tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post987161586730634677..comments2024-03-06T08:29:13.333-08:00Comments on stuff white people do: feel bad about participating in gentrificationmacon dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07795547197817128339noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-20916801093153214842012-12-02T18:10:19.381-08:002012-12-02T18:10:19.381-08:00I was very happy to find this blog and your incred...I was very happy to find this blog and your incredibly thoughtful post. I'm an ex-Manhattan girl (regret the move to this day, because I could never afford to move back! It's been 30 years and I still miss it). But this weekend I saw my upstair's neighbor's daughter-in-law bragging on her FB page about staying at The Flophouse, and then another relative of theirs saying she lived in Harlem, too! I went to Cabrini HS and traveled everyday on the #4 bus from the East Side through Harlem and then on to Washington Heights. I had many good friends there. When I saw these posts from, I have to say, very white people (as am I), I was kind of stunned. So--and jah bless Google--I googled "when did Harlem become a cool place for white people to go and live in and visit?" Excepting Bill Clinton, right? Now I know. And it's what I suspected. I too have become somewhat trapped in a section of a NE city that I moved to for the rent but which became a target for gentrifiers. It hasn't been too successful, but successful enough to make me uncomfortable almost every day. And I never fool myself about why I'm here and why some other people here get pushed around a lot--and NEVER get shown the apartment upstairs or any other. A dilemma. You're facing it honestly and I like your integrity. I'm much much older. And I'm hoping I'll have a more natural solution to my own dilemma. I'm going to check up on some of my old friends. Hope they grabbed some of those neat townhouses. Their families sure worked their butts off. Leaving.Something.Behindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12178011969215006361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-47405460334409875722010-07-15T10:12:05.909-07:002010-07-15T10:12:05.909-07:00Kevinrp / no1kstate: I apologize for a sentence co...Kevinrp / no1kstate: I apologize for a sentence construction that could feed into the equation of poor and POC. I've read that some of the gentrification issues in Harlem involve affluent African Americans displacing lower income African Americans, and there are other cases in which lower-income Whites are displaced by affluent Whites. (Note I'm not claiming personal experience: I'm saying I've read about these cases.) As both of you suggest, another dynamic is the way racial hierarchy privileges Whites in the housing market, even comparing people of the same income level.olderwomanhttp://sociologicalconfessions.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-60054999844728591712010-07-15T08:18:16.368-07:002010-07-15T08:18:16.368-07:00In olderwoman's defense, I don't think she...In olderwoman's defense, I don't think she's assuming all people of color are poor. I think she's saying that the losers are neither white <i>nor</i> affluent. So, it's something like all people of color lose, no matter they socioeconomic status, which I think is true; and, all poor people lose no matter their race, which I also think is true. Plus, she also states <i>lower income</i> people of color - I come away thinking she's making a distinction between lower income poc and middle/upper income poc.<br /><br />Also, I agree with her remedy.<br /><br />That's not to say that you, kevinrp, are wrong in pointing out that one thing SWPD is "assume people of color are poor." Cause that's absolutely true, too! I just don't think that's the case here.<br /><br />As for flummoxed, I agree with olderwoman that the benefits aren't worth the costs.<br /><br />Let's think about this, right? One reason affluent people of all races move into gentrified areas is that they're moving closer to jobs (If they're not moving from the burbs to the city, they're also not moving from the city to the burbs!), which are starting to shift from the suburbs to the cities. In a truly equitable, just, and restorative situation, those jobs would be going to those people of color who already live in the city.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-50358942139713371042010-07-15T05:49:26.088-07:002010-07-15T05:49:26.088-07:00@olderwoman: Given how thoughtful your posts are I...@olderwoman: Given how thoughtful your posts are I assume that when you wrote <br /><br />"the beneficiaries are affluent and white while the losers are neither."<br /><br />you meant<br /><br />"the beneficiaries are primarily affluent and white while the losers, for the most part, are neither."