Ed Garcia Conde will be the first to tell you who he claims to be: a cis gay man from the Bronx, a proud Latino, a community activist, a blogger, a public figure, and… a real estate appraiser?
Conde first emerged in the public eye in 2009 with the launch of Welcome2Melrose, a hyperlocal blog focused on a small section of the South Bronx. What began as a grassroots digital platform quickly evolved; by 2011, Conde expanded the scope of his reporting to the entire borough and rebranded as Welcome2TheBronx. Through this platform, he began chronicling Bronx culture, historic preservation, urban development, and key real estate deals as the area increasingly drew attention from developers and city planners, and on June 30th, 2009, the Lower Grand Concourse was approved by Councilmembers for rezoning.
In 2015, Welcome2TheBronx received the “Friend from the Media” Award from the New York City Historic Districts Council. The following year, then-City Council Speaker Melissa Mark‑Viverito issued a formal proclamation recognizing the site’s commitment to covering the LGBTQIA community. By 2017, Columbia University Libraries began archiving the blog in its Avery Library Historic Preservation and Urban Planning Web Archive—cementing its place as a cultural and historical artifact of the Bronx’s digital narrative.
As Conde’s influence grew, so did his media presence. He was interviewed by prominent real estate and urban affairs platforms, including Brick Underground, Curbed, and Habitat Magazine. His narrative was clear: what began as a blog had evolved into a tool for informing Bronx residents about the changes shaping their neighborhoods. A pivotal turning point came during the infamous 2015 “Bronx Is Burning” Halloween party, which was co-hosted by individuals and entities including Rosa Garcia (Rosa’s on Park and Mott Haven Bar & Grill), Carmelo Anthony, Chetrit Brothers, and, of course, Somerset Partners. Conde’s vocal criticism of the event, of its participants, and its undertones of gentrification made him a national figure in the conversation about development and displacement within the borough. At that moment, he wasn’t just reporting on the neighborhood; he was shaping its public image.
As 2015 came to a close, Conde became more than a blogger; he became a central figure in Bronx politics and advocacy, both online and off, however his dual role as both media watchdog and community gatekeeper began to bring complications. In 2016, after almost a year of backlash surrounding the tonedeaf Halloween party, another soiree was announced. This time an arts festival spearheaded by Swizz beats (a notable participant of the “Macabre Suite”). Conde was quick to criticize the festival, stating “do we begin with the sheer audacity, the balls, the arrogance, the utter f*%king gall to proclaim that they are somehow bringing contemporary art and music back to The Bronx, you know, the borough that gave birth to Hip Hop?”
According to Vice.com, “Swizz Beatz responded to the criticism by reportedly speaking with Garcia for several hours, and they seem to have settled some of their differences.” Conde posted about the meeting on Instagram saying “A big #Bronx thanks to @therealswizzz for taking the time to meet with us regarding the #NoCommissionBronx Art Fair and to have real dialog about community concerns. We have good news to share so stay tuned, folks.” In a second blog post, he alludes to a future collaboration between the two that will include artists from the Bronx.
Multiple community leaders were said to have spoken with Swizz Beats, including Shellyne Rodriguez, formerly from Take Back The Bronx; however, when the artist, formally known as Kasseem Daoud Dean, offered a closed-door meeting with Keith Rubenstein and the collective, Rodriguez refused. According to an article posted on “LiveJournal”, the meeting was offered to avoid protests, which had been a constant occurrence up to that point.
Conde however, according to Rodriguez, chose to meet privately with Swizz and Rubenstein and in 2017 Conde seemed to completely abandon the fervor with which he had once used to condemn the participants of the “Bronx is Burning party” instead opting to work closely with another former participant, Michael Brady, whom we have highlighted before, has been a key player in the plan to transform Port Morris into the Williamsburg of the Bronx. In fact, Brady was quoted as saying that the infamous 2015 Halloween party festivities were “very good” (but, coincidentally enough, couldn’t find any mention of this on Conde’s site)
On March 13th, 2017, Michael Brady, in his new role as the BIDS Executive Director, expressed his plan to extend the boundaries of the Third Avenue BID to the waterfront. He had created a two-year strategy plan to be able to function as a service to the new businesses and development. Brady was quoted: “As a result of the expansion, we will be the largest BID in the Bronx,”.
