Volume One Number 1 May 2018
Is Gentrification Putting Public Safety At Risk?
By Dr. Ahmed Assalaam
March 30, 2018
By Dr. Ahmed Assalaam
March 30, 2018
Southwest Washington, DC building new Soccer Stadium on Brownsfield. 2/27/2018 copyright Ahmed Assalaam
All across America while both overt and covert racism continues to gentrify our long standing and historic black communities, people are getting tickets while the developers are getting a pass. And to make things even worse both pedestrian and vehicular safety doesn’t even seem to matter anymore.
For example: Almost 20 years ago it took the low-income black community several years and at least three children getting hit by automobiles for us to finally get something as simple as a four way Stop Sign at the intersection of 2nd and P Streets in S.W. Washington, D.C. Today after more than 2 decades of massive gentrification due to development in the area like Nationals Park, the federal corridor along M Street, and the Southwest Waterfront, vehicular and pedestrian traffic has soared cutting right through the heart of the community.
As the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 8 years I represented this community and with the support of the people and the help of the Honorable B.A. Coles, we fought against both the sell-outs and white supremacy incognito, and were able to hold a great deal of this development at bay for guite some time. The glorified term "gentrification" wasn't even being used like that then, and as far as we are still concerned, we were fighting another resurgence of the Urban Renewal/Negro Removal programs from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 90's.
It's been 12 years since I left office and the corrupt politicians and developers have just negotiated a deal that will almost surely guarantee that the poor black people who live there now will be gone in the future. Go back to our home page and look at the picture of Arthur Capper Dwellings and decide for yourself. Or, look at the American Indian and even closer to home look at the Trump Administration, Congress, and the Supreme Court today. America has already proven that they will negotiate a treaty yet after it is signed sealed and delivered, before the ink has dried and as soon as you walk away they change it at a whim.
As far back as 2002 and 2004 we were assured that transportation measures would be put in place so that we would not be adversely impacted by the changes. Of course the city planners and administrators all lied to us! It was just a ploy to systematically destabilize and depopulate the District of Columbia which in our case meant going into the homeless shelters, streets, the prison systems, and the grave. In the beginning many were simply forced out of town into Virginia and Prince Georges County, and as far away as Columbia Maryland.
GENTRIFICATION DOESN’T CARE WHERE YOU GO.., JUST GO!
America’s crooked politicians and real estate developers could not be experiencing a real estate boom without displacing black communities and that’s a fact. What black people fail to see is that we are holding prime real estate across America, and we need to either fight for our lives to hold on to it, or negotiate and demand for a price that is more reflective of the future market value after it is redeveloped.
What we also need to take a closer look at is how the last two decades of racist profiling, targeting and constant displacement of black people across America, has also resulted in a heavy toll being placed on the health and safety of the people. Think about it!
Across America they’re developing Brownsfields that were so toxic they were never supposed to be disturbed, they know it, and they also know that many of them are in or very near the communities where we live. Demolition and excavation on such a massive scale with inadequate soil erosion measures being used on-site, and/or dust and debris flying in the air, and if there is a water truck on site nobody is using it. Not only are the toxins airborne and sweeping across the community, but another question is: where are they taking all that toxic waste? The future will tell the story when everyone starts showing symptoms of various toxic poisoning, and I am sure the pharmaceutical companies are already loving that.
We also have thousands of cars now driving straight through our neighborhoods with their toxic emissions, and tens of thousands of primarily white pedestrians suddenly found walking through our neighborhoods with their dogs, or to the bars, restaurants and new sports complexes they built where our homes and stores used to be.
These are just some of the mental and physical affects black people are experiencing because of gentrification? In fact, the corporations and corrupt politicians have become so emboldened that every other ethnicity is feeling the residual affects of gentrification, and that is more than enough for them to want to rise up.
For example: Almost 20 years ago it took the low-income black community several years and at least three children getting hit by automobiles for us to finally get something as simple as a four way Stop Sign at the intersection of 2nd and P Streets in S.W. Washington, D.C. Today after more than 2 decades of massive gentrification due to development in the area like Nationals Park, the federal corridor along M Street, and the Southwest Waterfront, vehicular and pedestrian traffic has soared cutting right through the heart of the community.
As the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 8 years I represented this community and with the support of the people and the help of the Honorable B.A. Coles, we fought against both the sell-outs and white supremacy incognito, and were able to hold a great deal of this development at bay for guite some time. The glorified term "gentrification" wasn't even being used like that then, and as far as we are still concerned, we were fighting another resurgence of the Urban Renewal/Negro Removal programs from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 90's.
It's been 12 years since I left office and the corrupt politicians and developers have just negotiated a deal that will almost surely guarantee that the poor black people who live there now will be gone in the future. Go back to our home page and look at the picture of Arthur Capper Dwellings and decide for yourself. Or, look at the American Indian and even closer to home look at the Trump Administration, Congress, and the Supreme Court today. America has already proven that they will negotiate a treaty yet after it is signed sealed and delivered, before the ink has dried and as soon as you walk away they change it at a whim.
