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Support immigrant vendors.
The rapidly gentrifying Silicon Valley city of San José, California, is home to one of the largest flea markets in the country (Yahoo). Since 1960, generations of largely immigrant vendors have set up stalls on its 30 acres. The flea market and the 700 vendors who depend on it are threatened today by the construction of a “transit village” around a new light-rail station.
Happy Tuesday, and welcome back. In today's issue, we're highlighting an issue in San Jose, CA, that's not specifically unique to just this community. Learn more about the role of gentrification and corporate developments in fostering inequities, and what you can do to help.
Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is made possible by your support. Consider making a donation to support our work. You can start a monthly subscription on Patreon or our website, or give one-time using our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).
– Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Take action today by telling San José city council members to vote no on flea market redevelopment. Sample script: “I’m calling/emailing to oppose the Berryessa redevelopment. There’s no excuse to displace hundreds of vendors. We are watching and demand you do the right thing today.”
Contact the San José Flea Market and say you support the vendors by calling (408) 453 1110 and emailing hope@sjfm.com and pat@sjfm.com. Sample script: “I’m calling/emailing in support of the Flea Market Vendors Association. We demand each vendor receive adequate compensation and a permanent spot. What has been offered is not nearly enough. Do the right thing!”
Follow the Vendor Association and sign their petition for a community benefits agreement from the city.
Support immigrants in your community beyond the headlines.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
The rapidly gentrifying Silicon Valley city of San José, California, is home to one of the largest flea markets in the country (Yahoo). Since 1960, generations of largely immigrant vendors have set up stalls on its 30 acres. The flea market and the 700 vendors who depend on it are threatened today by the construction of a “transit village” around a new light-rail station.
Though the new train station is a public investment, it’s explicitly “meant to serve a new Google campus with up to 25,000 employees” (SF Chronicle). Community activists already opposed the development, which they fear will raise housing costs enough to displace tens of thousands of people. In the words of one resident, “A San José Google campus will erase my existence” (Silicon Valley De-Bug).
In May, Google announced they’re “rallying support for immigrant rights” (Google). Google Doodles have celebrated Chicana theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, union leader Cesar Chavez, and Tejana music icon Selena Quintanilla (Google). And the cafeterias at Google’s current headquarters offer employees a urbane selection of global foods from chicken enchiladas to charred pork belly with shaved jicama salad (Business Insider). But this public infrastructure development created specifically for the company’s benefit may directly displace hundreds of immigrant vendors. Moreover, its new campus could economically displace thousands more.
And while it’s largely first- and second-generation immigrants working as San José flea market vendors, the flea market itself is owned by the white Bumb family. Though the Bumbs have made “millions” from the flea market (Metro Active), they refuse to negotiate in good faith with vendors seeking to preserve their livelihoods.
“I’m a second-generation vendor. I was raised in the flea market. My dad has been selling there for years,” community leader Kaled Escobedo told Anti-Racism Daily. Fresh off a hunger strike against the destruction of the flea market, she shared that her family’s blanket stand helped her pay her way through college. “That’s the only source of income my dad gets,” she said.
The city and Bumb family plan to shrink the flea market to 5 acres, offering only $4,000 to each vendor as compensation. This amount covers less than two months of rent for a one-bedroom San José apartment at market price (Zumper). The vendor association is demanding that San José city council vote against the redevelopment plan today, Tuesday, June 29, and that the Bumb family agree to reasonable demands that include fair compensation and vendor security. They are asking for wide support to achieve both of these goals. Ultimately, said Escobedo, “We want to be in charge of the market.” She envisions a future where the market is controlled by the immigrant families who make it work. Spaces like the San José Flea Market provide a space for communities to only make a living.
As someone born outside the U.S. and married to a first-generation immigrant, I’m interested in what we understand as “supporting immigrants” now that we have a new administration. The Trump administration’s baldly racist, nativist immigration policies sparked wide and justified opposition. Hundreds of cities rallied against “zero-tolerance” immigration policies in June 2018 alone (CNN). Liberal Americans developed what was, for some, a new-found respect for immigrants, one seemingly absent when then-Senator Obama declared, “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked” (AP). Some tried to oppose Trump by calling America “a nation of immigrants,” an objectively false and harmful idea (Colorlines). Do we only fight for immigrants when Republicans are in power and invent excuses for Democratic administrations continuing the same inhumane policies (NPR)? Do those born in the U.S. actually support real-life immigrants in their communities or view them as political tokens and providers of interesting culture to consume and discard at will?
