{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/696zw1b92h/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Gaston, Troy "]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/548/original/OHA_Mark_2.0_Transp._copy.png?1752767076","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Narrator(s)"]},"value":{"en":["Troy Gaston (Full Name)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Refer to as"]},"value":{"en":["Troy"]}},{"label":{"en":["Narrator Pronouns"]},"value":{"en":["he/him"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview Summary"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eIn this Oral history Troy discusses being a resident of Robert Taylor Homes beginning in 1989 until 2008.  He discusses the conditions of the buildings, the strong community and what he believes to be some underlying causes of aggression and violence at Robert Taylor Homes. \u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Public Housing Affiliation"]},"value":{"en":["Former Resident"]}},{"label":{"en":["Public Housing Locations"]},"value":{"en":["Robert Taylor Homes"]}},{"label":{"en":["Content Warnings"]},"value":{"en":["Sexual Violence","Overt Racism","War and/or Genocide and/or Ethnic Cleansing"]}},{"label":{"en":["Themes/Topics"]},"value":{"en":["Community (Overarching)","Community Activism/Organizing","Community Building/Support/Mutual Aid","Education","Poverty","Displacement","Plan for Transformation","Neighborhood Changes (incl. Urban Renewal \u0026amp; Gentrification)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keywords"]},"value":{"en":["living conditions in public housing","Black men","Black women","bucket boys","building service work","bias","survival","structural genocide"]}},{"label":{"en":["Decades Covered"]},"value":{"en":["1990s","2000s"]}},{"label":{"en":["Life Dates"]},"value":{"en":["1982 (Birth)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Race/Ethnicity"]},"value":{"en":["Black, African American, and/or African Diasporic"]}},{"label":{"en":["Biographical Context"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eA Chicago son, Robert Taylor Homes served as Troy Gaston's initial teacher. Gaston sees his role as a learner and advocate as an opportunity to meticulously craft a narrative that highlights the humanity of individuals facing environmental and housing injustices. With a focus on transforming his learned lessons into actionable ideas, Gaston aspires to make a meaningful impact and bring about positive change in people's lives.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDescribe one of your dreams.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"I dream about being writing stories that are not told often.”\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview materials available"]},"value":{"en":["Audio—.wav","Audio—.mp3","Transcript—polished PDF","Finding aid—rough PDF"]}},{"label":{"en":["Oral Historians"]},"value":{"en":["Shakira Johnson (Interviewer)","adenike phillips (Post-Production by)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview Date"]},"value":{"en":["2021-03-22 (Recorded)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Method of Interview"]},"value":{"en":["remote"]}},{"label":{"en":["Recording Location(s)"]},"value":{"en":["Chicago, IL (Both)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Audio Quality Notes"]},"value":{"en":["Some interference present that briefly makes audio unclear"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eEach oral history interview is considered to be co-created, ‘joint work’ among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the National Public Housing Museum.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNPHM manages the components of copyright (reproduction, distribution, adaption, performance, and display) using Creative Commons Licenses. Most interviews are shared with Attribution and Non-Commercial 4.0 International licenses (CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed), meaning that they can be reproduced, distributed, performed, and displayed for the general public IF the user:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eCredits\u003c/strong\u003e the co-creators (Attribution), and\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eDoes not make money\u003c/strong\u003e from the usage (Non-Commercial). \u003cbr\u003eNarrators also have the option to apply a No-Derivatives License to their interview(s), meaning that the public is forbidden from adapting the work. These works are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Deed).\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease contact the NPHM Oral History Programs Manager if you are interested in downloading a copy of any of the interview materials (audio file, transcript, or finding aid contents).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote that the final decision about whether to share downloadable copies and whether to allow usage remains with the narrator. \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Preferred Citation"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eWhen using an interview from the NPHM Oral History Archive, use the narrator's full name the first time you reference them. Use the narrator's \"Refer to As\" name in additional mentions of their name. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease use the following formatting when citing the interview in academic settings:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBibliography Example\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePegues, Janetta Sue. Interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBibliography Format\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e[NarratorFullName in Last, First Middle order]. Interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order]. