After talking to him on the phone, and hearing his side of things, I still think his fears are absurd. Good luck finding a place more welcoming, lovely and respectful, and where no one can find you. You're not going to be targeted for assassination - there are plenty of more powerful targets. Like church prayer groups in South Carolina. I wonder whether any of those unfortunate souls ever wrote for the Atlantic. Such a weird, tragic world we live in.
But then again, if he gets asking price, he'll make a cool $300K for his second thoughts. Not bad. Enough to buy an alarm system and a big dog for his next house. So long, Mr. Coates. We hardly knew ye. I did learn, however, how to correctly pronounce one of my favorite writers names.
NY Post on Ta-Nehesi Coates House For Sale
20 comments:
Not sure he will really walk away with the $300K once brokers fees, mansion taxes, etc. have been paid. Probably closer to break even...
Bu that's the thing about fear, isn't it. Baseless or not, it has a power over us that we cannot overcome.
Plus after commission, transaction costs, etc., he's probably not doing a whole lot more than breaking even. The brokers, however. . . .
I think the chances of his safety being threatened are nil. However, perhaps he's making the same calculus as anyone - why choose a neighborhood with crime over one without? Or with better schools? This whole "can't go home again thing" is kinda hard to wrap my head around. I think since he's been out of the country since his celebrity increased he thinks there's some menacing force out there. There isn't. And he's just not that famous. Yet. If he becomes more identified with a political movement - rather than a comic book and memoir - then maybe.
It's really silly that he could ever be concerned about this in NYC of all places! I walked a couple blocks next to Bobby Flay yesterday, did anyone attack him? Nope. Also, I had no idea what he looked like until all of this started to blow up about him backing out. He's "author" famous, people know the name (and usually only the last one) but almost never the face. Hope he never comes to regret his decision based on what seems to be a quick judgement, but even if he does... he's rich enough to buy in the first place, he will be fine.
Coates probably read this NY Times article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/us/americas-overlooked-gun-violence.html?_r=0
Maybe he'll return in a few years, after PLG is sufficiently gentrified and he no longer has to worry about his son.
Whether his fear is rational or not, the fact that so many people are speculating about his motives, his finances, and his family in public forums makes his point. He doesn't want to be a neighborhood "amenity"--end of story.
LOL @ the Bobby Flay comparison. Bobby Flay is a white celebrity chef, the person we are talking about is a black author who writes about race issues in America. I think in the era of Donald Trump being our possible next president his security concerns might be a little different than Bobby Flay. I would also point out that he may in fact write much more controversial things than he has previously, he may have even written them already and they have not been published. The point being he may know more about what his future security issues will be than we do. I can totally understand why he is uncomfortable with his home address being a google search away and I don't think it has anything to do with our specific neighborhood. He took the standard precaution of buying the house under an LLC and the sellers broker screwed him by revealing his address and being interviewed by the Post.
Totally disagree with you Armzhouse. Crazy is crazy. A fan or rival would kill or stalk Bobby Flay just as fast as a fan or rival or resentful SOB might come after Coates. We hear about celebrities being stalked - or even killed. Chapman killed Lennon because he was craaaaazy. Not because he wrote "Imagine"
Even if Coates endorses a total takeover of the U.S. Military by Black Nationalists - he's an author, not the leader of a political movement. If he becomes the latter, then he should probably beef up security. Arguing for Reparations, for instance, has a long history, and Coates has taken a measured and practical approach to the issue. John Conyers opens the Congress each time with his reparations bill. For the record, he lives at 2727 West Seven Mile Road in Detroit. A Google Search away.
Lennon wrote Imagine. Chapman was craaaaazy. Lennon might have been craaaaazy too, but I don't think he would've shot anyone. But Paul, of course.
For the record I do think he is over reacting, but I would not describe his fear as baseless. Sure, a crazed fan or rival (i'm looking at you Guy Fieri) could attempt to harm Bobby Flay, but he lives in an apartment building with a doorman in Manhattan, not quite the easy target that a private home on Lincoln road would be. Maybe Mr Coates will need to accept that his new found fame will force him to live in a similar building. If John Lennon were alive today I would hazard a guess that he would have more security than he did when he lived in the Dakota.
I guess it's the "home" thing. When you're asleep you want to know you're safe. Celebrities are out and about all the time, and if someone wanted to do them harm I'm sure they could. Still, it is WAY easy to find anyone anywhere. If you're intent on hurting someone, you will be able to. It's remarkable how seldom it happens.
Rational or not, the fact that people are speculating about his finances and making light of his fears on public forums kind of proves his point. What he wanted was to come home again; instead he found himself being touted as an amenity.
Best comment yet. Thx Arthur!
Still you're way too serious about this for my taste. He's not an amenity...he's a great writer and thinker, an important part of the nation's zeitgeist. Anyone cool who moves here will get a bit of teasing and gossip and probably jealousy for being able to afford one of neighborhood mansions. But that's not special to Lefferts, nor is it special to black celebrities. Hell I'm only doing it on the blog at all because that's what I do - opine and gossip and speculate. It's hardly sinister, and in my mind, not even worth the head-space. And yet, people keep talking about it...there's something there beyond the surface, but I don't think "amenity" is the right word. Person of Interest? When he mentioned he would have been happy to be part of a block association, I kinda thought, well, if you were planning on being that noticeable, you probably would have attracted more attention than a one-off NY Post article. And all this stuff about The Google. Hell, the FBI probably has a file on him. I'd be more worried about that than a nutjob showing up on his stoop.
