Their presence generates a certain funky vibe that appeals to the third phase of the gentrification sequence: (3) "bourgeois bohemians," to use David Brooks' term. Free-spirited but well-educated and willing to strike a bargain with middle-class normalcy, this group is skillfully employed, buys old houses and lovingly restores them, engages tirelessly in civic affairs, and can reliably be found at the Saturday morning farmers' market.
Wow. It would be difficult to describe my bearded cousin in a St. Louis ghetto more accurately than this.
Ivy League education: check
Interracial marriage: check
Renovating old school that also used to be a men's shelter and is in a ghetto: check
Hilariously hipster job involving vintage records: check
Huge beard to go with shaved head: check
He has a kid, but he gave him a cumbersome name from a James Joyce novel or something, so he probably gets a pass on that one.