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFootnote Example\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJanetta Sue Pegues, interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore, National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFootnote Form\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e[NarratorFullName in First Middle Last Order], interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order] National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. \u003c/p\u003e"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eIn this Oral history Troy discusses being a resident of Robert Taylor Homes beginning in 1989 until 2008. \u0026nbsp;He discusses the conditions of the buildings, the strong community and what he believes to be some underlying causes of aggression and violence at Robert Taylor Homes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eEach oral history interview is considered to be co-created, \u0026lsquo;joint work\u0026rsquo; among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the National Public Housing Museum.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNPHM manages the components of copyright (reproduction, distribution, adaption, performance, and display) using Creative Commons Licenses. Most interviews are shared with Attribution and Non-Commercial 4.0 International licenses (CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed), meaning that they can be reproduced, distributed, performed, and displayed for the general public IF the user:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cul\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCredits\u003c/strong\u003e the co-creators (Attribution), and\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes not make money\u003c/strong\u003e from the usage (Non-Commercial).\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003eNarrators also have the option to apply a No-Derivatives License to their interview(s), meaning that the public is forbidden from adapting the work. These works are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Deed).\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease contact the NPHM Oral History Programs Manager if you are interested in downloading a copy of any of the interview materials (audio file, transcript, or finding aid contents).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote that the final decision about whether to share downloadable copies and whether to allow usage remains with the narrator.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["National Public Housing Museum"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["National Public Housing Museum"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/548/original/OHA_Mark_2.0_Transp._copy.png?1752767076","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/254/645/small/Cropped_Bio_Photo_Troy_Gaston.jpg?1729717002","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - Gaston__Troy_Interview__1_Audio_2021.03.22.mp3"]},"duration":1938.99633,"width":640,"height":40,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/254/645/small/Cropped_Bio_Photo_Troy_Gaston.jpg?1729717002","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-nphm.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/254/645/original/Gaston__Troy_Interview__1_Audio_2021.03.22.mp3?1729533105","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1938.99633,"width":640,"height":40},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Troy Gaston Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson:  Hi, my name is Shakira Johnson. Today's date is Monday, March 22, 2021. And I am here with","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=2.0,17.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: Troy Gaston.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=17.0,19.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: Awesome. Can you start out on this a little bit about yourself and your experience in public housing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=19.0,28.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: Well, it's kind of awkward. I guess.  It’s still awkward for people to  be asking me that question. And I started to get it more often. And it’s still awkward. But I guess my life first, I'm a senior at Roosevelt University. I'm also a MacNair Scholar. My history is that I resided in Robert Taylor housing projects from the age of seven until I was 19 years of age. And I experienced I guess being torn away from my community, I guess and being taken away from our community—that's being sent to prison. So yeah, in a nutshell.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=28.0,98.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And then can you tell us a little bit about the year you moved in public housing and what that experience was like on moving day or what the community was like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=98.0,114.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"TROY GASTON: It was extremely cold November 1989. We were living with my auntie in another project housing building that wasn’t the Robert Taylor's that was up the street on forty-third where she had her own apartment, and my mom got \n\nher apartment. And we walked and carried our stuff all the way to fifty-third in the cold.  My two little—my brother and my little sister who was at the time was about five and six, and my older brother was about nine and my other brother was eight. So we little kids carrying our stuff with just our mother and walking through these buildings or walking down this site that we call the file lane where you can walk from building to building just down the stretch and it's dark and you're seeing shadows walkin' past where ain't no lights on these porches you wonder who these figures are; then you could just see their eyeballs staring at you as you walk through and you stepping on glass and pampers that have been used and soon as you get towards that elevator way. I don't know. The smell—I just believe whatever hairs I had in my nose at that young age just dissolved them.  