Protect the Bronx: Statement on Amaurys Grullon / Bronx Native
Google Maps Link for Bronx Boycott Targets: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tki64m8DjYPEdDph9
Today, Protect the Bronx calls out Amaurys Grullon — the public face behind “Bronx Native” — for his central role in the gentrification, displacement, and cultural commodification of the South Bronx, particularly Mott Haven. The Bronx Native partnered with Zionist real‑estate interests (including Keith Rubenstein, JCAL Developmen,t and Madison Realty) to brand and market Bronx culture in ways that paved the way for luxury development and displacement. The Bronx Native later opened pathways for Oyate Group / Tomas Ramos and Brookfield‑affiliated projects to move into our borough.
This behavior must be understood in a historical context. Gentrification in the Bronx is the continuation of decades of racist housing policy — redlining, federally‑backed urban “renewal,” purposeful disinvestment and displacement — that created conditions for today’s waves of predatory investment and cultural extraction. Developers and brand projects use arts branding, “festival” events, and nonprofit cover to sanitize and sell our neighborhoods.
We assert:
Amaurys Grullon / Bronx Native collaborated with known real‑estate and branding actors (Keith Rubenstein, JCAL Development, Madison Realty) to produce branded events and festivals that commodified Bronx culture and normalized outside investment in South Bronx neighborhoods.
Bronx Native and affiliated actors have profited from the labor and creativity of Bronx artists while failing to provide genuine, sustained space, accountability, or benefit to local creative communities; community members reported promises made and not kept (examples include the Choco Bar Cortez / Nourish site and promised youth workforce/community hub agreements).
Bronx Native has been publicly uplifted and awarded by local politicians such as Ritchie Torres, Ruben Diaz Jr., Vanessa Gibson, and Eric Adams — despite the community’s repeated pushback — normalizing a brand that community members identified as complicit in displacement.
Bronx Native and associated festivals/brands (including Bronx Night Market and other Bronx‑branded market/festival projects) functioned as marketing vehicles that invite outside capital and tourists while excluding or pricing out longtime residents and creatives.
Our demands
Full transparency: publish all contracts, sponsorship agreements, and funding sources linking Bronx Native and Amaurys Grullon to developers, sponsors, and non‑profit fronts.
Return of space and cultural restitution: buildings and venues marketed as community hubs that resulted from these partnerships must be converted to permanently accessible, rent‑free space for Bronx artists, tenants’ groups, and community organizations — with decision‑making power resting with resident‑led collectives.
Community control of cultural programming: any project that claims to “represent the Bronx” must be designed, governe,d and staffed by Bronx residents and artists and be directly accountable to tenant and artist collectives — not outside PR teams or developer‑funded entities.
Immediate boycott and refusal: until the above demands are met, Protect the Bronx calls on Bronx artists, musicians, poets, muralists, DJs and cultural workers to refuse to perform for, promote, partner with, or participate in Bronx Native events or any events operated by the listed targets below; do not lend your labor or legitimacy to projects that facilitate displacement!
Boycott Target List (Google Maps Link)
Bronx Native / Amaurys Grullon — principal subject of this statement
Marco Shalma / Bronx (Uptown) Night Market — co‑operator/partner in Bronx‑branded events tied to developer relationships, part of the marketplace and festival ecosystem that markets the Bronx to outsiders while excluding residents.
Nourish / previously Choco Bar Cortez — an example of a promised community hub that failed to materially benefit local youth or live up to prior community agreements, tied to developer / nonprofit negotiations.
Oyate Group / Tomas Ramos / Brookfield‑affiliated entities — actors entering the same branded/nonprofit ecosystem and facilitating larger corporate property plays.
Majora Carter / Boogie Down Grind Cafe – promoted “self‑gentrification,” helping to normalize branded development that commodifies Bronx culture and accelerates the displacement of longtime residents.
Keith Rubenstein / Somerset & affiliated entities — Zionist developer funding branding campaigns and festival partnerships in the Bronx.
JCAL Development / Madison Realty & affiliated entities— developer partners involved in the branding events
787 Coffee
Charlie’s Bar & Kitchen
Bar 47
The Bronx Council on the Arts
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
New York Botanical Garden
Sobro Garden
Bronx Chamber of Commerce
Fresh Direct
Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance
Legal Aid Society
This fight is about survival and preserving our culture. Gentrification and displacement do real damage: they erase landmarks, fragment our communities, and convert our labor and culture into commodities for outsiders. We will not stand by while our borough is repackaged for profit. Protect the Bronx will organize, document, and act — and we call on every Bronx artist, tenant, and neighbor to join us in refusing to be sold out.
