Malls are dying. Yes, there are stores that drive traffic, but I can’t tell anyone the last time I’ve been to an enclosed mall or even to mall stores at an open-air center. Well, I lie, I went to Barnes and Noble the other week. I have a gift card to spend there, but I was more interested in absorbing the atmosphere than purchasing anything particular that day. I’ve definitely not eaten at a food court in years, so the bankruptcy of Sbarro was not a shocker to me. And yes, I’m in the 18-34 demographic that has a little extra money to spend.
Much is said about demographics of shoppers by chain owners and other shoppers who don’t like a particular demographic that happens to be taking in the atmosphere versus buying things. Or so they think. Anecdotally, I’ve found that poorer people, women and teens, especially of color, are more likely to buy mall things, even at the upscale places. Most of the people I know with extra income have stuff shipped to them online, call the grocery and have them shop for them (or shop in person with a tight list), or spend money on experiences over things.
Therefore, malls of any type (including the lifestyle center reboot), should continue to tout the experience. I’m kinda disappointed that JC Penney never finished the reboot described here, where they wanted to mimic a main street in their store and have events that didn’t require you to shop. They would still make money, because they would still be a showcase and occasionally there are still things to buy. I would go to the mall more often if it was an oversized showroom, with kiosks for shipping directly to my home and opportunities to do things versus buy things. And we’ve done this showroom/catalog thing before. Hello Sears Wish Book. Anyway, your weekend may include mall shopping. Mine will include the news below:
Walmart store in Chicago’s West Loop by Flickr user Ifmuth
Yes, Joe the Trader is still my friend. Why? Because he has good cookies.
My silliness notwithstanding, the decision made yesterday by Trader Joe’s to not invest in Greensboro for the second time is not surprising. Honestly, it’s not the politics that I feel drove them away. It’s the inability to take risks. Stores like that, you know, the ones that have cheapish stuff, but a somewhat upscale atmosphere, I believe are only taking advantage of what they think youth or boomers with disposable income or some other magical unicorn person will buy and will buy repeatedly. Unfortunately, magical unicorns tend to not have strong political views or bank accounts that hover around or appear to hover around zero. Stores that don’t take risks don’t like cleaning up old parking lots or making sure even the folks who carry EBT cards have the opportunity to have shiny electronics or even just basic food items.
Walmart, however, goes directly after that market. We talk about the exploitation that they do, but there’s a degree of exploitation in the pretty but cheap store market too. They exploit the emotions of those of us who make just enough to spend at least $50-100 at Target each month, 60% of the cart being non-food items that may or may not be adult toys or pure junk. They make us feel better as a town when they show up promising more Salted Caramel Chocolate cookies for cheap. They allow us to buy more clothes, even though those clothes fall apart at the end of the season.
But back to Walmart. Not only have they gone into the High Point Road area and thrived, they are now going into Quaker Village, the one place many of us privately wanted Trader Joes to go, had they been willing to spend the funds to revamp the shopping center like the Walmart. But Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, so if it fails, then it’s no big deal. These other retailers, they aren’t as big as we think. Ask Harris Teeter. Yes, the bigwigs got golden parachutes in their deal with Kroger, but everyone else and the name itself took a hit. If it weren’t for Kroger understanding the impact of the name on the market, then there’s just one more “luxury” name gone away.
I think the lesson learned here is that sometimes, it doesn’t matter what your name is or what your perception is as a store. At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom line, customers are just props to be lured in like the Pied Piper, with colorful patterned displays and cheap wine.
Just my two cents. After the word from our sponsors, other news:
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Thanks to a meeting (more on that later) I swung by the Winston-Salem Trader Joe’s and stock up. Lately there has been much debate about the store, in both the local(including today’s cover story by the News and Record) and national press. People don’t understand the appeal or what their logic is for store placement.
Well, for me what I like about the store is that it is small. Just like its corporate cousin Aldi, it only has exactly what you need. Secondly, it is affordable luxury. Third, even though prices may be a bit more, they have a better commitment to healthy foods and customer service. I’ve seen other stores start modeling stock and service after them, such that the mild sticker shock, as well as the introduction of new products doesn’t feel as weird.
