10/21/2026
📣New Blog: We Won’t Go Silently: How noise complaints and other forms of “Culture Policing” contribute to Black displacement in Central Brooklyn by our ED Beverly Tillery
One of the consistent issues that Black Central Brooklynites brought up while we were out this summer was the increase in complaints about Black events and gatherings, and the targeting of longstanding cultural practices in Black communities due to gentrification.
Noise complaints, for instance, have risen for more than a decade, especially in areas like Central Brooklyn, as new residents challenge the longstanding cultural norms and practices of the communities they now live in. We call this "culture policing."
This September, Pan In Motion highlighted, in real time, a targeted campaign to shut down their authorized and beloved steel pan yard and silence their beautiful music practices ahead of Panorama, which met strong resistance and solidarity from the Caribbean community and allies working to protect important cultural practices.
Despite this increased scrutiny and culture policing, our communities continue to gather, to celebrate and create joy, and keep Black culture front and center in Central Brooklyn, and we must continue to do so.
Read our blog about how gentrification has fueled culture policing, the historical context and importance of Black cultural gathering practices, and how we can work together to learn from and celebrate one another and the legacy and culture of Central Brooklyn.
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