “For us to go within a 120 days, there’s no way for us to make that money back.”

Phillip Bulgar, assistant manager of Manna’s Soul Food & Salad Bar, sees what’s going on as “gentrification.”

“They want corporate entities, they want big businesses, they don’t want the small, independent businesses no more,” said Bulgar.

Manna’s has been a part of the Harlem community since 1991 when it was “vastly” different from what it is now.

“Now that the community is safer and cleaner than it has probably been since the 1930s or ’40s, these new owners [Kimco Realty] want to walk in here and just start putting the small businesses out.”

Both owners say that they’ll fight what is going on. “I’m going to put up a fight. I’m not going to let it just go by like that,” said Wilson.

She’s going to her politicians and to the community board to “let my voice be heard.”

“You [new owners] are not going to push us out, like, run us out like an old stray dog. It’s going to be a fight,” said Bulgar.

The business owners aren’t the only ones who’ll suffer from the store closings. Chris Ganley, a loyal customer of House of Seafood, has been going to the restaurant for eight years. He goes there three times a week. His reason is, “It’s the only good Southern, good home-cookin’ you can get right here.”

Ganley believes that what is happening to businesses is “terrible” and he notices a change.

“I’ve noticed a big change for the last five years out here. Ever since Clinton came into office over here, they’re moving a lot of the Black-owned stores out and moving in the Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks to comfort the Caucasian people,” said Ganley.

Upon hearing this, a fellow patron shouted out, “And you’re hearing that from a white boy.”

Another House of Seafood patron is disturbed by what is going on.

Ri-kecia Richardson has come all the way up from Brooklyn to get the food from the House of Seafood.

She has two reasons: “When you want certain things to eat, you come to Harlem,” and “the food is good here.” That the place had been recommended to her by a Masonic temple didn’t hurt, either.

“They’re trying to move the little people out, and I don’t appreciate it,” said Richardson.

Without businesses such as these, the children will suffer by Richardson’s logic. “Small, Black businesses started here and we’re coming into a new millennium; we have to continue that for the children. They need to see people owning Black places, restaurants, not just beauty parlors and funeral homes as it used to be before.”

“I think everybody needs to join together and fight them.” By “everybody” she means “the people that live in the houses and the apartment buildings and the projects.” Because in her opinion, “They’re going to want everybody out.”

A lot of the owners have loans to pay off and without the option to at least be bought out of their property, they are left with few options.

 “What do we tell our banks that we took loans from? ‘Sorry, but the place is demolished, and I have no way of paying,’” asked Wilson.

Gentrification from Brooklyn to the Bronx and so many Black and Latino neighborhoods in between is taking its toll on the communities.

Tajiddin, a community advocate from the Harlem Platform Committee, has a very long family history in Harlem and knows a lot about Harlem’s history. Tajiddin said, “We have to act collectively as a community and not as individuals to stop the gentrification of our Black-owned businesses.”

Tajiddin feels that if the community allows this to continue, African-Americans will no longer be the majority, but the minority in Harlem.

Ricardo Morris of R.M. Development & Construction, LLC said, “Defying this is the only way because it will not happen anywhere else and we cannot allow them [buyers] to take over our neighborhood.”

Morris feels that if the buyers have the money to buy the businesses out they’ll do just that.

“Nobody can do nothing, unfortunately,” Manna’s owner, Betty Park, told the AmNews. “Hopefully, they give us enough time to move out. They should give us a little bit more time.”

Added the Korean businesswoman, who has had her soul food restaurants in Harlem and Brooklyn for 19 years according to her Website, “They’ve been having meetings with the landlords. We don’t own the building. If there’s anyway to protect it, that’ll be good.

“Nobody tell me anything, nobody came to me, we just got this notice a month ago, and we’re very shocked. I don’t know what we’re going to do. We don’t want to move out. Is there anyway by the law that we can stay, and that’s all I want to know. I’m looking for an agreement to give us more time for us to move out.”

The community must strive to “preserve a legacy that people already know and understand,” said Tyrone Rose, a 40-year-old man who has lived in Harlem all his life.

Both Morris and Rose said they feel there is power in numbers and we must come together as one. Then we can help stop the gentrification of our communities. –(Special to NNPA)