<br /><br />One of my preferred SWPD could be defined as "assume people of color are poor".sdfghjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05972656187679125494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-82739124534339389032010-07-14T22:45:39.097-07:002010-07-14T22:45:39.097-07:00Not sure it is worth reviving an old thread (which...Not sure it is worth reviving an old thread (which I wasn't around for the first time) and Jane Laplain said it all so well, but surely it must be obvious that the problem is that the benefits to some are at the expense of others, and that the beneficiaries are affluent and white while the losers are neither. A different set of policies would impose the costs on affluent white people and provide benefits to lower income people of color, for example, another way to reduce crime and social problems would be to raise taxes on the affluent to provide housing rehab for current residents, job opportunities, and better community services for people in lower-income communities.olderwomanhttp://sociologicalconfessions.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-24846272687834202042010-07-14T22:21:47.518-07:002010-07-14T22:21:47.518-07:00@Flummoxed (cont)
Also, those who ARE left behind...@Flummoxed (cont)<br /><br />Also, those who ARE left behind aren't exactly dancing a nonstop macarena either. It's very likely they struggle mightily to afford the higher rents, and again, POC will tend to have less mobility when living among Whiter and more Affluent neighbors. Whereas you were once able to come and go as you please, suddenly you find yourself getting pulled over in your own driveway.<br /><br />You seem to be saying that the extreme suffering of a certain few is worth it if it moderately improves the comfort of certain others.<br /><br />I'm hoping that you merely lack direct experience with the above. But that's some serious human empathy-lack right there!Jane Laplainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-23344396960635186632010-07-14T22:10:01.986-07:002010-07-14T22:10:01.986-07:00@Flummoxed
I'm flummoxed as to why you are fl...@Flummoxed<br /><br />I'm flummoxed as to why you are flummoxed? Did you miss this entire section? It pretty much explains exactly how its a bad thing:<br /><br /><br /><i>Unfortunately, it turns out those benefits for the city come at a cost. A human one. Higher property taxes mean the current neighborhood residents can't afford their homes anymore. Higher rents on gentrified properties drive up rents of surrounding buildings, and landlords force out their tenants with inflated rents. People who have lived in these neighborhoods for generations suddenly have to find somewhere else to live. People become homeless. And when I say that gentrification changes the "character" of the neighborhood, what that usually means is that it makes the neighborhood "whiter." </i><br /><br />Or is being suddenly forced out of your home by rent hikes, or driven into homelessness, or finding yourself surrounded by a community of affluent whitefolks who, by virtue of their class and racial status, have the authority to harass you with impunity and restrict your movement in your own neighborhood your idea of a Good time?Jane Laplainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-19055334750445878922010-07-14T19:30:05.571-07:002010-07-14T19:30:05.571-07:00Wow. Where do I begin? Here's what I can't...Wow. Where do I begin? Here's what I can't understand: Although a gentrified neighborhood is "bad" for the long time poor residents, although it steals the social capital from them, it leaves those who remain with a better environment to live/work/play/grow up. If gentrification means raising taxes/rent and lowering crime, who wouldn't want it for themselves? I mean, higher taxes would generally mean a bigger budget for roads/infrastructure/government services, right? So who wouldn't want to live in a gentrified neighborhood instead of what amounts to the hood? How can the people being "gentrified" blame other people for wanting to better an area?Flummoxednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-43162300587052878522009-12-12T12:21:56.578-08:002009-12-12T12:21:56.578-08:00Thanks for the mention, Victoria. And thanks for &...Thanks for the mention, Victoria. And thanks for "doing with" and not "doing for." That's a really great story I hope you share a lot.<br /><br />And now that you mention it, I'd like to know how d and the op'er are doing.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-54531563147454154272009-12-12T12:06:56.801-08:002009-12-12T12:06:56.801-08:00I really enjoyed no1kstate's final comment her...I really enjoyed no1kstate's final comment here. Be a part of the community - don't participate in changing it any more than it's already changing. Down here in south FL I moved in to a large Cuban community and I feel like I was privileged to be a part of it. I damn sure didn't go around forcing my whiteness on people and rejecting the long-standing cultural practices that existed there since before I was even born. I did my best to understand things. I learned Spanish, I talked to people in Spanish, I asked questions and genuinely got to know my neighbors as people - not just neighbors. I have never loved living somewhere more than that neighborhood and I'd buy a house there in a heartbeat if I could. I'd make sure that no white yuppie EVER came in and tried to change it. <br /><br />And I agree that there's no point in you moving out. You're just making room for a yuppie who knows absolutely nothing about Spanish Harlem to move in. <br /><br />This post is pretty old and I wonder if you have enjoyed living there now that you've been there a while.Victoriahttp://vintagelux.