If he gets that price, wouldn't it set a new record for a house of that size? I figured he'd be more mindful of rising real estate prices in a gentrifying neighborhood and less concerned about breaking even due to fears about his anonymity being compromised. Guess not...
For the same money they can now buy a small one bedroom in a secure building with a doorman and high monthly fees. The appeal of that will wear off quick.
My, my, one of Brooklyn's writers has brought literary fame to "the Q at Cortelyou."
http://ditmasparkcorner.com/blog/art-music/emma-straub-modern-love-ditmas-park/
Will the acknowledgement lead to the sale of a house and a departure from the hazardous environment?
Commission here is 4% (or $95,800 at asking price). Real property transfer taxes are 1.825% (or $43,709). Let's round up total costs to $150K to cover stuff like lawyers and bankers, etc., and they'll net $145K. Not bad payment for writing a piece for the Atlantic (above his usual pay there, of course). However, since he never actually lived in the house he will pay capital gains taxes on that profit (still not a bad return). And in response to an earlier comment, the mansion tax (1% on all sales of over $1 million) is paid by the buyer, so Mr. Coates already paid that when he bought the place (and it's added to the original cost of the house, lowering his profit further for tax purposes). This might indeed set a record if he gets that price - most houses that have gone for over that are 25' wide, while this one is only 20' or are four stories.
"Sell cigarettes without the proper authority and your body can be destroyed. Resent the people trying to entrap your body and it can be destroyed. Turn into a dark stairwell and your body can be destroyed."
The primary point of 'Between the World and Me' is that blacks' fear of violence upon the body is not just a metaphor. It's a real, encompassing, and legitimate fear of annihilation. It's arbitrary; it does not have to be 'justified' to be encountered. Because this fear is simply irrelevant for white people, it has not been drummed into every corner of our mind, and consequently, it is fundamentally unknowable to white people. Decrying his fear is proving his point--we simply don't understand the legitimacy of this fear.
You could make an argument that it takes a person who's particularly sensitive to this fear to identify it, to transcend it, and then to write so clearly and eloquently about it. Perhaps that makes him more likely to make life decisions in response to this fear. That could be true, but it doesn't make the fear illegitimate.
The secondary point of the book is that TNC cares more about protecting his son than anything in the world. Far be it from me to second guess someone's informed decision of how to protect their kids.
Also, as many have stated, the man writes about race in America. His stance as a lightening rod is disproportionate to his fame.
Oh, I get it. And his writing is outstanding, his points (in the book) beyond reproach. I like to imagine that I just "don't get it." But there are universals at play too, and now that Mr. Coates has the means, with that come choices. Sometimes the choices overwhelm people - I know rich folks who can't figure out what the hell they're doing on this earth, partially because they're not involved in the most basic struggles of life. Too many choices.
But I also care utmost about protecting my girls - more than anything. The suggestion that I must shelter them from even ME is absurd. I live in a neighborhood with relatively high crime. I send them to public school with kids from "bad" homes. We take taxis sometimes without car seats. I tell them about the real world, the good and the bad, like the drug addict we see every morning by the Dunkin' Donuts. There are people who have expressed that they want to do me bodily harm. I'm over opinionated and hot headed. I eat too much sugar. I used to smoke. I used to drink heavily. Once, when I was desperate, I left the house to go to the corner store, leaving my child inside the house. I regularly cross Flatbush Avenue. I like to ride a bicycle on City streets. I allow my child to ride a scooter without a helmet sometimes. I will hopefully one day allow my girls to be alone with strange men. I will, someday, have to live with the knowledge that anything could happen to them, anytime, and that I can't control it. Yes, they're white and so am I. Bad things happen to white girls and boys too.
Make a choice. When something goes wrong, you could rue your choice for the rest of your days. Or you could live your life, and let what others think be their own business. If you live with confidence, you might even change some minds.
There is the injustice he describes, and it is real. Then there is the everyday injustice of living in the real world. There is the fear, then there is Fear. Transcending fear is perhaps one of the greatest goals in life. I hope he finds that kind of freedom. Every human deserves that, or at least the potential for that, in my view.
If Mr. Coates chooses an Upper East Side private-school lifestyle, perhaps he will think he is playing it safe. I'm just another white guy, so what do I know. But I don't actually believe there is a safe. Not for him, his child, my kids. Not for any of us. The strategies aren't clear, but living a life you don't want to live when you can afford another? Thank the Lord I already made up my mind, because choices can destroy you.
Very true & good points - it's sad that most other people who face the same challenges and fears as Mr. Coates don't have the economic means to buy out of them. How many people are struggling to just make sure their kids are fed regularly and not in TOO much danger? It's also unfortunate that he didn't know our community more, because we do look out for each other. And his son will run into the same dangers no matter where they move in this country, more so perhaps in other parts of NYC.
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