On March 24th, 2017, Conde began promoting the new Headquarters of the HUB-Third Ave BID, which was now located at The Bronx CoWorking Space (2825 Third Ave-just below 149th street). Shortly thereafter, Conde announced that he, too, would be calling the coworking space his new headquarters and officially moved in during April of that same year. On May 5, 2017, Michael Brady, the Executive Director of The Hub-Third Ave BID and former Manager of Special Projects with SoBro, sent an invitation to several LGBTQ leaders within the borough to meet at Mott Haven Bar and Grill for dinner and drinks. The mixer was held on Monday, May 22, at 7 pm. According to eyewitnesses also attending the event, Conde was spotted laughing and hugging Brady upon his arrival. Our source could not tell if this was the first time they were meeting, but despite Brady’s involvement with the waterfront controversy, the meeting seemed friendly.
When our sister’s Instagram page, Boycott Bronx Native, questioned Ed Garcia Conde in 2025 about this interaction, his stance regarding gentrification and his relationship to Brady, the blogger responded, “I was never called out nor did I work with him. Get your facts straight.”
THE facts revealed that upon Conde’s arrival at Roger Saad’s co-working space, he was neatly situated at the intersection of major colliding forces within the Bronx; from Amaurys Grullon aka the Bronx Native, Marco Shalma, Sean Ebony Coleman, Gary Axelbank, Rafael Salamanca Jr., Lisa Sorin, Rob Walsh and of course, Brady’s close ally, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. In 2018, Conde was either offered or applied for a position with the Hub, and it was just like that, that Ed Garcia Conde, the Voice for the Bronx, the champion against unjust development, and vocal critic of Keith Rubenstein and Ruben Diaz Jr, was now working with the power broker who orchestrated the whole waterfront development. To some astute observers, this brief era (2016-2019) was marked by a duplicitous game. In the public eye, anti-gentrification messaging was being proliferated, but behind closed doors, Brady and presumably Conde were quietly facilitating development and helping shape small businesses by the waterfront, consolidating their own power and silencing opposition within the borough.
In fact, according to several of our sources, Ed allegedly was fully aware of Marco Motti Shalma’s intentions, actions, and their potential impact on our neighborhoods, yet chose silence. Some sources even say that Shalma boasted about his invulnerability to the blogger, saying, “he won’t be able to do anything to me”. Knowing that Shalma was closely connected to both Keith Rubenstein and Michael Brady helps us to understand why the bearded Bronx impersonator felt so untouchable at the time. Conde, instead, turned on residents, attacking and antagonizing people for simply interacting and building community within the borough. His actions were noted by many and were said to “have come across as calculated attempts to create division, confusion, and mistrust, a classic case of gaslighting and disruption.”
In 2019, The Bronx Native and Marco Motti Shalma were hard at work promoting their Bronx-centric festival known infamously as “It’s the Bronx!” And while we know the outcome of that particular event, it’s important to once again note that Conde attended the Community forum held at Andrew Freedman Home. Conde was in the room yet remained silent, and Welcome2theBronx never reported on “how a powerfully backed festival crumbled”.
On June 4th, 2020, according to court testimony, the Third Avenue BID (still led by Michael Brady at the time) and the New Bronx Chamber of Commerce (Led by Lisa Sorin as of 2018), with presumed approval from elected officials Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Ruben Diaz Jr., called the NYPD on peaceful FTP4 protesters in Mott Haven. Many of our neighbors were brutalized, beaten, and arrested by the NYPD that day. Let’s not forget this was also during the beginning of COVID-19. Eyewitnesses placed Conde at the horrific events. He saw it unfold. Ed Garcia Conde also collected a large sum of money on a GoFundMe to get support for journalism, mentioning an article involving the kettling incident, an article with images that were never published. Ed Garcia Conde chose to protect his powerful connections instead of reporting the truth. That silence was not neutrality; it was complicity.
As we continue to fight for justice and transparency, we must also hold those who claim to represent our voices but fail us in moments when we need them. We need to hold them accountable.
Welcome2TheBronx… don’t come for us unless we send for you.
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