African-American neighborhood does not want a Trader Joe's

It’s called democracy. I could send you some literature on it.

Well. it was more of an accurate surmise than anything else. Nowadays, say anything negative about ANY black people*, and you’re automatically branded with the “r” word. Many of those tendering their reflexive reactions (including the moderator of this board) confuse my criticism of a specific group of blacks with an overall criticism of black folks in general. The latter would be racist; the former was not.

*“That black guy just shot twelve people!!!” “What a racist thing to say!”

No, it’s called “dictating to others.” You own a piece of land, you get to say what happens ON that piece of land. Not NEAR it.

I agree that Desert Dumpster has a point, and I think I’m about as far from being a racist as possible.

It really does seem that a certain segment of the AA leadership actively fights against improving black communities by not allowing certain stores or city parks or such to be built in historically black neighborhoods because they are afraid of gentrification and pushing out of black citizens.

This seems backwards and sad to me, because it looks like they are actively trying to keep black people living in ghettos and chained up stores and such.

But I don’t really understand the problem of gentrification and pushing out of people. I admit I have a lot to learn in this area. I don’t understand why black leaders fight against the improvement of black communities like this. I understand the basic logic that when improvements happen, rent goes up, and blacks can’t live there anymore so they have to move. Which is sad. But maybe wherever they move to won’t be as bad as where they were living, and maybe many of them aren’t so poor and are living there because it’s their choice, so they won’t have to move anyway.

Ah yes, the trials and tribulations of being a white person in America.

As to whining about being called a racist.

Sorry, but when you make racist comments, you will be called a racist. If you don’t like it stop making racist comments.

Actually, nothing I said was in the slightest bit racist. I criticized a particular group of black people. The tiny-brained folk automatically brand the criticism of any black person/s as “racist.” What such people don’t realize is that such automatic reactions serve to cheapen any legitimate reaction to actual racism. It’s the “cry wolf” thing all over again.

I fully realize that you don’t understand the distinction. Many don’t.

Uh-huh? References to “the bros and the sistas” was not meant as a generalized criticism black people and references to “Trayvon Jermaines” had nothing to do with an incident in Florida but was about some people in Oregon.

As for the rest, if you want to get my goat you’re going to need to have more clever insults.

Saying “you’re stupid” is simply going to make me chuckle.

What I want to know is, how is this going to affect Portland’s true oppressed minority, the Wesen?

Things are going to get kind of Grimm for them.

. . . call to mind the late Pete Seeger. If I had a hammer . . .

Hello! I’ve decided to shit on this thread by posting a bunch of racist stuff. But if you call me racist, that means that you are the real racist. Because reasons!

The aristocrats!

This isn’t about race, it’s about class. America just doesn’t have the vocabulary to discuss class, so we default to our well developed racial vocabulary.

Here is where you actually displayed your racism, although your slighting descriptions of black people hammered the point home).
You made a big deal about denigrating black neighborhoods, yet you now pretend that your point was in relation to how far from one’s home one should have the right to influence what is built. Given the enormous number of middle class, upper middle class, wealthy, or very wealthy groups of people who have fought to keep various merchants or factories from hurting “their” neighborhoods, your claim is, at best, disingenuous and is more likely an indication that you really were looking to disparage black communities.

Gentrification, (the point the group apparently actually opposed), does harm and displace poor people of all colors, yet you focused on a black community.

Nope. No one else. You did that yourself. Show a little personal responsibility, will you?

With this post, you have moved directly from “clueless white guy” toward the category of “troll.” If you continue in this direction, you will no longer be able to enlighten us with your perceptive commentary.

The notion that using slang terms that are associated with gangbangers was not deliberately intended to defame poor blacks, in general, when nothing in your post limited the “observation” to the group in Portland is pathetically ridiculous.

As to your claim in the post I have quoted: black people, individually and collectively, are frequently criticized on this board without raising a general hue and cry of “racism.” On the other hand, your “tiny brained” remark was intended to insult posters in this thread. I will refrain from issuing a Warning at this time while you pretend that you only meant some “other” people, but if you pull this stunt again, your days, here, will be few.

[ /Moderating ]

EVERYONE:
The discussion of who is or is not racist is not pertinent to this thread.

Take that discussion to The BBQ Pit and return to a discussion of the situation in Portland and its ramifications, elsewhere.

[ /Moderating ]

I will not claim that it has never happened. I have seen black politicians pull stunts like this over specific legislation when they were looking to bargain for some other deal. However, it is not a trend or a common event.

Gentrification was explained, above. Poor people live in poor housing, (generally renting), because that is what they can afford. If a neighborhood is suddenly “invaded” (bad word, but there is not a good alternative), by people trying to make the property more valuable, the poor people are forced out to places that are even poorer.

The process looks something like this: someone is looking to put up a trendy shop, entertainment location, or housing and the prices in the poor neighborhood are incredibly low. They make the gamble to make the purchase, anyway. (Good on them, American Dream and all that.) Against the odds, they are successful. Now others are willing to make similar investments before the prices rise. Pretty soon, the area becomes a desirable location. Landlords in the neighborhood who have let their property go to hell, see an opportunity to make a quick buck, so they sell to the incoming investors who then evict the current tenants in order to build something “better” for which they will have to charge more money in order to recoup their investment. Landlords in the neighborhood who have maintained their property are going to find their property taxes going up as the general value rises. At that point, many will decide to raise their own rents to take advantage of the better income available. Even if they choose to hold rents at the lower rates in deference to their poorer tenants, rising taxes will force them to raise those rents at some point.

No one is trying to hurt the poor people, but gentrification does harm them. When cities (looking to increase their tax revenues), participate with the gentrification, community groups are going to resists such efforts.

I have heard of efforts to restore poorer neighborhoods to a more livable level, but I have not heard of any that have been successful, because even efforts to stabilize a deteriorating neighborhood are liable to result in gentrification and the displacement of the poor. Public housing was an effort to solve this dilemma from the 1930s through the 1960s, although, by the late 1950s it had pretty clearly failed.

Bravo!

Does Portland actually have a history of displacing black people?

However, when you don’t own the land, and are trying to acquire it from the public, the public gets to say what happens on that piece of land. See how that works?

I’m not even going to try explaining zoning law to you, since your head would explode.

Are the only options either shithole or gentrification?
“Don’t improve my neighbourhood” sounds like a perverse version of First World Problem.