The last thing I like (and what I think others should like too), is that they don’t have everything. And because they don’t have everything, that creates a balanced marketplace. This is where the gentrification critics get it wrong. Maybe in the old days, where the store was a full service operation and maybe for people who have adjusted their diet to the offerings of the store, would the store be the only place to shop and a threat to incomes and a draw of people with a higher tax base.
The retail problem that the critics cite is more of a symptom of the greater housing problems(and also the school and transit problems that those create) that have amassed for years. Worth a read, if you just skim over everything else today, is friend of the blog Daniel Hertz’s The Atlantic Cities article on gentrification and also the Ta-Nehesi Coates The Atlantic article he quotes on the ghetto as public policy. It illustrates how the creation of “desirable neighborhoods” and the classic restrictions on race have created an environment where the lack of or the presence of a retail outlet can send a neighborhood in a tailspin. If we had a market where all neighborhoods (stock wise) are equal and retailers saw the presence of housing units as a measure of success, then we would not have the retail issues we would have. Relative expense is also not a factor either, as many of the corner stores that still service what we consider food deserts, charge high prices for old fruit and other basic non-perishables.
Nevertheless, we need to start chipping away again at housing and education policy if we want retail to follow suit and be a better citizen. And now a few more links:
So as I welcome more of the white stuff, my thoughts have drifted to what it means to have a decent neighborhood store. I’ve written on this topic before. What I wanted to address is the idea that it does matter who owns the store, because of the character of the business and the commitment to the neighborhood. Even before the snow rush had me thankful that CVS sells cranberry grape juice and Stoffers Mac and Cheese, I have been following and posting links here in Placebook about the recent decisions of Trader Joes to locate in Greensboro and the neighborhood fight that’s ensued and not locate in a once predominately- African-American neighborhood in Portland.
Both decisions represent a high NIMBYism and they both illustrate that the phenomenon knows no color, income level or true neighborhood desire. I’m a firm believer in the power of neighborhood groups, but when they become less and less about providing for the greater good and advancement and instead the preservation of a small vocal few, then I’m concerned.
I’m also concerned on a more personal level. First of all, for the Greensboro store, yes, I do wish they’d pick another spot. However, the store itself is a major force and niche missing in our community. There are many of us who have expensive taste, but tiny budgets. Trader Joes has successfully allowed those of modest means to have great food. Also, despite the recent controversy on whether the store would provide health insurance or make employees go on the Federal Exchange, Trader Joes employees are paid a living wage and they are encouraged to work as a team and trained on all aspects of store management. This results in better customer service because the workers care and know the whole store and how it can help you.
Secondly, as you can probably tell already, I’m African-American. I’ve seen worse come out of new stores in underserved neighborhoods and I’m not deep in but close to a group who is trying to start a store in their neighborhood, that may gentrify it. We go wrong when we racialize fresh and unique food, awesome customer service and a clean store experience.
Yes, certain foods and dishes often originate from certain areas. But, it doesn’t mean we can’t try them and eat them. The trouble comes when we one, make fun or use them to disparage others and two, when we take them, change them up, then try to claim they are still what they are. It’s like calling hot orange juice, hot coco. They are both hot, both may use some of the same recipe, but they aren’t the same.
At the end of the day, the problem is larger than not having a grocery store or one that’s affordable or accepts food stamps(as Trader Joes does nationwide). The problem comes again with our economy and the fact that it’s left so many behind and allowed resentments to build, instead of the healing that comes with greater civil rights.
And with that, more news for today:
NC Roundup
Snow’s a comin’. Well, more of it is coming. Yesterday, 1-95 was shut down and today Amtrak’s also cancelled all service after this morning’s trains. Numerous schools and other organizations are shut down too. Yes, there have been reports that shelves are empty of milk and bread .
Last year, my wish/new years resolution was to maintain.
Overall, I think we succeeded in that. Downtown continues to grow. Even as beloved spaces elsewhere close, new ones spring right back up in their place, like a sushi bar right across the street from the bar I mentioned above. I’ve maintained employment. I’ve reconnected with family as family has passed on.
Therefore, as we look ahead into 2014, the word that stands out for me this year is simply:
MORE
How does more relate to good places? Here’s how:
More tiny houses
I was delighted to hear this story of how the Occupy Madison group managed to build a tiny house for a homeless couple. Far too many offshoots of Occupy have been blamed for being delinquent, whiny, and entitled. However, this group of folks actually did something about the problems facing our cities. They hope to build a whole village of these homes for people.