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-11740855402264954762009-09-15T23:13:03.448-07:002009-09-15T23:13:03.448-07:00If you move to a gentrified neighborhood, just bec...If you move to a gentrified neighborhood, just become part of the neighborhood. Volunteer there. Shop there. Sit out on the stoop and talk. Just be a good neighbor. Not the "fence" kind; the kind who invests in their community.<br /><br />To the extent that I'm guessing what you could maybe be asking, Beth, is whether people of color and black folks specifically will except neighbors of "privilege": 1 - read the post about the myth of black paranoia and ignore Isabelle's comments; 2 - black people are not hung up on revenge and don't spend our days hating white people; 3 - one thing that's really important to the black community is a person's participation and personal investment <i>in</i> their local community/neighborhood. So "giving back" will really endear you to your neighbors.<br /><br />OH! Here's where the "hate" comes in: if you roll in like you know everything; or, like you're too good to live there; or, like you know better than everybody else how to do anything else; all of which white Americans have a nasty habit of doing, you will be disliked.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-54838291041422162052009-09-15T20:46:19.461-07:002009-09-15T20:46:19.461-07:00Does anyone have any solutions? I see a lot of the...Does anyone have any solutions? I see a lot of the same or similar themes, but no ideas for solving the problem.<br /><br />If you can only <b>really</b> afford a place that's being gentrified, what can you do? What if its a lot closer to your work or you like that it isn't all starbucks and mini-malls?<br /><br />Can you move there and participate in the community? Volunteer in schools and afterschool programs? Will you be accepted? Or hated? Can you become active to retain things about the community that's slowly being driven away?MinimumWagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02050114012217236261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-21394452745780170392009-06-30T22:06:30.764-07:002009-06-30T22:06:30.764-07:00Some information on Robert Moses (from Wikipedia, ...Some information on Robert Moses (from Wikipedia, so you should take this with a grain of salt; however, the excerpts I have chosen are things that I have heard/read about him from other sources):<br /><br /><i>However, his works remain extremely controversial. His critics claim that he preferred automobiles to people, that he displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in New York City, uprooted traditional neighborhoods by building expressways through them, contributed to the ruin of the South Bronx and the amusement parks of Coney Island, caused the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants Major League baseball teams, and precipitated the decline of public transport through disinvestment and neglect.<br /><br />At one time, one quarter of Federal construction dollars were being spent in New York, and Moses had 80,000 people working under him [citation needed]. Although he built playgrounds in vast numbers, almost none of those were located in Harlem. Similarly, the main aesthetic achievements of Riverside Drive and associated amenities were located south of 125th street, and a pattern of barriers to access for non-white citizens, whether steep stairs or busy highways, appears repeatedly in his public projects. Close associates of Moses claimed that they could keep African Americans from using pools in white neighborhoods by making the water too cold.[3][4] He actively precluded the use of public transit that would have allowed the non-car-owners to enjoy the elaborate recreation facilities he built. [4] After much litigation by private landowners, his highway projects on Long Island followed a circuitous path so as not to cross the properties of wealthy landowners such as J. P. Morgan, Jr., while those same highways demolished numerous working class neighborhoods throughout New York City.<br /><br />Moses knew how to drive, but because he didn't have a license, many sources say that he didn't know how to drive.