Another take on Gentrification, Courtesy of "In Shaw"

My wife made me aware of a great blog by a woman in the Washington D.C. area that talks a lot about redeveloping urban neighborhoods, and gentrification in general. For anyone with an opinion on gentrification, especially those out there that see it as an evil to be avoided, and those that see gentrification as a crusade by rich white people to displace residents of color, I highly recommend checking it out. Below is an excerpt from one of her posts, or you can visit the blog here.

And big thanks to my wife for turning me onto this great blog. Oh, and for Mari, the author of this great blog, for so well articulating the many issues and points of view regarding gentrification.

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Monday, July 14, 2003

Confessions of a gentrifier I don't fit the normal profile of a gentifier..... First, I'm not rich. On a yearly basis, if not more often my profession's listserv goes on a tizzy about how we're never paid much. according to some government tables I make about 1/2 of the region's adverage income. Second, I'm black. Of course some may want to take away my black person card because of the crew I hang with and I know I'm never going to win a Blacker than Thou contest. It says black on the birth certificate, so that's what I'm sticking with. Third, well there is no 3rd. But I like things to have a begining, a middle and an end. I do fit some of the gentifying stereotypes in otherways: I'm new, moving in in 2000 I have a graduate degree I'm young (sort of) I've improved my yard and house I attend community meetings and support changes I have no kids I am a homeowner I moved to Shaw because a) it is on the Green Line which will take me to Archives II, where I thought I would wind up working. b) not far from the Yellow line, which would take me to Braddock Road, where I did wind up working, c) near grocery store, laundry and everything else a car-less person needs, and lastly and most importantly d) I could afford it. I'm a single woman, there is only so much house I can afford. I don't like huge condo buildings, actually I hate condo buildings. Also I needed to be near the metro, as mentioned previously, I don't have a car. Not a condo, near the metro, equals expensive. But my Realtor found something in my small measly price range. All you new people just want to come in and change things! That's what I hear everyso often from several of the old timers. Old timers have been in the neighborhood since the Indians were fishing in the Potomac. They'll lash out against people who have lived in the neighborhood 15 years, which apparently makes you a newbie still. The old timers are typically old retired women, who insult you in that being nice but insulting way. I didn't move in with a plan. I was aware of changes and potential and I am supportive of it. Change is going to happen. People who have been here 15 years and want change do see an opening and are acting on it using some of the engery (and naivite) of the new people. So yes, I guess in some ways I do want to change things. ** Cut down on liquor stores Good Lord, how many of these stores do you need. Right where I am there are about 3 stores in a 2 block radius where I can grab a 40, or some Mad Dog 20/20. I'm not against beer and wine. I drink wine but you won't find me in the neighborhood liquor store, unless they start carrying a variety of foreign and domestic red wines, none of that Boones Farm crap but real wine. **Do something about abandoned buildings Do old timers like abandoned buildings? It brings joy to my heart so see a house that previously was boarded up getting fixed up to be sold. Now people with the money to fix up houses also are up on the current economic realities and know that they can make some money and they do. They'll fix up a house and sell it for an outragous price. Usually out of the price range of most lower and middle income folks. Heck even Manna fixed then sold houses that were out of my price range. So fixing up the abandoned buildings come at a price. ** Cut down on crime Can't we all agree on this? Apparently not. Some newbie neighbors attended a meeting where she was attacked for wanted greater police presence on her street. The attendees told her if she wanted police presence she should have moved to Georgetown! **Spend money in the community I would like to spend more of my hard earned dollars in the immediate area of where I live but I have 2 questions: 1. Are you selling what I want to be buying? 2. Will I be treated with respect? One old timer chastised the group for not supporting Black businesses and the businesses that have been here since forever. Well I would support those businesses if they sold something I wanted to buy. See the comment about the liquor stores. They aren't selling what I want, and I am not going to buy what I don't want. I want fresh fruit. I want variety. Secondly, I don't want to be treated like a criminal before I even walk into the store. I know the neighborhood was not and in some spots is not safe enough to remove the plexiglass between the cashier and the customer. But I find the whole experience insulting in some ways, so given a choice, I choose not to but myself through that. I choose to go to Giant on P Street. They have what I want, they don't insult me (the cashier may ingore me, but not insult me), and I get to spend my dollars in Shaw. I also support Chain Reaction. The service is good, the prices okay, and most importantly they're close. I don't eat at any of the take out joints, this goes back to the not selling what I want. I would like a nice sit down place, and I have yet to try the Italian restaurant on New York Ave, but that is still far. The best I can do is the Wendy's on Florida, which also is far, but they have the Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger. If a store or restaurant that was nice and clean and respectful opened up I may visit it and maybe even patronize it. They're are some things that I and my fellow newbies do that are threatening to the old timers and anti-gentrifiers, and I'll try owning up to them. ***You're trying to move people out of their homes. Yes and no. Are these the loud drug dealers down the street? They why hell yes, I want them gone. The old timers may remember when Soinso was a cute little kid, but now he's 20 and is hanging with a dope selling crew. They may feel sorry for them. Newbies show up and they just see the dope selling crew, not the cute kids they were. Sadly, some of these dealers work out of their grandmothers/momma's/girlfriend's house and when a community of law abiding citizens set they're mind to it it becomes "get rid of them all and let G-d, sort them out." Even in situations where it isn't drugs but quality of life issues like noise and trash people look at it as a problem to be fixed and the easiest solution is to get rid of the problem instead of changing the behavior. Section 8. That tends to be synomous with problem house. They're are some good Section 8 people, but if a house has 12 people running in and out of it at all hours; people putting all their business out there on the street; children running around like they don't have any home training; being loud; being bad; being ugly, people just call it a Section 8 house. So yes, those people are targeted. However there are people who are pushed out because of higher taxes and rents. They are not targeted, they are just victims of the changing economic times. Of course, according to Lance Freeman,at Columbia University, and Frank Braconi, at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council people aren't pushed out (see New York Times 3/26/2002 The Big City; The Gentry, Misjudged As Neighbors by JOHN TIERNEY ). They were bound to leave anyway regardless of what was going on in that particular neighborhood.

