Wynwood Residents Fight Gentrification

Unbenownst to some, there was a Wynwood before Art Basel and Midtown. But working-class families worry that the neighborhood’s mounting visibility could lead to them being bumped out.

The upspring of condos, shops and galleries makes Carmen Pichardi uneasy. The 36 year old sat with her 9 year-old son one recent evening in Roberto Clemente Park. (The New Times wrote about the park’s long-neglected community center this week ) “You can never know what will happen. It’s Miami,” she says.

Miami en Acción, a grassroots project of the Miami Workers Center, has been organizing residents to put together a platform against gentrification. The groups are hosting a town hall meeting Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Jose De Diego Middle School auditorium, 3100 NW 5th Ave.

“We are building in the community to fight the monster of Midtown and the gentrification it represents," said Saraí Portillo, an organizer with Miami en Acción.

-- Janine Zeitlin