I also like tiny houses because they recognize that sometimes people can’t afford a certain amount of square footage, but that doesn’t make them incapable of owning their own home. We laugh at trailer parks, but honestly, at least those people have a roof over their heads. We used to laugh at apartments too, but I’m sitting in a luxury one.
More opportunities for youth to learn good citizenship
I’ve bled a lot of ink and blurred a lot of pixels about the cost of not engaging all of our youth and our citizens. The issue is near and dear to my heart, because I became engaged in placemaking and civic governance as a young child. My parents made sure I went to the library and they encouraged me to learn. So many people don’t have parents that do that, but there’s plenty of people in our community who can serve in that role for our youth. I want to find a way to do more of this myself, in a more productive and proactive way. I also think that if we don’t engage our youth, we will never be able to realize our placemaking dreams.
More parks
Thanks to where I work, I’m able to see a lot of new, cool things that are being built. I also have had a chance to see what’s planned for our new LeBauer Park, along with what’s been dreamed up thus far for the Union Square Park. I hope that these new parks, despite being public-private partnerships, hold true to the spirit of the public piece of the partnership that is propelling them forward.
More books and reading and writing
I never imagined that by the end of 2013, I’d be walking to my very own local indie bookstore which stocks brand new books, smart magazines and used classics. I never imagined I’d be front page news and make news and have the bylines that I’ve had. In that spirit, I hope that Scuppernong revitalizes its block, not just with libations, but budding librarians. You’re seeing more posts from me here and who knows, I might whip up another book.
More microeconomies
As I talked about above with the support of tiny houses, some of our Occupiers have evolved into a group spearheading a new grocery co-op on the traditionally black east side of Greensboro. Meanwhile, opposition is growing for a Trader Joes (again) on a particular plot near the more wealthy communities of Greensboro. However, if it weren’t for Trader Joes offering some of the foods that make me stick my pinkies out while holding food, at a price that doesn’t make me feel like I’m breaking my pinkies, I wouldn’t be as proactive about healthy food. You already know the mind games I play when thinking about groceries. The more niches a market has, the better the market actually serves people and actually holds true to the notion of being free.
More transportation
I’m now part of a group called the Transit Alliance of the Piedmont, a group formed because of the need for real, not just realistic, regional transit. I hope to channel some of my dreams for transportation (more bus shelters, shorter headways, a serious rail plan, business support) into action in the coming year. We will have a website and some information up soon on how those of you in the Triad area can help. I’m also on the Bike Share Task Force led by Action Greensboro, another group working to bring new transit options to Greensboro.
2013 was one of the hardest years, from losing my father, to feeling alienated, to a major case of writers block. My hope is that my 2014 will be full of abundance, and that abundance starts with doing what I can to cultivate good places.
Good Friday morning folks! Some of you are snowed in. Some of you are just cold. Count me in the cold bunch. If you want a good laugh, take a look at my account of what happens when we actually do get snow down South.
Greensboro Skyline covered in snow, January 19, 2013. Photo Credit: Kristen Jeffers
Whatever is going on outside, be safe, have fun and check out the articles below:
Kaid Benfield(@Kaid_at_NRDC)came back and elaborated on his comments on traditional downtowns, highlighting the generational gap in views on revitalization. I left a comment, stating the need for us to remain centralized, even if that means being polycentric. Also notable is the danger of having your content syndicated without its proper headline.
Via Tumblr, commentary on the reduced federal transit subsidy and increased highway spending.
Happy New Year to all of you! I was looking forward to sharing a bit of news this morning, but it leaked. However, I will take this opportunity to thank my family, my friends and those of you who’ve stuck by this very page from the beginning, back when it was a side piece of my personal twitter and blog accounts, boosted by a class project. All of you who expressed congratulations on Facebook and wished me a Happy New Year and shared tweets and statuses I am deeply grateful. I know this isn’t Thanksgiving, but I was on hiatus on Thanksgiving, so here is my gratitude.
