The people he was referring to was the audience for whom he makes his work, including the Latino residents of East Harlem.

Those neighborhoods also have a large number of Latino residents.

"Because I'm Dominican, I can work well with the Latino residents and the black community in Harlem."

Ms. Yeampierre's mother-in-law is among many elderly Latino residents who have been approached by men offering to buy their houses outright.

Moreover, a large proportion of the new Latino residents are immigrants, often with young children, who are not yet citizens, and thus cannot vote.

Traditionally, many of the Latino residents were of Colombian and Cuban ancestry, although that has been changing in recent years.

It wasn't until the late 1980s when the larger Fruitvale District began to attract More Latino residents.

Some protesting residents accused the managers of discriminating against Latino residents.

But some Latino residents are uneasy.

Since his election, Mr. Bloomberg has consistently made symbolic gestures aimed at Latino residents.