Reply to Gentrification shaming makes no sense to me.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This issue isn't easy, but permit me to make a few points and ask a few questions:

[u]Property Taxes[/u] The idea that long term black owners are being pushed out due to property taxes doesn't comport with the realty of DC's property tax regime. DC has a homestead deduction that caps the amount property a tax liability can increase in any given year. 25% of a number set 30 years ago is nominal. And that number is much lower than in most jurisdictions that may only reassess every 5 or 10 years but don't have a cap. Furthermore, DC's mill rate is exceedingly low. You can argue that our income tax is regressive (I personally think it is at more than 8% for people making basically at 2x the poverty line), but that's got nothing to do with property tax. That's a red herring/lazy argument that simply doesn't hold up tp scrutiny. Please show me the actual data that shows a long term (read: generational owners) are moving from DC due to property tax increases. That data would include the comparative property tax rates paid in new jurisdictions (which in most cases would be higher than in DC).

[u]Forced Out[/u] What does it mean to be "forced out"? I'm asking in all seriousness. If a family that lived through the crack epidemic in (what is now known as) NoMa realized that their investment (or the investment from their parents or grandparents) allows them to cash out and move to a lower COL jurisdiction, is that a push or a pull? If they sell to a black family does that change your answer? Real estate is one of the most accessible ways to create wealth; in some cases generational wealth. The idea that white people driving up housing prices and creating opportunities for black families to cash in ignores the positive societal result of black families creating wealth. The unspoken policy initiative here seems to be that black families don't have the right to cash in, and if they do they are "selling out" or they aren't doing it of their own free will.

[u]Moving into a new neighborhood necessarily means acquiescing to whatever has been going on prior to your arrival[/u] This one cracks me up. It creates a false equivalence between calling the police on a black person walking down the street with calling the police for actual drug or crime activity. If I witness a crime committed by a black person that does not make me racist. I would argue that deciding not to call the police to report a black person due to white guilt is actually racist; it presumes that the illegal activity is inherently black; that's crap. I have lived for 20 years in a neighborhood that was the epicenter of the crack epidemic in DC. If you know anything about DC you know exactly where I live. The long term residents of this neighborhood didn't want crack and violence in their community. They don't speak of it as some badge of honor or look back fondly to secure street cred that they are black enough. They didn't want to be raising their kids in a neighborhood that had MPD on the take. This idea from purported deep thinkers that allowing crime to persist is necessary to perpetuate black culture conflates criminality of just being black with actual criminal activity. The fact that some (white) people can't tell the difference doesn't mean they are the same thing.

[u]Stores that cater to "white people" are bad[/u] This is too easy and creates a construct that too often doesn't match with reality. H Street NE was burned out after the riots. Prior to that it was a epicenter of black culture in DC. But that ceased after the riots. You can blame DC pols for failing to create viable economic reinvestment in the neighborhood (and I so; the development zones in NW were never created in NE DC and then people were shocked when development didn't come). But there were very few city services in NE DC until the rehabilitation that started in the late 90s/early 2000 (see, Autozone plaza, streetcar, etc.) Whole foods didn't displace a viable black owned business. It displaced Murray's "Supermarket". If you have lived here long enough to know anything about the area you know it had a lousy selection, terrible quality produce and high prices. The Giant that opened up 3 blocks East was a HUGE improvement. There are lots of places where rents have increased and forced out long term business owners. H Street NE is NOT one of them. In the 2000s those buildings could be acquired for a song. There's also a chicken egg conundrum. Did businesses catering to black clientele depart and the black residents followed? Or did black residents leave and the single demo businesses closed as a result?

As I said, these are tough issues. And it is important that white people be allies of the black and brown communities. But please don't confuse the desire to be allies and support your cause with some sort of obligation to just sit back and ignore the complexity of these issues. There are lots of white people running around saying "I see you. I understand you. Whatever you say I agree with." That's called liberal guilt and, in my experience, it lasts exactly as long as it takes for those people to have adverse financial interests. If you want long term partnership then you need to be willing to have these types of conversations. Engage. If someone disagrees with you don't scream "racist" and walk away. "Read the literature" is a silly response. If there is literature on point then by all means cite it so I can read it, think critically about it and ask questions.

I will now sit back and enjoy being called a racist...

[/quote]

I appreciate your thoughtful post. I completely agree with you about Black homeowners in DC, due to the reasons you listed. I think that in DC, the people who are hurt by gentrification are renters. I assume that working class Black families who rented in Columbia Heights in 2000 can no longer afford to rent there, and thus have been forced out. And that sucks.

Where I disagree with you about crime and calling the police. I think that there’s some nuance here that matters greatly. If you witness a murder, by all means, call the police! But yes, I do believe that you need to think twice about calling the police on Black people for matters that don’t involve immediate safety or serious crimes. There are waaaaay too many white people who will call the police on Black people for “looking suspicious” or “loitering” or god knows what else and it’s putting people in danger. And drugs - it’s easy to say “well, that’s illegal and law abiding neighbors don’t want it” - but how many white people do you know who have done plenty of coke with no repercussions? That’s not a coincidence - that’s institutional racism, and I don’t want to be a part of it. So no, as a white gentrifier, I don’t think it’s okay to call the police on a Black neighbor committing a drug crime. [/quote]

You’re crazy.  I would call the police if I witness a drug crime.  I don’t care if the person is black, white, Asian, Latino, or whatever. It’s illegal.  Full stop.  [/quote]

I’m the OP. Serious question: Have you ever been offered coke at a party? Or have you ever been aware that a friend or acquaintance used cocaine? If so, did you call the police? [/quote]

I’m the PP and the answer to all your questions above is no.[/quote]

If you went with a friend to an acquaintance’s Christmas party, were having fun and enjoying yourself, ended up staying late, and then the acquaintance came over and said “hey! Just FYI a couple old buddies of mine brought some coke. I’m not into it, but if you want a little, they’d be happy to share” what would you do? Presumably you’d leave, but would you, honestly, call the cops?

If you would, well, it’s certainly not what I would do, but I’d respect it. But I think most people, if they’re honest with themselves, would just leave and never hang out with those folks again. And if that’s your honest answer, but you would call the cops if you saw a drug crime on your street - and particularly if you’re a white gentrifier, I think that’s a bit racist. [/quote]

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