It's been awhile...
Here's a little piece I wrote for chitowndailynews.org on Humboldt protests regarding lack of affordable housing.
"Yuppie, yuppie, why you lie? Why you try and gentrify?!" was one of the more interesting chants I left out. As well as "Boricua si! Yuppie No!"
Given the fact that foreclosures in the area for residents of color is on the quick rise, as noted by a corresponding Tribune article, I can understand the anger.
Matthew Rodriguez told me that the community wanted to simply be a part of any new development than be pushed to the wayside.
In redevelopment of a neighborhood, shouldn't the existing civic and social networks be maintained?
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I'm really not sure how I feel about this. As seen from this quote in the Tribune:
"They don't even want to know who we are," she said. "If you had enough gall to come into a neighborhood like Humboldt Park and purchase a home and live here, why not make an effort to get to know the residents?"
It just doesn't sound friendly to me. I agree the community should have some say in the redevelopment, especially in terms of keeping the character of the community (the look, style of buldings, monuments, parks, and even zoning, commercial, residential, multi-family, etc... of the land).
But to be disappointed that "non-latin" names would move in, or that residents might want to keep to themselves... I cannot agree with that sort of feeling. I don't think any neighborhood should look down upon non-latin, non-white, or non-black, or any nationality of its residents. Likewise, while people should expect a certain amount of civility, they cannot reasonable expect activisim.
And to demand that white people should not move there (anti-gentrification), is not an argument that I would listen to anymore than black people shouldn't live in suburbs.
I also thought Angela Reyes comments were a tad distasteful. I didn't know that I required "gall" to move in a neighborhood.
To the flipside, did Reyes do anything to get to know the new residents?
I heard arguments both caustic and reasonable Saturday.
About the chants of keeping yuppies out, I posed questions to Matthew R. "Doesn't this sort of chanting mean 'whitey get out'?"
He explained that the real problem is that the Latin community is not benefiting, or being included in new development. Given the social ills that come from severing a group of people from ties to their community, this is a problem.
Of course, the market is completely insensitive to that, which is natural.
And civic action like this is a valid response in some ways because it is in the social realm.
The depth of the tension is not easily conveyed through 400 word articles.
As far as the "gall" quote is concerned, it didn't adequately represent the discussion that took place Saturday, even if it represented the ideas of a few.
I saw a lot of non-Hispanic, white, black people comfortably involved in discussion on how to preserve the neighborhood, and lasting ties that allow a community to flourish.
I have made an effort to meet my neighbors, and have met a lot of good folks.
However, there's a few assholes everywhere.
You of all people should know that. :)
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