[11] His view of the automobile was shaped by the 1920s, when the car was thought of as entertainment and not a utilitarian lifestyle. Moses' highways in the first half of the 20th century were parkways, curving, landscaped "ribbon parks," intended to be pleasures to drive in and "lungs for the city". While appearing utopian on its face, some critics contend Moses' vision of towers, cities and parks linked by cars and highways in practice led to the expansion of wholesale ghettos, decay, middle-class urban flight, and blight[citation needed]. Beginning in the 1960s and reaching a peak in the 1990s, public opinion and the ideals of many in the city planning profession shifted away from this strand of car-oriented thought.</i><br /><br />Irony is (and I have heard this before, see above) that Moses did not drive, did not know how, yet he made NYC ripe for it to be overrun by the automobile, even with its (for a US city) excellent subway/train and street car (now gone) system!redcatbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08645491470348404443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-35528544531823251992009-06-30T22:02:31.944-07:002009-06-30T22:02:31.944-07:00@Columbusite -
Fair enough. My apologies. I shou...@Columbusite - <br /><br />Fair enough. My apologies. I should've read the entire thing. But if it's culture not race, why mention race?<br /><br />As for the black church, first off, it's much more liberal than white conservative churches, so the distinction needs to be made. And lots of churches do a lot more good than just line the pastor's pockets. And again, as for the economic vs race, or culture vs race, the true issue isn't what the Black church is or isn't doing. It's the socio-economic status of the community.<br /><br />The destruction of even thriving black communities for highways happened nationwide. If NYC didn't do, it's not because of any since of racial equality.<br /><br />And having read your entire comment, it's still problematic. The issue I have with what you're saying is that you make observations about "all too many" blacks without acknowledging that it's still relatively few. Your take on majority black neighborhoods doesn't take into account, again, that it's the income that's the issue and not the race. First off, is it really even a majority black neighborhoods that fit your description, or just the ones that get the most attention. I've lived in the same 99% black neighborhood for over 27 years, and there's never been a gang. And the fact is, taking into account everything <i>I</i> know to be fact about the black community - the crime rate, the rate of poverty, importance of education, study habits, spending habits, etc and so on - I feel confident in same my neighborhood is much closer to the rule than the exception.<br /><br />So, basically, you as an individual may or may not think that blacks or whites equals. Assuming you do, and assuming you're a co-advocate for justice and equality, it wouldn't hurt if you were to read some books by actual sociologist - not Cosby - and look over the research of institutions and even the US govt. Much of what is held as common knowledge about the black community is false. We are no more or less criminal, academic, money-smart, etc and so on than anyone else. Where there are gaps, as hard as it is to believe, the problem is racism. Not culture, not the Church, none of that.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-84269053366274224072009-06-30T21:44:29.440-07:002009-06-30T21:44:29.440-07:00I remember his name now: Robert Moses.I remember his name now: Robert Moses.redcatbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08645491470348404443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-19326361300310472242009-06-30T21:15:20.673-07:002009-06-30T21:15:20.673-07:00columbusite said:
"Of course, it's worth...columbusite said:<br /><br />"Of course, it's worth keeping in mind that unlike cities like New York, Columbus tore down huge swathes of minority (read large black population) neighborhoods for highways."<br /><br />I forget the man's full name, but his first name is Robert...He was a planner in New York City (post WW2) who tore up every one of the five boroughs in NYC to put in highways and bridges, mostly to make it an easy commute for the suburban sprawlers (and to encourage suburban sprawl and the abandonment of the "inner" city) whose jobs were in the city. New Yorkers of all colours/races, but especially those who were working class, lower-middle class, and poor suffered the most from his devastating handiwork.redcatbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08645491470348404443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-1946002341985900982009-06-30T19:28:31.453-07:002009-06-30T19:28:31.453-07:00Maybe you should try reading the entire post. It&#...Maybe you should try reading the entire post. It's the culture that people are choosing to associate with race, not race itself, which I made clear.