So that news? I am the first winner of YES! Weekly‘s Essay Contest with my entry, TheHarvest of Our Future. YES! Weekly is one of our two local alt weekly newspapers, and my favorite of the bunch. Jordan, Eric and several others of the staff have long been colleagues and friends in making this a better city, one page at a time and I thank them again for this honor.
Now, before we look at the pretty Rose Parade floats, some other news:
Jose Vilson (@TheJLV) is a man you need to know. He is an AfroLatino man who is not only bucking the trends of education reform in his own NYC classroom, but he is doing it in print and on social media. He’s got a book coming out, but in the meantime, he dropped this wonderful response to all the articles on teachers of color leaving inner city schools and teaching, Why This Teacher Of Color Is Staying.
This mall that once ate a stream up is now being turned into a community around the stream.
And finally, prisoners at a mens prison in Maryland are knitting. And not just blankets for themselves, but comfort dolls for abuse victims and hats for poor kids.
Hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season! My goal is to spend a little more time on this page (and with you) for 2014 and figured it would be better for me to start this resolution in 2013. Part of that is bringing out a daily(or roughly daily), round-up of things I’ve been pinning, ‘framing, tweeting and Facebooking.
I also want to encourage folks to start a new hashtag trend, #makeyourcity. My return post discusses some of the things I’m doing to make Greensboro better, in lieu of always feeling like nothing ever works here. Since I posted that on Saturday, I’ve seen several other articles encouraging people to leave other expensive areas, especially if one is in the creative class. Of course that turns the theory on it’s head. I’ll be tweeting out some articles under that hashtag as well and hope to get some conversation started about what it means to be creative class or even tech entrepreneur class, in a small city.
Also, if you see articles, photos, meme quotes or whatever that you want me to pay attention to, please hash those #tbuplacebook or simply #placebook. You can also tag @blackurbanist on Instagram and Twitter, Kristen Jeffers or @The Black Urbanist on Facebook.
Now some bonus links:
After years of battling, Miles Davis’s contributions to placemaking are remembered by naming the area of the street where he used to greet and socialize with his neighbors after him.
You’d never know it, but Norfolk Southern has a huge presence in Greensboro and it’s well up the alley of those who want us to be a logistics powerhouse.
Trader Joes is coming to Greensboro, once again, not without a major fight. New developers, smaller, but same site, more buffers this time though.
Belk Home Store expansion at Friendly Center is progressing quite fast. It’s also quite large. Then again, there’s nothing like the High Point showrooms or even Rooms-to-Go at Friendly Center, so this may prove me wrong and the market research folks right.
EDIT 9/14/ 2013: Due to your comments, I’ve gone ahead and rebuilt my chart, along with edited much of the commentary that I originally wrote about these stores. Thanks to everyone who tipped me off to errors and omissions, which helped me find more quirks and a more complete analysis of Greensboro’s food oasis.
I live in a food oasis. I may complain about lack of stores in walking distance, but I still live in abundance of food.
To ease my urbanist brain, I finally sat down and did the math on how to get to the grocery store from my current residence. There is no doubt that despite my prime downtown location, I can’t get there without vehicular assistance. Sure, I can be like my dad who used to walk 5-10 miles a day, but he did that out of necessity. There are bus routes, but the headways (time it takes for the bus to run its route and back) are horrible. It’s far better and more practical to drive to the store.
Now I’m not knocking out the walk completely. I’ve had my 20-minute walk-to-Harris-Teeter moments too. But those moments were tough. Imagine carrying two heavy bags of pasta cans for a mile. Imagine someone my size, 5’4”, 120 something in poundage, lugging two barely bagged plastic bags through parking lots and around roundabouts and over broken sidewalks.
Oh the horror of the privileged college girl, who’s rebeling from the dining hall and avoiding her new, but annoying and challenging friends. She chose to walk to the store. WALK! Carrying groceries. CARRYING GROCERIES!
I digress. Let’s get back to the present. Here are the raw numbers on time and distance to the grocery store, courtesy of Google Maps.
