There’s a film to be made out of all this. Come to think of it, given how explosive a topic it has been and still is, how often is the subject of gentrification at the center of scripted feature films? Not documentaries (there are many of those), but scripted fiction. 

Surely there are those of us (black folks) who cheered in agreement with Spike Lee’s profanity-laced diatribe on gentrification in Brooklyn, NY specifically, which went viral last week. And on the other side of that divide, there are also those of us (again, black folks), who will nod in accord with Anthony Mackie’s thoughts.

Black people aren’t a monolith, right? So this isn’t an issue that one should automatically assume we all have the same opinion on.

I’d take both sides of that divide (and all the grey between), write something comprehensive, and see what develops in terms of a narrative that would make good fodder for a feature film.

But, I’m not here to agree or disagree with Spike in this post, but to share another take on the gentrification matter from another prominent black entertainer, Anthony Mackie, with a Brooklyn address, as he points out in the video that follows.

Anthony Mackie, who’s been in this position before (remember his challenge to black folks in the entertainment industry to do for themselves, which caused a huge stir) has heard Spike’s condemnation of gentrification, and he has his own thoughts on the matter, which, as you might guess, differ greatly from Spike’s.

So, first, if you haven’t heard it, here’s audio of Spike’s lengthy explosive critique; and after you listen to it, watch Mackie talk to The Grio, sharing his thoughts on what Spike had to say, as well as his own views on the issue at hand.