Is DC and its suburbs segregated?

[Anonymous]

Yes, DC and its suburbs ARE segregated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So clearly pp you don't know about DC history (pre-riots) or housing patterns in major cities. There are many, many neighborhoods in DC that used to be predominantley white. There are people living in Shepherd Park right now who remember when home sellers were discouraged from selling their homes to black folks. Granted this happened a long time ago but to say that white flight never happens, is crazy. And the fact is that it continues to happen but mostly in the suburbs. Just ask anyone that used to live in Wheaton, MD for example - while it was never an upper class white neighborhood, when I was growing up it was working class white - now its incredibly diverse.

Again you are totally diverging from the point. First you talk about 1960s DC, when it was a different time everywhere. Shit Michael Bloomberg's parents couldn't buy a house in Boston because of their last name they had to have their lawyer buy it in his name and sell it back to them. We are talking about TODAY!! Stop trying to act as if this is the 1960s. Secondly it is absurd to compare Wheaton MD with Chevy Chase or Bethesda or Upper NW DC or McLean. Wheaton was and will NEVER be upper class so you can not use it and say when high income blacks move in whites move it. It was always a relatively poor suburb and continues to be. When whites start running away from Mclean because the blacks are moving in then you may have a point. Until then you're just playing the race card where it doesn't exist. Read this and read it twice: People of any race can live anywhere they want if they can afford it. Shit they don't need to even afford it all they need is access to credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So clearly pp you don't know about DC history (pre-riots) or housing patterns in major cities. There are many, many neighborhoods in DC that used to be predominantley white. There are people living in Shepherd Park right now who remember when home sellers were discouraged from selling their homes to black folks. Granted this happened a long time ago but to say that white flight never happens, is crazy. And the fact is that it continues to happen but mostly in the suburbs. Just ask anyone that used to live in Wheaton, MD for example - while it was never an upper class white neighborhood, when I was growing up it was working class white - now its incredibly diverse.

Again you are totally diverging from the point. First you talk about 1960s DC, when it was a different time everywhere. Shit Michael Bloomberg's parents couldn't buy a house in Boston because of their last name they had to have their lawyer buy it in his name and sell it back to them. We are talking about TODAY!! Stop trying to act as if this is the 1960s. Secondly it is absurd to compare Wheaton MD with Chevy Chase or Bethesda or Upper NW DC or McLean. Wheaton was and will NEVER be upper class so you can not use it and say when high income blacks move in whites move it. It was always a relatively poor suburb and continues to be. When whites start running away from Mclean because the blacks are moving in then you may have a point. Until then you're just playing the race card where it doesn't exist. Read this and read it twice: People of any race can live anywhere they want if they can afford it. Shit they don't need to even afford it all they need is access to credit.

Different poster here. Actually I don't think this will be tested (in the near future anyway) because there would have to be enough African-Americans of means to afford to buy houses in wealthy white neighborhoods. Would be interesting though to see what would happen if that were the case.

[Anonymous]

I honestly don't find the DC area any more segregated than other places I've lived in or visited frequently (including Boston, Research Triangle area, some San Francisco suburbs). It is, however, much more diverse than a lot of places. Maybe the higher numbers of racial and ethnic minorities simply makes the usual self-segregation more visible.

Aside from the socio-economic sameness that is commonplace in most places, my upper NW does not seem to be unusually segregated. On the few houses in my block alone, there a couple of mixed Asian-white families, an AA family, and a couple of Hispanic families (which includes us), as well as a couple of white "international" families. My child's circle of friends, most from his upper NW DCPS, is quite a mixed crowd.

[Anonymous]

There are no (or very few if any) blue collar white people in the D.C. area. That is a HUGE demographic of many areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are no (or very few if any) blue collar white people in the D.C. area. That is a HUGE demographic of many areas.

This is false. There are many. Just not where you're hanging out.

[Anonymous]

@13:14:

THIS :
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-10/business/ct-biz-0811-hud-bias-suit-20100810_1_dream-house-housing-discrimination-complaint

WHILE folks may not have the "right" to move anywhere in theory -- SOMETIMES in practice it just doesn't work that way. Sheesh..people have a real hard understanding any experience outside of their own. Nuances and comfort levels (other than their own) are very had for some people to grasp!

[Anonymous]

PP: Meant to say "...may have the right" not may NOT

[Anonymous]

@13:14 -- There are definitely neighborhoods that were comprised of upper middle class whites -- Marlton in Southern PG, for example -- that have changed from a white neighborhood to an African-American neighborhood. I'm not so sure why you are taking issue with the word "Affluent." Bowie was also a professional community -- lawyers, high level govt types -- and I've seen the white flight happen. I said it wouldn't happen in Chevy Chase b/c most wealthy people are white. Yes, people of color can move in and unless they move in en masse, the so-called liberals in these rich enclaves won't feel threatened by the "minorities" living among them.

[Anonymous]

Yes but how many of us have friends and/or socialize with people of a different race or socioeconomic class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but how many of us have friends and/or socialize with people of a different race or socioeconomic class?

Does it matter? People hang out with people who they like and share common interests with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but how many of us have friends and/or socialize with people of a different race or socioeconomic class?

Everyone that I know. No dominant group, as far as race or socioeconomic status goes, in my set of friends. It's one of the main reasons I won't be moving from this area. I am not a fan of homogeneous environments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes but how many of us have friends and/or socialize with people of a different race or socioeconomic class?

Does it matter? People hang out with people who they like and share common interests with.

It doesn't matter in terms of simple socialization (although the way you put it may lead to the question don't people with homogeneous friends like or share interests with people of a different race or "class"?) It might matter with regards to really understanding people who are different in some way and such understanding might help us reduce the perpetuation of stereotypes in the next generation. Or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but how many of us have friends and/or socialize with people of a different race or socioeconomic class?

seriously? You don't notice any people of various backgrounds hanging out with each other?

[Anonymous]

Where do the white cooks, cleaners, and maids live?

I can honestly think of only 2 white cleaners (no cooks) that I have ever even seen in this area. We have had some white guys do home projects for us and agree they commuted in from way the heck out. I think there are a lot in the STafford area and in Prince William county but that's more border-line "DC area" I would say since it's so far away.

I live in the norther part of SS and while my little housing development is mostly white with a few non-white families, a ton of the surrounding area is black and especially hispanic. I still find it shocking to go out in Bethesda occassionally and see it all full of white people!