<br /><br />As for black churches, what have they done to turn neighborhoods away from ignorance and violence? Those are available in large quantities near these churches. I've seen plenty of church signs and fliers talking about planting your seed for economic rewards from God and how God wants you to be debt-free. Overall, these neighborhoods would be better off with a different kind of church or none at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-4048749189698641232009-06-30T12:35:39.707-07:002009-06-30T12:35:39.707-07:00Admittedly, I didn't read your whole comment. ...Admittedly, I didn't read your whole comment. Not all of it was as racist as it initially started out. So I'll say this - the problem is those "black majority" neighborhoods is income, not race. And . . . listen, when it comes to the black church, you don't seem to know what you're talking about, so don't.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-13788426300768774632009-06-30T12:10:57.234-07:002009-06-30T12:10:57.234-07:00Speaking of Flag Wars, the neighborhood it takes p...Speaking of Flag Wars, the neighborhood it takes place in is Olde Towne East (pics in my Columbus Neighborhood Guide, FYI), just east of Downtown Columbus where I lived over a year ago. The documentary was OK, but didn't focus on a core issue. <br /><br />The destructive thug culture adopted by too many blacks is anti-intellectual, pro-violence, and extremely materialistic. Sad to point out, but virtually any majority black neighborhood is not functional. It is where ignorance is flourishing as parents neglect their children and where homicides and other violent crimes are most common. Black churches are supposed to serve as a focal point for their neighborhoods, but have done little to nothing to better the current situation. I'd say it's due to them belonging to a conservative strain of Christian theology which is anti-intellectual and anti-homosexuality, now mixed with get-rich-quick schemes to fill pastors' pockets. <br /><br />Over here in Columbus, neighborhoods are much more segregated due to the fact that our neighborhoods are not connected together by rail, in fact we're the largest city without rail in the country. You don't get much intermingling between different groups for there to be a positive influence to counter the violent cultures adopted by some in lower-income neighborhoods. In fact, many Columbusites have never set foot in such neighborhoods with the overabundance of highways available. <br /><br />Of course, it's worth keeping in mind that unlike cities like New York, Columbus tore down huge swathes of minority (read large black population) neighborhoods for highways. Functional, even thriving neighborhoods like King-Lincoln, which served as the cultural and commercial center for blacks was cut-off from Downtown while Broad Street to the south had its tree-lined medians removed making it a mini-highway. Tens of thousands of residents left (from 60,000 down to 16,000), businesses were crushed, homes were abandoned and razed, some commercial buildings were torn down for grass lots or sprawling development (just what low-income people need: being car-dependent), streetcar lines providing access to the rest of the city were torn out for an inferior bus system, social experimentation was introduced in the form of some projects (social experimentation is OK on low-income minorities, you know), etc. Isn't urban "renewal" great?<br /><br />I do not feel bad at all about driving out the riff-raff, which is unfortunately much more prominent in low-income neighborhoods. Thing is, people in these neighborhoods who aren't involved in gang-banging or other undesirable activity have the opportunity to clean up their neighborhoods. If they lack initiative or are unsuccessful, don't be surprised that gentrifiers see the potential in the high-quality housing stock and dilapidated commercial buildings and want to make it a reality.<br /><br />I'm convinced there can be a middle-ground with limited gentrification. It really is up to current residents to support an improvement of the overall culture in the community by fostering a positive attitude towards education and a negative one towards violence. Right now, in majority-black neighborhoods it is just accepted for males to be in gangs, but absolutely verboten for a black male to be homosexual, which is insane. If priorities were reversed, as they should be, being in a gang would instead be very shameful. I think the tension between gays/lesbians and black residents was exaggerated in the documentary, but it is there. Low-income neighborhoods of any race tend to be that way.<br /><br />The good news is that more locals are starting to explore the city more and venture off the beaten path, mainly for culinary reasons. Some businesses in neighborhoods that have long been forgotten are seeing some visitors who aren't from the immediate area. This brings in money to businesses in these areas without any gentrification. We have too many intact urban commercial streets to gentrify anyway, unless a swarm of residents from other high-cost, east and west coast cities move in for large scale gentrification.