What we're up against

I mistakenly deleted one of my posts, but didn't want to pass up the opportunity to share some comments made by a fellow "blogger" named Erin Rosa, who in my opinion epitomizes the negative, counterproductive and downright argumentative attitude that many residents unfortunately project towards newer, white residents like my wife and me. While in my book, we're responsible, engaged homeowners, we're portrayed as villains:

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"With all of your inane bragging in response to one of my old blog posts, I somehow got the impression that you actually lived in a bad neighborhood. But Cole? Give me a break. Five points, sure. But not Cole. 42nd? Try 1st or 2nd. In fact, try keeping a shotgun in your closet (knowing full well that the police wouldn't respond to your calls anyway) just in case a crackhead tries to break down your door again. That scenario is certainly real. (Not I. But if it was, would I win anything?!?)What a hard life you must live. It's hilarious. I always get a chuckle at the privileged pseudo-intellectuals who find novelty in their new ethnic surroundings. How do you do it? How do you shoulder such a responsibility as cleaning up such a hoooorible place without condos and lofts? The modern white man's burden, huh?Of course you like gentrification, because you can afford it. Those who can't would gladly take some crime over being homeless anyday. It doesn't take a genius to figure. Good luck on the whole broken windows thing too. I hear it's done wonders for the people living in Capitol Hill. And by wonders I mean pushing the crack dealers and prostitutes a few blocks East."

YAL (Erin Rosa)

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Thanks Erin for sharing your infinite wisdom on neighborhoods with me. Funny how defensive some people get when someone doesn't share their opinion? I simply voiced my support for the Denver Police Department and their efforts in our neighborhood, heaven forbid. I forgot that we're all supposed to hate the police, and to maintain our roles as "victims".

Apparently my neighborhood isn't as bad as I thought--I guess it has been almost three weeks since someone got shot (that I know of). Ms. Rosa, you turned a simple exchange of differing opinions into some sort of contest over whose neighborhood is worse. Interesting!

And then you attack me as a "pseudo intellectual" shouldering the "modern white man's burden" (Why play the race card? Because it's the easy way out for narrow-minded individuals, that's why. And I won't even go down the road about how you think it's OK to talk about my race, when I know you'd be quick to cry bloody murder if I were to have made anywhere near the statements you did except about African Americans or Hispanics). And where do lofts come in? Are you stereotyping that white people like lofts or something? Umm, I own a house. Isn't that almost like racial profiling? Oh, and in your other post, is that some sort of jab at me being a cyclist? So you hate cyclists too? Why so much hostility Erin?

I'm sorry you shoulder so much distrust towards the police department, and against white people, and against cyclists, that you fall into the same trap of generalization and prejudice that you claim the DPD is notorious for, and that you insinuate I possess. You don't even know me, but you're sure quick to judge.

You jump to the conclusion that I'm affluent, when in reality my wife and I work extremely hard for our modest home in this neighborhood, and in all reality likely aren't much better off financially than the folks people like you are afraid are going to be displaced. You don't know to what extent I'm involved in our neighborhood--With the neighborhood association, in helping the residents and kids on my block--But with an attitude like you have, I really don't give a rat's ass what you think anyway.

Because I'm used to it. I've learned that "white people like me" aren't supposed to buy old houses in historically minority populated neighborhoods. We're not supposed to clean up the trash, we're not supposed to get involved in the community, and we're certainly not supposed to speak our minds about crime. But sorry, we're here, we're improving the neighborhood, and we're not going anywhere, so deal with it.

It's attitudes like yours that stand in the way of true progress in neighborhoods like ours. Because it's not about race, it's about the universal right to have a good, safe quality of life in your own neighborhood and home. I don't care what nationality or race my neighbors are, as long as they call the police when they witness crime, keep their home nice, and treat me with the same respect I extend to them.

Oh, and I encourage you to do some reading on gentrification and displacement--As there is plenty of evidence out there that the process of gentrification doesn't necessarily lead to widespread displacement, and on the contrary, often enhances the quality of life and stability of lower income individuals and families. Here, for example.

Well, that's if from this "pseudo intellectual".