With the rising presence of gentrification in American cities, sociologists and society began investigations of the possible antagonists of this detrimental issue. To better understand why gentrification perpetuates, this study deconstructs the findings from the 'American Perceptions of Artists Survey' on how artist and non-artist, markers for the Creative Class dichotomy, individuals perceive Creative Class influence in city and community contexts. The four multiple logistic regressions revealed patterns pointing to wealthy Creative Class members as perpetrators of gentrification through misunderstanding, with minority members, specifically Asian non-Hispanic populations, perceive their influence in a positive light. All the while, non-Creative Class members of Native American and Asian non-Hispanic populations interpreted the Creative Class positively while those with high levels of education saw the Creative Class as an imposition. This thesis dissects these findings to better inform perpetrators and the complicit in the proliferation of gentrification about how to better address the inequality that flourishes in urban America.