The answer is important because immigrant communities remain under threat, not only by deportation but police brutality, economic exploitation, and gentrification, as well (Urban Institute, The Atlantic). To support oppressed and marginalized communities means showing up even if there’s no immediate reward. It means showing up in the years where there’s no election. It means showing up though you may never set foot in a certain market or low-income neighborhood in your life. It means supporting immigrant businesses and workers of color even when they aren’t selling anything you might wish to consume. That’s what it means to be in solidarity, and it’s what is necessary for us to build communities where all of us can thrive.
Key Takeaways
Some outsiders think about immigrant communities as political tokens or only consider them in relation to the food, music, or other products they produce.
Corporations might support immigrants or other oppressed communities rhetorically while harming them in practice.
Solidarity must be a constant practice.
RELATED ISSUES
6/10/2021 | Support immigrants beyond food.
10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.
8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
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Combat food deserts.
Food deserts— defined as “an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods” (Britannica)— are yet another factor that contributes to the health disparities between white people and people of color. Due to economic and social factors, supermarkets and farmer’s markets can be much harder to access in underserved areas, leading civilians to rely on unhealthy food options as their primary source of nutrition. Food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet-related health conditions (American Progress).
Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. More people in the U.S. (and likely around the world) are shoplifting from grocery stores to support themselves during these difficult times. Today's article looks at some of the underlying causes of food inequity that are only exacerbated, not just created, by COVID-19. It's important to remember that we're navigating difficult times because of current conditions and a legacy of oppression that created them. It will take much more than immediate relief to create comprehensive change, but we should do the best we can to help one another – today and tomorrow.
We've officially launched our virtual community! This space is designed for you to connect with others, share resources, hold conversations around our newsletters, and sign up for events. All proceeds support our work, and flexible payment options are available. Patreon subscribers: check Patreon for an access link using your existing subscription.
Thank you so much for making this work possible. If you have the capacity, consider supporting our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Volunteer at local soup kitchens and initiatives that combat food insecurity. Click this link to access a list of initiatives.
Advocate for improved SNAP and WIC benefits that increase monthly spending for individuals to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Find local food banks using this link and donate to nearby food banks or soup kitchens.
GET EDUCATED
By Sydney Cobb (she/her)
Food deserts— defined as “an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods” (Britannica)— are yet another factor that contributes to the health disparities between white people and people of color. Due to economic and social factors, supermarkets and farmer’s markets can be much harder to access in underserved areas, leading civilians to rely on unhealthy food options as their primary source of nutrition. Food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet-related health conditions (American Progress).
Redlining—a leading factor in the creation of food deserts—is defined as an “illegal discriminatory practice in which a mortgage lender denies loans or an insurance provider restricts services to certain areas of a community, often because of the racial characteristics of the applicant’s neighbourhood” (Britannica). Not only did redlining make the process of buying and renting homes more difficult, but it also prevented businesses like grocery stores and restaurants from opening, leaving redlined neighborhoods with little-to-no healthy food options. While the practice of redlining may have been made illegal by the Fair Housing Act in 1968, its effects are still present to this day (Anti-Racism Daily). Redlined neighborhoods— mainly occupied by people of color— are not given the same resources as more affluent communities because they generally house lower-income families. Healthier, more costly grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are less likely to open stores in low-income neighborhoods, forcing redlined communities to shop at less expensive, unhealthy food retailers.
📰 The introduction of grocery stroes like these also indicates that the property values will increase quickly, contributing to gentrification and perpetuating a cyclical process of inequity. Read more in our previous newsletter >
Many urban and rural communities have more convenience stores than supermarkets. Generally speaking, convenience stores tend to sell high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, and do not offer a selection of althernative options like vegetables, fruits, and grains. The distance between food deserts and grocery stores serves as a barrier to members of urban and rural communities who lack transportation options; therefore, they may rely on local convenience stores or fast food restaurants for most of their household food purchases.