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-50324201399936002162009-05-20T13:54:34.703-07:002009-05-20T13:54:34.703-07:00Canada doesn't have the same racial history as the...Canada doesn't have the same racial history as the US. So comparing the two is pretty much comparing apples and oranges. And in the US, the status of whites visa minorities, and the rampant negative stereotyping of minorities make it such that if you say, "This place is so white!" with disgust, you problably bland and boring, nothing really awful. But to say, "This place is so black/Asian/etc!" you probably mean loud, uncouth, criminal, dangerous, or any other number of negative stereotypes.<br /><br />As far as the poor, people always find reasons to hate the poor. Here, it's mostly because they think the poor are mostly people of color. Before the 60s, it was because they thought the poor were just a bunch of loose women and their many illegitimate children. There will always be poor people. And in capitalism, there will always be people looking to exploit the poor. The first step to exploitation is dehumanization, no matter the race or gender.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-14461015329956280082009-05-20T12:02:16.972-07:002009-05-20T12:02:16.972-07:00I live in Vancouver Canada, where Asians have push...I live in Vancouver Canada, where Asians have pushed out the white people in many places. Where there was this grungy rock and roll kind of stuff and hippy stuff now there is the most bland of any place in Canada. <br /><br />So its not about race. I live now in a place where white people push out white people... the cool laid back small town BC people are pushed out by the hip, left wing people that have things like mohawks and millions of tattoos just to some how prove they are hard.<br /><br />So no its not at all about race, <br /><br />ALL people ruined north America that have came before, there really was something here before us...<br /><br />I remember a black girl coming on our hippy radio station on day saying,... oh my god this town is so white" with such discust. <br /><br />Imagine I went to a place and said, oh my god this place is soooo black... I would be shot by yuppies.. I would never be so ignortant to say a culture doesn't have some way to be there own and be OK.<br /><br />PS, all the homeless people in Canada are white, straight and male. No wonder all the hippies and yuppies, and hipsters... hate the poor, if they were women or non-white they would help them.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03074121376172359188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-91162397941302303322009-05-11T21:10:00.000-07:002009-05-11T21:10:00.000-07:00It's not the desegregation that's the problem as m...It's not the desegregation that's the problem as much as the racial isolation even in those integrated communities. The biggest question is this: the people who <I>used</I> to live in the "regentrified apartments? Where do they live now?<br /><br />I'd feel much better if I knew that funds were being put into the program such that every poor person/family moved <I>out</I> of gentrified neighborhood was able to move <I>in</I> to a middle class neighborhood. Historically, this people have had no other option than to move to a neighborhood that's even worse. That's why we have the situation we do. Big cities across the country have been gentrified over and over again since the 60s.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-32805147682811687142009-05-10T23:49:00.000-07:002009-05-10T23:49:00.000-07:00I am an African American female that moved to reg...I am an African American female that moved to regentrified area in S. Chicago last year. While the race dynamic makes for a different scenario I think you ought to stay and get involved in the community. Your moving out will not stop what the Profit margin is driving. Instead, the neighborhood will get white folks that do not care about the people nor the community but are there simply because of the reasonable rents and the upscale accomodations. <br />Don't we want to begin to desegregate our communities? We should be striving for mixed income communities anyway! <br /><br />Just do not become cynical when you experience the realities of inner city living like the high crime rate, poor or no services and neglect from elected officials. Instead, help to advocate for these things in your communty.<br />Rev RahmanQiyamah A.Rahmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09642597372872643018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-34167182662207237852009-05-09T09:58:00.000-07:002009-05-09T09:58:00.000-07:00You can make sure people have a home.You can make sure people have a home.Blaque Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627683764935084863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-64594520870932152922009-05-08T23:57:00.000-07:002009-05-08T23:57:00.000-07:00Neighborhoods change with the Times, ain't nothing...Neighborhoods change with the Times, ain't nothing you can do about it.McGintynoreply@blogger.com