Reply to Gentrification shaming makes no sense to me.

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[quote=Anonymous]Long post, sorry. A lot of thoughts. I am a white gentrifier in DC. I don't say that with pride, but I also don't say it from a place of guilt, either. Like OP, we are a white couple who bought in a predominantly black neighborhood because we wanted to stay in the city, wanted a neighborhood that was close in with density and walkability, and had limited funds. But I know what we are. We knew it when we bought, and we were among the only white people around. And we really know it now that our block is more white than black and the general vibe of the neighborhood has changed.

I feel really conflicted about it because it certainly wasn't our intention to usher in an influx of UMC white people to the neighborhood. And we know it would have happened whether we had bought our home or not, because the gentrification trend in DC is bigger and more powerful than our individual choice. But I am also certain that some of new, white neighbors only felt comfortable buying here once we, and other like us, already had. We're part of it whether we want to be or not, because we are white and we are relatively economically privileged. We can't pretend we aren't because we've lived here longer or because we aren't [i]as[/i] rich as the new neighbors.

I do think the advice in this thread about how to be a good neighbor is smart. Yes, do not call the cops on black people in your new, predominantly black neighborhood. If you can, send your kids to the neighborhood school and don't go in wanting to prioritize the needs of your UMC white kids over the needs of the many less privileged black and brown kids already attending the school. Get to know your neighbors. Participate in neighborhood clean ups. Say hi on the street! All of this is good.

But it's also more complex than that and I still don't know the answer. Now we feel caught in between at all times -- we are far more privileged than our original neighbors, many of whom are still around. But we're nowhere close to as privileged as our newest neighbors, mostly DINKs who paid close to a million for their row homes and have very high expectations for the kind of lifestyle and amenities their neighborhood should offer at that price point. We were happy when the WF and the TJs went in. We are glad the schools are improving. We like having more bars and restaurants going in, though increasingly they are too expensive for us and we wonder if we, too, are being priced out of the neighborhood.

I'd like to see more policy in DC that supports affordable housing, that supports a socioeconomic mix in neighborhoods and that leads to more development that benefits local businesses, especially black-owned businesses. We have actually worked with a couple organization that do just that, and it feels good. But when I compare it to the forces they are working against -- massive developers, wealthy professionals with money to burn and a newfound interest in a specific kind of urban lifestyle -- and I just feel like it might be too late to balance the scales.

We talk about moving again, seeing if we can find a close in suburbs that still has some density and real racial and socioeconomic diversity, but where prices aren't accelerating at quite the same rate and where we'd feel more kinship with our neighbors. I don't even know if one exists. I do think what's happening is unsustainable and I wish I knew th answer.[/quote]

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