At Essence panel, mayors discuss ways to combat gentrification

Baton Rouge Advocate ^

[TigerClaws]

American mayors have tools available to them to combat neighborhood gentrification that forces poorer people out of their communities, the leaders of four cities said at an Essence Festival panel discussion Saturday.

“The way to avoid displacement is to focus your will and stop letting mayors off the hook with this gobbledygook acting like they don’t know what’s going on,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said during the “Our Cities Our Solutions” panel discussion at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

[mrsmel]

Indeed, just imagine the media stoning if a group of white mayors got together to discuss ways of keeping white cities, majority white.

[VanDeKoik]

If your neighborhood looks like s*it, then don’t be mad when people with money come in and fix it up if they have a better vision.

Part of that process is the natural “eviction” of the people that couldn’t care less.

[mrsmel]

What they have is theirs, what we have is theirs, in their tiny minds.

[Grams A]

In Houston the real estate developers own the city.”

You’re right about that. People in the Village who own the older single family homes are fighting the high rises and losing because the Mayor and City Council want the tax revenue. Their cause certainly isn’t being helped by some of the owners who only see the promise of big bucks if they agree to see their homes which are then torn down and replaced with massive, ugly concrete and steel multi-person structures.

In the end it will be a no-win situation for everyone and those that made these dastardly decisions will be nowhere to be found.

[SamAdams76]

We can’t have people off food stamps. Shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. No siree. We can’t have any of that. Got to keep them people in their rightful places.

[bgill]

America = capitalism.

Capitalism along with supply and demand = gentrification.

Gentrification = keepin’ da man down.

Keepin’ da man down = discrimination and segregation.

Segregation and discrimination = reparations to the current generation for what might or might not have happened to one of their ancestors so far back their parents and grandparents didn’t know them.

Reparations = Trayvon mentality of gettin’ back at crazy assed crackas.

Crazy assed crackas = a sub section buy and clean up scummy run down ‘hoods who sell it to another sub section of crackas who move in, make their payments on time and don’t do drive by shootings on the neighbors’ kids.

Buying up scummy ‘hoods = capitalist America at it’s finest.

[rhubarbk]

Spike Lee like Obama is nothing more than a zuzuvella, a useless piece of trash that does nothing more than make a lot of annoying noise.

[faszakutya]

Notwithstanding the obfuscation of grandstanding politicians and race-baiters, poor people still do need to live somewhere.

[Ronniesque]

These activists want the money and other benefits of having middle class remain in the area to pay, but then not to have any say or influence in how the area appears/operates, i.e. they want your money and then for you to butt out.