Buddies Coffee in Brooklyn, a Puerto Rican-owned business, closed its doors after its landlord planned a rent increase and to open a competing cafe. Despite a surge in support fueled by social media and celebrity endorsements, it couldn't withstand the pressures of gentrification, which disproportionately affects Latine businesses. Giovanni Gonzalez, of the nonprofit La Gesta, emphasizes that many challenges faced by Latine communities stem from those in power. The closing of Buddies Coffee reflects larger trends impacting Latine-owned businesses throughout New York City as neighborhoods undergo demographic changes.
We as Latines are facing serious challenges today, many of them created by those in power... our light is inevitable and undeniable.
If our businesses were in a fully Latine community, we would not be struggling.
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