Store
Distance(driving)
Distance(Walking)
Distance (via Bus with 30 minute headways)
Distance via Bike
Deep Roots
1.2 miles (7 minutes)
1.2 miles (24 minutes)
21 minutes
1.2 miles(8 minutes)
Whole Foods
3.3 miles(11 minutes)
1 hour 7 minutes
28 minutes
4.1 miles(26 minutes)
Food Lion #1(Glenwood/Coliseum Blvd)
2.9 miles(10 minutes)
2.8 miles (55 minutes)
21 minutes
2.9 milesb(8 minutes)
Food Lion(Meadowview) #2
2.3 miles(7 minutes)
2.2 miles (44 minutes)
21 minutes
2.3 miles (8 minutes)
Food Lion #3(E. Market)
2.2 miles (6 minutes)
2.2 miles (44 minutes)
16 minutes
2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Food Lion #4(Golden Gate)
3.7 miles(11 minutes)
2.9 miles (57 minutes)
23 minutes
2.9 miles (17 minutes)
Food Lion #5(Alamance Church)
2.2 miles (7 minutes)
2.2 miles (43 mintues)
25 minutes
2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Aldi
4.91 miles (10 minutes)
4.1 miles (1 hour 22 minutes)
37 minutes
4.2 miles (25 minutes)
Harris Teeter West Friendly
3.6 Miles(12 minutes)
3.5 miles (1 hour 11 minutes)
32 minutes
4.3 miles (27 minutes)
Harris Teeter Lawndale
3.6 miles(12 minutes)
3.6 miles (1 hour 12 minutes)
35 minutes
4.9 miles (28 minutes)
Target Lawndale
3.6 MIles (12 minutes)
3.6 miles (1 hour 12 minutes)
35 minutes
4.9 miles (28 minutes)
Compare Foods
2.2 miles (7 minutes)
1.9 miles (39 minutes)
16 minutes
2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Bestway
2.9 miles (9 minutes)
2.5 miles (51 minutes)
26 minutes
2.6 miles (17 minutes)
Super G Mart
5.6 miles (15 minutes)
5.2 miles (1 hour 46 minutes)
36 minutes
5.6 miles (32 minutes)
Walmart
5.3 miles (15 minutes)
5.0 miles (1 hour 40 minutes)
54 minutes
5.1 miles (31 minutes)
Walmart Neighborhood Grocery
6.8 miles (12 minutes)
4.5 miles (1 hour 30 minutes)
30 minutes
4.5 miles (26 minutes)
Li MIng’s Global Market
6.8 miles (12 minutes)
4.5 miles (1 hour 31 minutes)
27 minutes
4.5 miles (27 minutes)
Greensboro Farmers Curb Market
1.5 miles (5 minutes)
1.5 miles(28 minutes)
16 minutes
1.5 miles (8 minutes)
Bessemer Curb Market
2.2 miles (7 minutes)
1.9 miles (38 minutes)
15 minutes
2.1 miles (11 minutes)
My original methodology? I chose stores that were in 15 driving minutes or less and were not Walmart (2 of the 4 Greensboro Walmarts hit right at 15 minutes of driving). Also, all these stores are on my radar either for proximity or my actual love of shopping there. Those stores would be the Target, the Whole Foods and the first two Food Lions on my list.
These stores are clean, have exactly what I want or have the advantage of having all that I want. I do also shop at the Harris Teeters, but my guilt for going there is even worse than my Walmart guilt. I’ll save that for another post or if you really want me to explain in the comments.
After doing the additional math and analysis, new ideas for my grocery procurement appeared. Most notably, the farmers market is only 5 minutes from my house via car, making it the closest option. Shame it’s only open on Wednesdays. If I could get used to riding a bike with a cargo bag or trailer and at a speed that didn’t mow me down (or with added bike lanes on major thoroughfares), then I have far more options for stores. There would be more of a time commitment, but biking is as much an adventure as it is a chance to experience the open air. Thirty minutes on a bike can go by pretty fast. Walmart is not worth the trip, no matter the mode of transport. The bus headways are still terrible, but if push comes to shove, the options do exist. We still have moderately sized cities in North Carolina without bus service. I’m going to count that blessing of bus service here.