It was just disgusting. Standing by the elevator no one told us that they were broken we had to walk all the way up ten flights with all of our stuff and I was carrying pants and the blue jeans and socks that I owned you know maybe my little brother's tennis shoes as well. I don't know but I had to carry all that stuff upstairs.  Each floor we mounted, some strange figure I never seen it before [gasps] feel like they didn't look like how people, just before I moved in the project looked.  And their hair was just all wild and they just looked frantic, you know. Everybody stuck their head up to see who was the new people moving in the building. You know each person frightened me—I was frightened.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=114.0,310.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And then when you finally get to your apartment that you all moved into, I believe you said on the 10th floor. How did you all set up the apartment? How did it look?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=310.0,328.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: My mom. she didn't have no money for beds so, we made some beds we called pallets back in the days, where you take a  blanket, hopefully you got two so you can lay the blanket on the bottom and you got your sheet, and then another wool on the top, you know on the floor. And she set up us each direction of where she was hopeful to put beds in the future.  We were sectioned off, me and my brother; my side of the wall and on the other side was his side of the wall. My pallet was on the other side of the wall. And she stayed up to about three o'clock in the morning and scrubbed. And she only had two bars of soap and some water bucket, and she stayed up and she cleaned up. And when people move out the projects, they really don't move, you get kicked out. Because when somebody leaves, it's a squatter coming right behind them  if don't nobody immediately move in. So, people get kicked out and you get kicked out, you leave under the houses left under conditions that the people who move in there gotta take ownership over when it's really supposed to be housing jobs. And I read a new term it was called responsibilization where initially the owner \n\ntransfer, you know, and I mean his responsibility over to the people who ain't even in the position to handle it. You know what I mean? So that's how it kinda was.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=328.0,453.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: Do you happen to remember what your neighbors were like after you were there for a while?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=453.0,457.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: [Sighs] you get to [pauses] living in the project, causes you to have to consider more as a kid being than you otherwise would when it comes down to danger—come down to fears, come down to racism, come down to classism. And some of those people who are your neighbors get to step in when either your mom or whoever was personally responsible for you lack because they are not Superwoman or Superman, in no respect.  So, community you know what I mean—step, has to feel obligated, to have to step in order to qualify as a community. And I believe that the people that became our neighbors stepped up so much so that I can see how it has helped shaped my identity as a Black man. Because it was mostly Black women, single mothers, you know, what I mean? I'm raising Black, young boys whose father was no longer around. So that same authority figure that resides in my home is the same authority figure that resides in my friend's home, which is the Black mother.  You know what I mean? And so, I guess these Black women, helping me as a Black boy understand what consequences and actions it takes to respond to these social constraints? These isolated conditions that they are in, right?  So, they all did service work within the building.  Because they got these building captains. They had these choke rooms where they serve breakfast and lunch, in which these kids, they organize around aldermen to be elected, and all of this is going on within the building.  And you can go next door and you can borrow sugar and ketchup and eggs and milk. You know, and I mean?  And then they send you to the store with the food stamps, and they said, you get a bag potato chips and bring my seventy-five cents back.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=457.0,638.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"[Troy Laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=638.0,639.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So it was all a sense of community from most of these Black women that I guess, took hold of me, and I guess the men as well. It's a different story because I only— I'm not gonna say only but I guess I have concluded [Pauses] the conflict, the manufactured and designed conflict that these men are engaging in within they own community. And it's anywhere from being the scapegoat to state sanctioned violence by domestic abuse. Sexual predatorial behavior that we know go on, in those fucking baking hallways, pissy hallways they called them. But this conflict to me, it's when I look at these men the only thing that I'm seeing is this uncontrollable aggression. But the aggression is not just this one different aspect of either attitude or engagement with violent encounters.  It's they whole social position in order, in a way and how they engage and negotiate for they survival. It's this aggression that's being penetrated throughout the projects and that's what I noticed, and that's what I think this connection is being connected to how all these buildings was just torn down, and then they all in these communities, and you seeing this explosion and aggression in all these different communities? No, oh, no. That's just how I looked at these and at the time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=639.0,809.