While diet-related conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) are a concern for all racial and ethnic groups, statistics prove that they especially affect minority communities.: “The population attributable risk for hypertension and 30-year mortality among white men was 23.8% compared with 45.2% among black men and 18.3% for white women compared with 39.5% for black women” (The American Journal of the Medical Sciences). Hypertension, which increases an individual’s risk of heart disease and stroke, can be largely impacted by one’s diet. Because consuming large amounts of sodium and fats can contribute to the development of hypertension, it is especially concerning that many food deserts— predominantly occupied by people of color—are more likely to sell unhealthy and salty food options. According to a study evaluating the relationship between food deserts and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, hypertension was much more prevalent among participants living in food deserts than those not living in food deserts (American College of Cardiology).
Because many families living in food deserts lack healthy food options, they often have no choice but to feed their families insubstantial, unwholesome food. As a result, the children may eventually develop unhealthy eating habits that become harder to abandon with age, raising the rates of dietary issues within the Black community.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the largest food assistance program in the United States. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) specifically aims to help women and children’s nutritional needs. Intended to provide low-income families with better food access, SNAP is the primary source of nutrition and nourishment for millions of Americans. While SNAP does increase food-insecure families’ access to food, it generally does not provide enough support for people to maintain a healthy diet. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “researchers have estimated that SNAP benefits fall about $11 short per person of the weekly cost of a nutritious meal plan” (CBPP). By increasing SNAP benefits, food desert residents, who are generally a part of the low-income population, will be able to purchase much healthier and more nutritious food.
It's important to note that, as digital grocery shopping becomes more commonplace in the pandemic, many do not accept SNAP. Learn more >
The mere existence of food deserts serves as another example of how systemic racism affects all aspects of life for minorities. Food— one of the human body’s fundamental physiological needs— has been weaponized against people of color (especially Black and Latino individuals). Not only does systemic racism’s connection to food deserts affect adults, who are more susceptible to diet-related health conditions, but it also impacts youth. Children who develop poor eating habits may struggle to participate in physical activities and could ultimately suffer from mental and emotional stress. Children who struggle with serious health conditions tend to display signs of lower self-esteem. In some cases, the intense emotional strain may lead a child to become anxious or depressed.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought more attention to health disparities between racial groups— especially highlighting the effects that underlying health conditions have on an individual’s bodily reaction to the virus. As the world continues to fight the pandemic, people must have access to the fuel they need to stay healthy. More than ever, the country needs to rally together to ensure that communities deemed food deserts have access to nutritious food
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Food deserts are a result of systemic racism and redlining.
Food deserts are directly linked to higher rates of diet-related health conditions, affecting the Black community, and contributing to higher mortality rates.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus makes it even more necessary for people to have trusted and reliable access to diverse food options.
RELATED ISSUES
11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.
8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
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Rally for fair appraisals.
Happy Wednesday!
There is SO MUCH to write about. So much, in fact, that we could send ten emails a day and still not keep up with the news. But when I saw the story below, I knew I had to share the historical context, and how this discrimination robs communities of not just their generational wealth, but political wealth. Hopefully, it offers more context for what you see unfolding during the protests, and encourage you to analyze how damaging our racial biases can be.
As always, your contributions are so appreciated! You can give on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on our Patreon.
ps – I'll never send ten emails a day, but I do send one each day without fail. And I hope you stick with it. If you'd prefer to get just one weekly recap (delivered on Saturdays) you can update your profile here.
TAKE ACTION
If you experience or hear of racial bias by appraisers, report them. Use this website to help determine the best course of action by state: https://refermyappraisalcomplaint.asc.gov/.
Subscribe to updates from one fair housing organization in your neighborhood or closest major city nearby.
Reflect: How has your racial bias influenced your perception of the value or worth of a property or location?
GET EDUCATED
It’s a story you may have seen on your newsfeeds this week: a couple in Jacksonville, Florida, wanted to take advantage of this season’s low home-refinance rates. They hired an appraiser to review their four-bedroom, four-bath ranch-style house. Based on the market prices for their neighborhood, they expected a number around $450,000. So, they were surprised to find the appraiser’s value of $330,000.
The owner, Abena Horton, who is Black, suspected racial bias played a part. So, according to her Facebook post that went viral, organized a second appraisal, but did the following:
"We took down all family pictures containing Black relatives. We took down all pictures of African-American greats that we display to inspire our son. Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison came down from the bookshelves; Shakespeare went up. My son and I took a convenient shopping trip during the appraisal, leaving my white male husband to show the appraiser around, alone."
The house was appraised for $465,000.