As far back as 2002 and 2004 we were assured that transportation measures would be put in place so that we would not be adversely impacted by the changes. Of course the city planners and administrators all lied to us! It was just a ploy to systematically destabilize and depopulate the District of Columbia which in our case meant going into the homeless shelters, streets, the prison systems, and the grave. In the beginning many were simply forced out of town into Virginia and Prince Georges County, and as far away as Columbia Maryland.
GENTRIFICATION DOESN’T CARE WHERE YOU GO.., JUST GO!
America’s crooked politicians and real estate developers could not be experiencing a real estate boom without displacing black communities and that’s a fact. What black people fail to see is that we are holding prime real estate across America, and we need to either fight for our lives to hold on to it, or negotiate and demand for a price that is more reflective of the future market value after it is redeveloped.
What we also need to take a closer look at is how the last two decades of racist profiling, targeting and constant displacement of black people across America, has also resulted in a heavy toll being placed on the health and safety of the people. Think about it!
Across America they’re developing Brownsfields that were so toxic they were never supposed to be disturbed, they know it, and they also know that many of them are in or very near the communities where we live. Demolition and excavation on such a massive scale with inadequate soil erosion measures being used on-site, and/or dust and debris flying in the air, and if there is a water truck on site nobody is using it. Not only are the toxins airborne and sweeping across the community, but another question is: where are they taking all that toxic waste? The future will tell the story when everyone starts showing symptoms of various toxic poisoning, and I am sure the pharmaceutical companies are already loving that.
We also have thousands of cars now driving straight through our neighborhoods with their toxic emissions, and tens of thousands of primarily white pedestrians suddenly found walking through our neighborhoods with their dogs, or to the bars, restaurants and new sports complexes they built where our homes and stores used to be.
These are just some of the mental and physical affects black people are experiencing because of gentrification? In fact, the corporations and corrupt politicians have become so emboldened that every other ethnicity is feeling the residual affects of gentrification, and that is more than enough for them to want to rise up.
We wonder why over the last few decades everyone is so impatient and inconsiderate, on the road or just walking down the street you experience people's anger and frustrations. Many of us are too quick to blame it all on the younger generation, but with so much traffic congestion due to construction everywhere; road closures without notice or sometimes inadequate signage; ridiculous transportation and road safety measures where a single lane has multiple overlapping lines going in more than one angle of direction; traffic lanes from both directions being diverted to travel head on; pedestrians being forced to walk in the streets throughout their own community around construction zones within heavy traffic; construction workers parking everywhere and impeding the free flow of residents in their own communities; and to top it all off speed cameras are being placed all over the black community and across our cities to trap people who are frustrated and get caught often trying to simply make up time.
Increased taxes, extra fees being charged on everything to pay for development, the constant threat of displacement, its no wonder we are all stressed out and acting so crazy!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A TEMPORARY VICTORY FOR HISTORIC BARRY FARMS
Special Report - May 1, 2018
Washington, D.C. - In a major move towards true justice being applied in the District of Columbia Courts, In case number 15-AA-1000 the DC Court of Appeals reversed approval of one of the largest planned developments that would completely gentrify the very first African American community established in the District of Columbia under the Freedman's Bureau.
Citing a number of reasons relevant to the citywide and national anti-gentrification movements, the Court issued its order vacating the approval of the Barry Farm Development and sent it back to the DC Zoning Commission to start the process all over again.
You may view the DC Court of Appeals Opinion by visiting their website and clicking on Opinions and MOJ's, then scroll down until you find the case. You may also view the case that was fist filed in the D.C. Superior Court by visiting the website and clicking on SEARCH CASES, then follow the instructions.
Story Links:
https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/opinion-memoranda-of-judgments
https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/cases-online
Click here to visit our blog and join in on the National Gentrification Conversation.
To contact us:
Phone: 202-714-6874
E-mail: [email protected]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A TEMPORARY VICTORY FOR HISTORIC BARRY FARMS
Special Report - May 1, 2018
Washington, D.C. - In a major move towards true justice being applied in the District of Columbia Courts, In case number 15-AA-1000 the DC Court of Appeals reversed approval of one of the largest planned developments that would completely gentrify the very first African American community established in the District of Columbia under the Freedman's Bureau.
Citing a number of reasons relevant to the citywide and national anti-gentrification movements, the Court issued its order vacating the approval of the Barry Farm Development and sent it back to the DC Zoning Commission to start the process all over again.
You may view the DC Court of Appeals Opinion by visiting their website and clicking on Opinions and MOJ's, then scroll down until you find the case. You may also view the case that was fist filed in the D.C. Superior Court by visiting the website and clicking on SEARCH CASES, then follow the instructions.
Story Links:
https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/opinion-memoranda-of-judgments
https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/cases-online
Click here to visit our blog and join in on the National Gentrification Conversation.
To contact us:
Phone: 202-714-6874
E-mail: [email protected]