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And do you feel like the displacement of people was the main cause of the aggression or do you think that it was combined with other things?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=809.0,820.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: Most definitely, combined with other things because somebody as I mentioned earlier, was doing service work.  And it's these women and most of these, like I said, women were like my mother, because I knew what was going on with the system since I was kid because my mom walked around complaining her ass off, every day. Right?  So, these men were aware of constrained conditions. And they response were contained within this community because of the threats of what history has done to men who stepped outside of that community, acted outside of the social norms or, behavior outside of the social norms. So, like  it's different layers of containment  that I think is causing the aggression. But the displacement has exacerbated it  to a degree that I would argue was intentional genocide or, structural genocide.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=820.0,913.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And then you talked a little bit about how you felt like that.   It seemed like more of a community and then the good conditions and/or poor conditions of the public housing developments. Can you tell us a little bit if you have if you had interactions with people who are not from public housing, and then how they viewed you or, how you viewed them?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=913.0,942.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: So, these types of question to me, I guess just lemme say like this, to answer your question. Yes, I experienced people on the outside that didn't live in the projects lived in a different type of experience than I lived.  And how they treated me differently. Okay. But I guess in order to be clear, it's two forms of oppression that is overlooked by people that come from Robert Taylor projects or not talked about a lot, I guess. And one is [sighs] racial and class hierarchies within community.  And what I mean by that is...I don't know—I'm just gonna say what I think.  I guess like, some people inherit a form of power. Popularity—so, I guess, in the projects, you get that form of power that's inherited. And I guess we, society has programmed people to do what sometimes gangs can be a form of one, or like I said, building captain. But these hierarchies situate in a range. People based on class, based on they sexuality, based on they religion too because there's a form of social control and social norms that's going on within this community as well that has been adopted, which I would later to find out by our system of government. Our overall way of being, right? Patriotical normativity, right? Also, the second oppression from class was in school.  Teachers who didn't live in our projects didn't call on us. When your hair was nappy or your mom didn't blow your nose or, you know, you had on the same shirt, or you couldn't afford a fucking uniform shirt. You know what I mean?   And they not calling on you when you raise your hand. They callin' on people with the barrettes in they hair with the grease in it and Vaseline on they face and, you know what I mean, white t-shirt. You know, teachers called on those types of students.  But had no fucking idea that it wasn't my fault that my hair wasn't combed because my mom had worked two jobs. You know what I mean? So that's the experience. Sorry for being—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=942.0,1207.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: No, it’s okay.  And then were there any community events or things that went on in the community that you could go to, like relieve stress or to play or things like that, or any entrepreneurs at the time?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1207.0,1228.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: I mean, I was a bucket boy, and at   that time, it wasn't about us going downtown to the white folks to get money. It was going downtown to get an experience, because we ain't seen white folks in our community, to be able to see Buckingham Fountain, the museum for free at Bennigan’s and ride the subway train, it was a whole you know what I mean, different experience, because the Boys and Girls Club was being a shootout. And they was using it to have gang meetings. So, most people who frequent     the community centers or the recreational environments, in our community only seems to, I guess, suppress people into being involved in the negative activity that surrounded that particular center.  But I went selling candy, raffling  on the train. So, I had to leave out of the community to really get a sense of activities.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1228.0,1327.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And for those of us who may listen to this in the future, who don't particularly know what bucket boys are, what is what is that? Can you describe that for us?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1327.0,1338.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: So, a bucket boy is I guess young men who do beats on buckets with drums. We come up with unique—yeah beats. And we entertain from natural talent, which has sticks and a bucket. And most times those young men are after feeding whole families. And I want to say also that it continues to be around because of the more sentiment of our country of not seeing people go hungry. So that's why the bucket boys was continuing to last this long.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1338.0,1389.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: I agree after I just seen gone off topic, but I just seen somebody's doing that the other day and it made me super happy because I remember my childhood. But this ain't about me. So, I'll steer back. Can You describe what public housing means to you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1389.0,1411.