Gowanus has long sacrificed itself for the born of the tall, gleaming Manhattan we see today, through the coal and steel industries. The memories of those sacrifices lie deep at the bottom of the Gowanus Canal, forming a layer known as “black mayonnaise.” These wounds of sacrifice keep creating new scars. We can admire the beautiful view of Manhattan from the train station, but we cannot face the garbage of Gowanus. We must confront the grim reality of Gowanus’s sacrifices and face it’s true condition. Only then we can acknowledge our guilt and begin the real process of healing.