In addition, although not shown on the map, I found many stores in far-flung areas are actually very convenient on foot or bike to their surrounding residential areas. Bestway, a small community grocery, anchors its inner suburb area of Lindley Park. For my dad, the Glenwood Food Lion was only a 24 minute walk and 1.1 miles away from home. Likewise for other homes. We may get a bad rap for being car dependent, but if one is willing to brave sidewalks alongside or biking in the midst of busier roads, we don’t have as bad of a grade as I thought on full-service grocery or fresh food markets. If and when the Renaissance Co-op comes online, it will give that community a store in walking and biking distance, comparable with what is available in other parts of Greensboro. Also, I’ve heard from many others that the Food Lions I cited as dirty, along with Deep Roots, are not that bad. Even though I still can’t vouch for East Market in person, I can vouch for Alamance Church being a better store than it has been in the past.
This does not let the City of Greensboro off the hook for moving towards a more complete street plan for all of our major thoroughfares. If we had that, then many of these areas would become urbanist meccas overnight.
So what if I don’t want to leave downtown or even my apartment complex? Give me Peapod or give me Trader Joes. Peapod could set up a kiosk and storage space at my leasing office. Most everyone in my apartment complex is a choice buyer already. Paying premiums for rent and grocery would just be an additional expense. I would be excited to not have to drive to the store for small items. I’d just have the five-minute walk to the leasing office. Lowes Foods, a local chain suburban in nature, already offers grocery delivery. They could be that service here if Peapod decides to never venture in this market.
And then there is Trader Joes. They should move to my end of downtown, maybe on the South Elm lot or in one of the still empty storefronts on Elm or Greene Street. Their demographic desires are fairly well-known to anyone who follows grocery news. They want the professor. Moderately wealthy but choosy. Plenty of those types of people (choosy, if not academic) on my end of downtown. Similar to the Deep Roots in physical footprint, they could also draw people from the older, lower-income areas who may or may not be on public assistance. Plenty of these people already shop at the Aldi, which is another imprint of their company. Why not do the Trader Joes concept where there is at least a moderate amount of their demographic and a smaller floorspace.
Maybe they are stuck on the fear of theft, which is real, but these grocery companies need a better strategy and profit margin. Far more people need to eat and are willing to pay than steal. Stop the excuses. Oh and while we’re at it, many of these stores have questionable records on employee compensation and benefits, unionization, quality of food as well as their lust for profits even though they essentially are providing a public service. Is there such a thing as a perfect grocery store? One that I can walk to? One that delivers if I can’t or won’t drive?
This concludes my food oasis grocery rant and analysis. Where do you stand? What’s your perfect grocery store? What can they do for us who can afford to go anywhere, to make sure we don’t just go anywhere?
When Allison Guess reached out to me about guest posting, I noticed she was from Pittsburgh and I asked her to tell me about what’s really going on in East Liberty, an area lauded for its new development lifeblood. However, as I expected and even more, she has taken us back to the roots of gentrification (colonialization) and illustrated how the current changes are right in line with previous patterns. Her post raises questions and intensifies my hope that one day, we as Americans can come to terms with land ownership, cultivation, and value in an ethical and honorable manner.
A few years ago, I began doing some preliminary research on land based historical trauma. I was specifically interested in land theft and the effects gentrification on Black communities. In a 21st century effort to expand my bibliography, I did a basic Google search of “land theft.” Although not specific enough, my search request did birth a critical evaluation of the stories of land theft that our country has told.
As grade school children, we as United States citizens learn about how the Pilgrims came to the “New World” on the Mayflower and later had a blissful Thanksgiving meal with the Natives. Educators are not honest when describing this situation of overt land theft, the rapping of communities and extreme injustice those Native American communities experienced and continue to face. History books ignore the past and presently lingering notion of Manifest Destiny that lead to the colonization of the African continent (before and after the Pilgrims came to the “New World”) and the seizure of off-continental U.S. territories. Only as adults and when entering college do a few of us hear or care to learn of this bitter truth.
Ironically, past and present conversations about land theft, more often than none seem to tell a drastically biased tale. In the post-slavery Jim Crow Era, one can clearly evaluate the thoughts and fears of urbanization that took place during in Industrial Revolution. Many whites during the time made their concern of the African American Great Migration, also described as the “Negro invasion” known in large public spheres. In that era it was Blacks that were being accused of taking all the jobs and displacing white Americans, sound familiar? On the other hand, major history sources fail to mention that Blacks participating in this massive move, were responding to the terrorism of the south by fleeing for their lives in hopes of salvaging their communities and living out the promised American Dream.