As the post gained popularity and was covered by the NYTimes, more Black homeowners shared their stories. This wasn’t an isolated incident; many of these homeowners have removed family photos and had white friends stand-in during appraisals and home sales in hopes to get a fairer price. In the NYTimes, comedian, and actor D.L. Hughley shared that an appraisal he received was so low the bank flagged the report for inaccuracy (NYTimes).
Devaluing property owned by Black people, or preventing ownership at all, is a practice that goes back decades in America. Although there are several issues that have contributed to the lack of land ownership by Black people throughout history, one is particularly relevant to appraisals. In the 1930s, as part of the New Deal, the federal government created a series of initiatives to incentivize home ownership (The Atlantic). As part, surveyors analyzed neighborhoods thorughout the country to identify which were most deserving of support, color-coding them green for “best,” blue for “still desirable,” yellow for “definitely declining” and red for “hazardous. Areas outlined in red, or “redlined” areas, were neighborhoods with predominantly communities of color. Raical biases at the time saw these individuals as untrustworthy for lines of credit, and their communities as unsavorable places to live. As a result, loans in redlined neighborhoods were extremely high or completely unavaialble (Washington Post). From 1934 to 1962, “98% of the Federal Housing Administration Loans went to White Americans” (NBC Chicago). A 1943 brochure encouraged realtors to avoid undesirables such as “madams, bootleggers, gangsters—and ‘a colored man of means who was giving his children a college education and thought they were entitled to live among whites’” (The Atlantic).
These practices “ended” in 1968, when the Fair Housing Act banned racial discrimination in housing, but discriminatory practices are still happening today. These racial perspectives of the value of "redlined" neighborhoods, and homeowners of color, are reflected in how these homes are valued in today's time, with devastating impact.
A study from Brookings Institue puts this into perspective. Their research found that owner-occupied homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 per home on average, amounting to $156 billion in cumulative losses. The homes in neighborhoods where the population is 50% Black are valued at roughly half the price as homes in communities with no Black residents. And these neighborhoods with greater devaluation are more likely to be segregated than others. They also produce less upward mobility for the Black children who grow up in those communities. This mobility is just a hint at the generational impact of this economic disparity and emphasizes why rebalancing this disparity is so important. Read the full study over at Brookings’ website.
And this devalued property is ripe for gentrification, a topic we covered in an earlier newsletter. Many neighborhoods that are historically non-white will receive an influx of middle-class people, eager for accessible property prices. This is followed by a swift revaluation of the same property, forcing out existing community members or dissuading others from moving in (NPR).
And when economic justice meets social justice, more tensions arise, evident in the destruction of property during protests this summer. After a history of redlining and dispossession, Black people often live in communities where they don’t own any of the property. Lack of homeownership usually means a lack of local agency; landowners are often prioritized in policies made by local government, as they pay the property taxes that influence funding for local utilities. So when police brutality happens, Black people are not just outraged by the violence itself, but the lack of agency to drive political change. Conservatives will argue that communities are so willing to “destroy their own neighborhoods,” but who’s neighborhoods are they, really, if Black people can’t safely walk the streets to enjoy them? This conversation is explored in-depth by Aaron Ross Coleman in an interview with Andre M. Perry, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, a scholar-in-residence at American University, and the author of Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, in Vox.
“As long as black lives matter less than the property that they are surrounded by, you never provide incentives not to burn something down. So when people say, “Don’t burn down the goods, businesses, services in your local neighborhood.” They’re missing the point of why people are protesting. The very fact that you have to say that means that they — the property, the goods, the services, the businesses — are so undervalued that the people around them are not respected.”
Andre M. Perry, a fellow, scholar-in-residence, and author, for Vox.
Housing wealth represents a significant amount of American wealth. In fact, homeowners' median net worth was 80 times larger than renters' median net worth in 2015 (Census.gov). And unsurprisingly, the gap between White and Black homeownership today is larger than it was when housing discrimination was legal (CNBC). And considering the added equity homeownership can bring to shaping neighborhoods as a whole, the right to fair homeownership is necessary to create a more equitable future for us all.
key takeaways
Black homeowners routinely experience lower appraisal values than white homeowners.
The practice of “redlining” historically made homeownership incredibly difficult for non-white communities, and the discrimination from that time still persists.
Homeownership is important for building generational wealth and share of voice in local communities.
RELATED ISSUES
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Protect your community from the harm of gentrification.