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: I mean, public housing was aside from a deficient and defective system of— I guess, trying to prevent homelessness, it resulted in more people ending up homeless and vulnerable to homeless at the end of the day, because all the rules and regulations that is attached with public housing has spit more people out than it retained—than it housed . But the housing projects still created the opportunity for people to experience a sense of community,   a sense of responsibility, respect, love. What it's like to have values and you know, \n\nwhen you displace somebody, give that person the option to choose their community. And it's vital because in order to get all of those necessary things from a community, you got to be able to trust the people in that community. How could that happen if you just be thrown into it?  So….","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1411.0,1537.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: Can you describe how the community that you were originally from or how you think public housing has changed over the years?  And how do you feel about those changes?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1537.0,1553.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: I think that public housing has succumb to [pauses] gentrification, capital greed.  You know it, because it's peeling back on the welfare state by tearing all these buildings down, displacing all these people to these disinvested communities where these landlords can boost the rent up, and then leave these people more vulnerable. You know what I mean? So, I don't think the rules that they got now has made it better because you're still subjected to be kicked out based on your class status. Say, for instance, you live in in the building, and somebody ain't on Section 8, they paying our rent, and they got the same kind of disease you got that allowed them with they medical card to smoke weed. But soon as one sniff of weed comes from that Section 8 house, you gettin' kicked out—sanctioned. You know what I mean? So, all of these rules that don't take class into consideration, I mean, it's obsolete.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1553.0,1667.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And then, how do you feel that the plan for transformation worked out? So, the promise to revitalize housing and place mixed income housing, more privatized housing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1667.0,1682.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: I mean, crime rates and murder rates skyrocketed, since the demolishment arrived to save the projects. And despite the fact that it was done under the pretense of revitalization, it was aware that they didn't have seventeen thousand housing available for the families that they kicked out the projects when they knocked the buildings down in the first place,  So, the impact is just—it's significant. And I think it's has resulted in these young men being shot and killed and these women being more vulnerable to violence, as well as the expansion of the prisons with black bodies.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1682.0,1770.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: And then, most of the times, when I do these recordings, I hear people list something that was important to them or one of the most important things that they learned coming from public housing. Did you have anything like that or any experience that embodies how you feel about public housing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1770.0,1790.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: When we're talking about public housing, we have to talk about public housing from a different context of today.  Because it's not the same as when I guess, we was living in public housing. So, again I gotta point back to the sense of community. Public housing today again just another pop-up and they throw you somewhere. It don't give you the opportunity to search for community.  It don't give you an opportunity to search for jobs, the opportunity to search for school.  Don't give you an opportunity to be in relationship with your doctor that's close, planted in your community.   So housing is not like how it was back in the day.  So, the most significant thing was community I’d say that I left out with.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1790.0,1874.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson:  And then if there's if there was something that people will listen to this and get out of the recording, aside from the sense of community, What's one word that when you think of that describes your experience in public housing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1874.0,1899.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: [Pauses] Survival.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1899.0,1904.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: That's a really good one. And then did you have any other stories or anything that you thought of that came to mind that you didn't get a chance to share that you'd like to share with us?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1904.0,1922.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston: No.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1922.0,1923.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Shakira Johnson: Okay—well, on behalf of the National Public Housing Museum, we want to thank you for taking the time to share your story with us we appreciate it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1923.0,1936.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645/transcript/72024/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Troy Gaston:  Welcome, not a problem.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/137336/file/254645#t=1936.0,1938.99633"}]}]}]}