To speak to today’s biased tale of land theft, we can simply encounter present day conversations about immigration and “Mexicans” “stealing” land, resources and jobs from “Americans.” Paradoxically, most of the inhabited lands that some U.S. citizens see as the biggest “threat” of immigrant occupancy (southern and southwestern states such as Texas, Arizona, California, Alabama etc.) are the lands that were not only once occupied by Native Americans but more resounding the country of Mexico, alike. It is interesting to me that advocates of border control and harsh immigration policies, continue to seek ways to police and keep out the descendants of the original inhabitants of these lands.
My point in creating this past and present parallel is to highlight the deeply imbedded fears, bias, and racism in the white psyche. Understanding (not judging) these feelings while having an open and honest “immigration” conversation can help many of us to understand the “memories” that Black Americans have of land theft and land based historical trauma. They can help community organizers, community planners, and investors understand that all people, regardless of skin color, develop relationships, memories, and some level of fondness to their communities regardless of how blighted these spaces may be or have become. We should be reminded that a simple change in community design that ultimately leads to the attraction of a different demographic group other than the already present residents is in and of itself a model of invasion as well as a type of land theft.
East Liberty redevelopments. Courtesy Allison Guess.
An example of not taking the above into consideration and the possible damaging ramifications of community development includes that of East Liberty. East Liberty was once a predominately African American occupied neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, I grew up just minutes away from East Liberty. Like many urban Black neighborhoods in the U.S., there was certainly violence, drugs and crime; I will not negate that. However, there was also a strong community that sought to overcome the effects of systematic poverty and disenfranchisement and thus give back to the community.
East Liberty seemed to change overnight. I went away to college and then returned to a new neighborhood. There were fancy restaurants, Target, $400,000+ homes being built and parking meters lined major streets. Soon these streets would become a nightlife and fine dinning Mecca. Commercial for sale signs were everywhere and one could see the future plans of those particular spaces in their windows and on their lots. A majority Black middle school ended this past school year early so it could be demolished and turned into costly lofts.
One of the more sincere objectives of investors is to create incentive for those dwelling in certain areas coined slums to stay. Adversely, in East Liberty (and some other gentrified neighborhoods in United States) the incentive that was created was one that encouraged former residents to leave. Although beneficial to get the “blight” out of neighborhoods, it is very clear that the “original” residents of East Liberty had no or a very small voice in the changes. The documentary East of Liberty highlights this struggle between original residents, new residents, and developers.
Now I know many on the defense will say that supportive, mixed-income housing was built. One could argue that this was established with the community impute. However, I believe this housing is a monument of negativity: a symbol of the undermining of a people due to an enduring history of racism, disenfranchisement, and historical trauma. While support is needed for the abused and addicted, the best support comes from true policy change, the critique and modification of systems, and the desire to see competitive groups excel and take pride in recreating their own community. This support does not include takeover, theft, capture, poverty, forced socialization, or community defeat.
Thus in in moving forward, I have some normative suggestions to community planners and investors. We should seek to make sure all residents are included when making decisions about neighborhood change and development. We ought to be critical of who is or who is not at the conversation table. This means we do not just include the more vocal or affluent voices in the community that are still deemed different in some ways to us, but we should also seek representation of those community members who barely have a whisper. It is not anybody’s responsibility to make decisions or decide the fates of others. When creating incentive to stay, we should make sure it is just that. The primary intention in development should always be to have people stay and the secondary focus should be to attract others into the community and thus naturally foster a more diverse community over time. In doing all of this, the memories and experiences of land theft, invasion, and immigration should inform our discussion as all racial and regional groups have experienced their own story of settling and seizure from an “outsider” group.
Allison Guess is a resident of Pittsburgh, PA. Allison graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with two Bachelors degrees in Political Science and Hispanic Languages and Literature (Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese). Currently, Allison is a consultant and the Academic Liaison for the Black/Land Project. Allison is interested in land based historical trauma, gentrification, redlining, gerrymandering, policy histories, displacement, ethnography and storytelling, just to name a few. Allison hopes to pursue a PhD in African American/Africana Studies in order to further research Black peoples’ relationships to land and place.