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Today marks the start of Going Home, a three-part series that analyzes the systemic racism that influences the cities and communities that we call home. Today outlines the impact of gentrification on lower-income communities and communities of color.
Because of the web of practices and policies that enforce systemic racism, we’ll be referencing and expanding upon topics we’ve already discussed. We’ll link to specific articles in our archives frequently. Know that this is a resource for you – please search for your question there before reaching out! I added a search bar. We're on Issue #47, so there's lots to read!
We're seeking submissions from readers on several topics – review and respond here. And if you haven't already, consider supporting this work with a one-time or monthly contribution. You can give via our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or give $5/month on Patreon.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
If you live in a gentrified / gentrifying community:
1. Find a local organization near you advocating for housing justice and take action by signing up to volunteer, donate, or support an event.
2. Review these maps of displacement of Black populations in major cities across the U.S.
GET EDUCATED
What's Gentrification?
The term “gentrification” was first coined in the 1960s by British sociologist Ruth Glass to describe the displacement of the working-class residents of London neighborhoods by middle-class newcomers (NCRC).
People tend to center gentrification as an interpersonal issue, focusing on how white millennials with higher income and education levels tend to move to “edgier,” and often non-white, neighborhoods for cheaper rent and more culture. But it’s more systemic than that (and yes, non-white people can contribute to gentrification). Gentrification is market-driven by real estate developers and businesses that follow economic opportunities and encourage wealthier communities to move (NCRC). It’s also fueled politically; realizing the economic benefit of gentrification, state, and local governments shifted their investments to follow suit – moving funds away from public housing and into tax credits and revitalization to make these areas more attractive (Curbed). Altogether, gentrification is a confluence of various factors, which leads to the same result: neighborhoods experience a net loss of low-income residents, housing costs rise, and overall, non-white residents are replaced by higher-income white gentrifiers (NCRC).
It’s important to remember that gentrification is profit-driven, not community-driven. Although many may cite the benefits of concentrated investment in redeveloping urban communities, we have to remember that those benefits aren’t equally distributed. And the most marginalized, vulnerable communities often pay the price.
How Gentrification Fuels Displacement
A major component of that is displacement, or, how people are forced out of neighborhoods, because of the impact of gentrification. As mentioned earlier, some of this displacement is a natural response to rising living costs as neighborhoods transform. And some people, of course, choose to stay – despite the difficulties. But a darker, more violent side of displacement has been reported for decades in gentrifying cities across America. Incentivized by the new financial opportunities, landlords have done whatever it takes to get tenants out of their buildings, from threatening them, intentionally creating unsafe living conditions, and even committing arson.
Consider the Hoboken arson wave. Back in the 1960s, the city of Hoboken, NJ was a small and poor community. With just 45,000 residents, Hoboken had the second-highest rate of welfare recipients in the state and a 12% unemployment rate. As New York City swiftly gentrified in the 1970s – fueled by the growth of the financial sector on Wall Street – the close proximity of Hoboken attracted these Ivy League graduate, wealthy young professionals (Washington Post).
Between 1978 and 1983, nearly 500 fires ripped through tenements and rooming houses throughout the city. The blazes killed 55 people and displaced nearly 8,000 people, the majority of them identifying as Puerto Rican. Most never returned to the city (Journal of American History). Nearly every fire, investigators determined, had been the result of arson, but no one was charged. It was difficult to determine that a landlord was guilty of conspiracy to start a fire in their own building without proof, and at the time, the evidence of economic gain wasn’t enough (Washington Post).
“In 1980, Olga Ramos, who owned a tenement at 12th and Washington streets, asked the city’s rent-control board for a $50-per-month rent increase, roughly four times the allowed annual cap. After Ramos’s request was denied, she told tenants that she “she would get them out, even if she had to burn down the building.” In the predawn hours of Oct. 24, 1981, a fire swept through the property. Eleven people, including all the members of one family, were killed” (Washington Post).
Unsurprisingly, this story isn’t unique to Hoboken. Intentional fires were documented throughout Boston’s gentrifying Back Bay neighborhood, downtown Indianapolis, and Chicago during the same time period, each responding to each city’s gentrification (Process History). And a recent spate of arson in the Mission District of San Francisco re-ignited this conversation (GQ) although motivations seem unclear (SFist). Similar stories of landlord sabotage emerged from Brooklyn in the mid-2010s (Gothamist).
