I really don't agree with the tone or attitude that seems to come out of it (the same kind of economic arrogance that keeps Uptown newcomer condo owners, or at least their spokespeople, from helping longtime residents want to help themselves and the community).
But judge for yourself, and post your own comments.
Here's the text:
We, at the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council, have noticed that long-time middle-class residents of Chatham are now moving out, in light of the changing neighborhood, intimidation from young black males playing basketball in the alleys with no respect for residents who need to park their cars in their garages, the ever-rising crime wave, the degentrification of Chatham, or perhaps ghettoizing of Chatham with the influx on ex-CHA residents into Section 8 housing units, in both houses and apartment buildings (there are approximately more than 1400 Section 8 families now living in Chatham after having been relocated from the projects), and the drop in the quality of life in the area. Chatham during the 1950's, 60's, 70's and 80's and even into the late 90's had a standard of living comparable to any middle-class suburb in the white community, even more so than Pill Hill.
I don't understand why the black masses equate quality of life concerns with being "uppity" or "bougie."
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone who works hard to earn a living and provide as comfortable of life for himself as possible want to be subjected to thugs and the thuggish lives that they lead?
I have seen the ghettozing of the southern suburbs first hand, and I didn't like it. I moved. It was so sad to see what were once nice and ideal suburban communities take over by rift-raft and these once nice suburbs degraded.
Hardworking people deserve a good quailty of life and should not have to live in fear of the have-nots who don't care about blacks who have worked hard to make a good quality of life for themselves. Like crabs in a barrel the rift-raft always try to bring things and people down.
Fifty-years post the Civil Rights Movement and the blacks who sought out and took advantage of opportunities are having to fight to get away from those who did not as a matter of self-preservation and survival.
To think that Martin Luther King Jr. died for this result is so sad.
I understand all the comments that have been made here. This is a 10 year old issue with families moving out. I must admit that prior to the real estate market collapsing it was a serious consideration for me and my family. The main reason was not because of people on section 8. There are people on section 8 who have lived in this community for years and do not cause problems. The main reason was/is the lack of services,products and activities that I have to travel outside the community to purchase. While there has been some bright signs with Lowes, Best Buy and Home Depot we still lag behind comparable neighborhoods. If I go to the show I can't go to dinner before or after because we do not have a decent casual restaurant. If I want business attire I can't purchase it in our community because there are no stores that sell quality business attire. I can go on and on but this was the major one for me. Other issues that have come to my attention have been Schools,lack of city services and crime.
ReplyDeleteOverall, there has to be a community conversation about the future of our community as well as the CBO's have to focus on the total community and not just a segment of our community. Yes we must take care of our seniors but we must take care of their children and grandchildren too.