“Mainstream media tends to leave race out of the conversation because it’s an uncomfortable conversation for a lot of folks,” Leon told City Limits.

Author and performer Joél Leon (courtesy of Leon)

​​Last month, performer and storyteller Joél Leon joined attorneys Keith White and Ken Montgomery at JACK Arts in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, for a conversation examining the intersection of gentrification and race in New York City.

During the discussion at the nonprofit Brooklyn Combine, the three advocates reflected on their personal experiences with gentrification after witnessing the neighborhoods they grew up in transform into more commercial and white-adjacent spaces. The conversation touched on the importance of community involvement in preserving the health, culture, and diversity of New York City neighborhoods.

After the event, City Limits caught up with Leon—author of the essay collection “Everything and Nothing at Once: A Black Man’s Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future”—to discuss what’s often missing from mainstream media conversations about gentrification and race, and which historic movements have most inspired his work.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

CITY LIMITS: What stories do you think are missing from mainstream conversations about gentrification?

JOEL LÉON: I think the conversations we’re missing in mainstream media about gentrification—there’s a few. A lot of them just lack transparency, right? Like where gentrification starts, where it comes from. Mainstream media tends to leave race out of the conversation because it’s an uncomfortable conversation for a lot of folks.

We don’t talk enough about the history of gentrification. We’re especially at a point now in America where there’s assumed knowledge around a lot of topics, and there’s an opportunity to talk about where gentrification comes from. Something we talked about inside here is that it’s not just gentrification. Gentrification is the output of a lot of other things—of colonialism, capitalism, fascism, right? A lot of those things are interconnected in the conversation around gentrification that I think are missing.

CL: What are some examples of community-led resistance to gentrification that inspire you?

JL: Some of those things are not present right now, but when I think about the Black Panther Party’s work around the free breakfast program. When I think about The East —I think they might have just had a showing for the documentary of The East—but The East was a Brooklyn based program, an art center, that was very much centering Black and brown voices. Very much taking a page from the Black Panther Party. I think there were actually some members from the Black Panther Party that helped to create The East, and so I think about that.

I think about what Brooklyn Combine is doing in the community, right? Community-based initiatives that are focused on the community at large, but also are in the community. It’s one thing to talk about the societal issues and things that ail a block or a neighborhood; it’s another thing to have the folks who are talking about those issues also in the community as well, which I think changes the trajectory of the conversation and also changes the color of the conversation, for lack of a better term.

CL: What gives you hope when it comes to protecting communities and their cultural vitality?

JL: Events like tonight. There are a lot of intersections here. We’re at JACK, an art space in Brooklyn, and Black men and women are at the helm of that. It’s in conjunction with programming from Brooklyn Combine, also a Black-led initiative. We have folks who’ve never been to JACK before, who walked by, heard about this program and are now going, ‘Oh, I wonder what else JACK has to offer?’ There’s an intersectionality in that that gives hope. It opens up the opportunity for bigger and broader conversations around the arts. 

I often think about how we can find access points. How do we access things that matter? So much of that is just showing up for the conversations and events happening in our community.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Marianad@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org. Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post Talk of the Block: Author Joél Leon on Gentrification & Race appeared first on City Limits.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has agreed to settle its case against an ex-Wells Fargo & Co. executive who had been facing a $10 million fine and a ban from working in the banking industry for her role in a scandal that involved bank employees opening millions of potentially fake accounts to meet sales goals.

Claudia Russ Anderson (Courtesy of Bill Anderson)

Claudia Russ Anderson, of Lake Elmo, who served Wells Fargo’s community bank group risk officer, no longer must pay a fine and may be employed by a bank in the future if she wants, under the terms of the settlement finalized in a consent order signed Wednesday.

In 2020, the OCC brought administrative charges against Russ Anderson, initially seeking a $5 million penalty, which the agency later increased to $10 million. The final order, issued by Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, fined Russ Anderson $10 million and forbid her from future participation in the banking industry.

The OCC’s decision to settle came as oral arguments were approaching in Russ Anderson’s federal court appeal of Hsu’s decision, said Brett D. Kelley, Russ Anderson’s attorney.

Kelley called the outcome a “total vindication” for his client, adding that the agreement “resolves the most significant civil enforcement action brought by the OCC against individual bankers in U.S. history. Reducing a $10 million penalty to a $0 offer speaks for itself.”

A spokesperson for the OCC did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday. A spokeswoman for Wells Fargo declined to comment.

Anderson was one of several Wells Fargo executives accused of engaging in “unsafe or unsound” banking practices, misleading bank examiners and violating federal law in connection with the bank’s sales practices.

Regulators alleged that employees, trying to meet aggressive sales targets, opened bank and credit card accounts, moved money between those accounts and created fake email addresses to sign customers up for online banking — all without customer authorization. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without customers’ knowledge.

Wells Fargo was fined $185 million by California and federal regulators in connection with the scandal.

Douglas Kelley, another of Russ Anderson’s attorneys, said the settlement means his client will be able to spend time with her 77-year-old husband. Russ Anderson, 66, does not plan to work in banking “ever again,” he said.

“We are glad the OCC decided to throw in the towel,” he said. “We are ecstatic that this ends the nine-year nightmare for Claudia and her family.”

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Minnesota United had an opportunity to cash in by selling Joaquin Pereyra to a European club during the summer. Instead, they have signed the Argentine attacking midfielder to contract extension.

The Loons said Thursday the club and Pereyra have agreed to a new deal through the 2028 season, with a club option for 2029. He joined United last summer on an initial term though 2027 and an option for 2028.

Terms were not disclosed. One of the club’s two Designated Players, Pereyra received $754,800 in guaranteed compensation for the 2025 season, per MLS Players Association.

This one-year extension comes after Turkish club Trabzonspor put in a bid of $8 million for Pereyra in August, but MNUFC turned it down as they moved Tani Oluwaseyi to Spanish club Villarreal for a similar sum. The Loons bought Pereyra’s rights in 2024 for approximately $2 million from Atletico Tucuman in Argentina.

Pereyra had a slow start to his Loons tenure at the end of last season but has been one of the best playmakers in MLS in 2025. He is tied for 12th in the league with 11 total assists. Lionel Messi of Miami and Anders Dreyer tied for the league lead (19).

“I’m very happy to continue my journey with Minnesota United,” Pereyra said in a statement. “From the moment I arrived, I’ve felt the support from my teammates, the staff, and the fans. It means a lot to keep building something special here. Every day I try to contribute in my own way, whether it’s creating chances, helping defensively, or pushing the game forward. My goal is to keep improving to help this team compete for trophies. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

This season, Pereyra has chipped in six goals while playing in 33 of 34 regular-season games. He only missed one match regular-season match, for yellow-card accumulation, and finished fourth on the team with 2,561 minutes played in 2025.

LOS ANGELES — It appears that Aaron Jones is set to make his return for the Vikings.

After missing the past month and a half with a hamstring injury, Jones was officially activated from injured reserve in the hours leading up to kickoff against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.

Though he will still have to go through warmups to make sure he’s feeling good, the 30-year-old running back has been trending in the right direction since the Vikings opened up his practice window earlier this week.

Asked about the potential of him playing despite only participating in walkthroughs, head coach Kevin O’Connell noted how Jones is a veteran that doesn’t necessarily need a practice to get himself ready to go.

“He knows what he has to do,” O’Connell said. “He knows what he needs to feel like.”

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