Impact of Gentrification
Regardless of how or why, displacement forces lower-income families to move, either further to the fringes of their existing community, or to another community that is worse off, which exacerbates the burdens of poverty that these families are already experiencing. You can read two studies that analyze these trends in Philadephia via U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Science Direct. The individuals impacted experience the stress and anxiety of relocation, the loss of existing community support systems, and are often burdened with longer commutes – or changing jobs altogether (CJJC). Moving constantly often negatively impacts a lower-income family’s ability to accumulate wealth (American Progress). And systemically, displacement fuels racial and economic segregation that creates increased health risks, disparities in educational funding and opportunities, and other inequalities. Read more about inequities of public school funding in an earlier Anti-Racism Daily newsletter.
Criminalization often increases in gentrifying neighborhoods, as perceptions of what safety and public order change with the new residents. Theories believe that activity that was previously considered normal becomes suspicious, and newcomers—many of whom are white—are more inclined to get law enforcement involved (The Atlantic). This, along with the typical increase of bars and nightlife in gentrifying neighborhoods often leads to more police interactions with the community, and increases the likelihood of a negative interaction between law enforcement and people of color. Beyond that, gentrifying neighborhoods leads to gentrified criminal justice systems, which can accelerate more white people in leadership as, for example, cops or jurors (The Atlantic). Related: Read how 311 calls define gentrifying neighborhoods (NYMag).
Lawyers representing Breonna Taylor's family cite this type of criminalization as why police officers broke down her door executing a nighttime, no-knock warrant, and shot her 8 times. According to the lawsuit, police were using information about drug activity to vacate homes on Elliott Avenue for a "high dollar" real estate development, including new homes, a café, and an amphitheater (CNN). A "primary roadblock" to this project was the home of an ex-boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was allegedly linked to criminal activity. The home on Elliott Avenue was about 10 miles away from Taylor's house, but police raided it anyway, allegedly encouraged to speed things along and help get the project completed to fruition (Blavity).
A spokesperson for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer refuted the allegations.
“Fifty years from now, I think there's a strong and frightening possibility that after long waves of investment and disinvestment, you'll have large swaths of the city where the rich are hunkered down, and large parts of the map where poor people can't afford to live and nobody else wants to live there”.
Sharon Zukin, author of Naked City and professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, for Curbed
Our Responsibility
The transformation of urban spaces is inevitable, and many communities are eager to redevelop their community to create more health and economic opportunity. But gentrification doesn’t have to be this way. We must adopt new models that center those most vulnerable when considering redeveloping an existing community. For starters, communities need to center the voices of the existing population to create more participatory policies, advocate for their needs against landlords, and have them as part of the design process (CJJC).
And in some cases, gentrification has been found to actually benefit the existing community – but many of those individuals are already homeowners, a path that hasn’t equitably been provided to residents in urban communities for generations (we’ll talk about this topic in full at another time, but you can get started with this article from American Progress). So states and governments can offer property tax caps or breaks for existing long-term residents (referred to as “homestead exemptions”) so they can keep their own, or provide renters with the opportunity and financing to purchase their units. Similar initiatives can be extended to local businesses to ensure they can survive, perhaps even thrive, in a new environment (Washington Post).
The impact of COVID-19 will have interesting implications on real estate development, particularly in once gentrifying neighborhoods (NYTimes). Now more than ever, if you live in a gentrifying community, and especially if you identify as white and have the power and privilege, it’s critical that you get involved. Throughout history, community organizers have rallied for their wellbeing through protests and petitions – consider how Amazon canceled its plans for an NYC headquarters after pushback from the community (The Verge).
We need to recognize how our own implicit biases may contribute to how gentrification is so damaging to communities of color, and, if you're living in a gentrifying neighborhood, you can absolutely ensure that we're uplifting and respecting the local community and its businesses as much as possible. But, as Colin Kinniburgh in this piece for The New Republic says succinctly, "if conscious policy decisions got us into this mess, then conscious policy decisions can get us out". Do your part in ensuring your city represents everyone in your community.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Gentrification is driven by market, political and social opportunities discovered in lower-income communities
Although gentrification can provide positive benefits to communities, those benefits are not equally distributed, and lower-income communities of color often experience harm
Gentrification can contribute to displacement, which disempowers lower-income communities
It is up to us to rally at all levels to create more equitable community redevelopment
Related Issues
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza