Trader Joe's drops black-neighborhood store plan.

[Danno 1,228]

As crazy as it might sound to most folks (who aren't ware) there is a growing movement to resist improvements to a Black areas as it will price other Blacks out of the market and then "There goes the neighborhood" as whites move in.

It has happened all over the country as typically Young Whites move in to certain low priced areas. They renovate materially and that, combined with more white faces.... results in the driving up the housing value, which then become too expensive for many Blacks.

Anyone who lives in a city of any size and who follows real estate trends has seen this happen.

While it is easy to sympathize... one can't help but scratch your head and wonder "Who in the HeII does not want their house value to rise?"

It used to be neighbors would form committees to keep out things and people (renters) who would drive DOWN their property values, yet for these Phil citizens a vacant lot is preferable to a TRADER JOES.

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Trader Joe's drops black-neighborhood store plan

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Trader Joe's grocery-store chain has dropped a plan to open a new store in the heart of the city's historically African-American neighborhood after activists said the development would price black residents out of the area.

The grocer, whose stores are found in urban neighborhoods across the nation, said Monday it wouldn't press its plan, given community resistance, The Oregonian (http://bit.ly/1n7Jyqb ) reported.

"We open a limited number of stores each year, in communities across the country," it said in a statement. "We run neighborhood stores, and our approach is simple: If a neighborhood does not want a Trader Joe's, we understand, and we won't open the store in question."

The Portland Development Commission had offered a steep discount to the grocer on a parcel of nearly two acres that was appraised at up to $2.9 million: a purchase price of slightly more than $500,000. The lot is at Northeast Alberta Street and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and has been vacant for years.

Critics said the development would displace residents and perpetuate income inequality in one of the most rapidly gentrifying ZIP codes in the nation.

The Portland African American Leadership Forum said the development commission had in the past made promises about preventing projects from displacing community members but hadn't fulfilled them.

It sent the city a letter saying it would "remain opposed to any development in N/NE Portland that does not primarily benefit the Black community." It said the grocery-store development would "increase the desirability of the neighborhood," for "non-oppressed populations."

Mayor Charlie Hales and the urban renewal agency's executive director, Patrick Quinton, signed a letter in January that described what they said was the commission's contributions "to the destructive impact of gentrification and displacement on the African American community."

Trader Joe's is based in Monrovia, Calif. Its store would have been the anchor of a two-building development that included space for four to 10 shops and 100 parking spaces. A company owned by African-Americans in Portland had been slated to build it.

Hales said Monday it was too soon to determine what might happen to the vacant lot.

http://news.yahoo.com/trader-joe-39-drops-black-neighborhood-store-plan-224732374.html

Edited February 5, 2014 by Danno

[Ban Hammer 13,599]

topic title edited. use the title in the quoted source in the future rather than using literary license.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

"The Portland African American Leadership Forum... sent the city a letter saying it would "remain opposed to any development in N/NE Portland that does not primarily benefit the Black community." It said the grocery-store development would "increase the desirability of the neighborhood," for "non-oppressed populations."

Sounds kind of racist to me. How does one go about primarily benefiting blacks and not whites? I shop at the same stores as the blacks do.

[Darnell 8,479]

That's 'the movement' language, IMO.

Don't know what's what where you live, but I grew up with that language in various parts of Texas.

[Danno 1,228]

"The Portland African American Leadership Forum... sent the city a letter saying it would "remain opposed to any development in N/NE Portland that does not primarily benefit the Black community." It said the grocery-store development would "increase the desirability of the neighborhood," for "non-oppressed populations."

Sounds kind of racist to me. How does one go about primarily benefiting blacks and not whites? I shop at the same stores as the blacks do.

And you raise a good point, where are the committees assembled to preserve "historically White communities."

[lostinblue 1,989]

First we heard about white flight and how it ruined the neighborhood... Now it's we don't want whites moving in... It will raise the property values. ... Who would not want their property values going up.This is where most wealth is made in America .... for the average person.

[deleted-05292014 331]

Gentrification is a shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values, sometimes to the detriment of the poorer residents of the community. Gentrification is typically the result of investment in a community by local government, community activists, or business groups, and can often spur economic development, attract business, lower crime rates, and have other benefits to a community. Despite these potential benefits, urban gentrification results in population migration, with poorer residents displaced by wealthier newcomers.

I love how the OP will kind of put his "own spin" on the matter. It has nothing to do with Blacks not wanting to improve their neighborhood. How many people in a depressed community can afford Traders Joes? You normally only find these types of grocery stores in well to do neighborhoods. I can't imagine living in a depressed community and living on a very tight budget having a store like this in my backyard.

Furthermore it would be different if it was a community grocery store with people who own the store from that community. The problem with gentrification is that the owners of these establishments aren't even part of the community, most of their profits leave the neighborhoods and are not re-invested into the neighborhood in which they earn their profits.

[deleted-05292014 331]

Positive

• Higher incentive for property owners to increase/improve housing
• Reduction in crime
• Stabilization of declining areas
• Increased property values
• Increased consumer purchasing power at local businesses
• Reduced vacancy rates
• Increased local fiscal revenues
• Encouragement and increased viability of further development
• Reduced strain on local infrastructure and services
• Reduction of suburban sprawl
• Increased social mix
• Rehabilitation of property both with and without state sponsorship

Negative

• Displacement through rent/price increases
• Secondary psychological costs of displacement
• Community resentment and conflict
• Loss of affordable housing
• Unsustainable speculative property price increases
• Homelessness
• Greater take of local spending through lobbying/articulacy
• Commercial/industrial displacement
• Increased cost and changes to local services
• Displacement and housing demand pressures on surrounding poor areas
• Loss of social diversity (from socially disparate to rich ghettos)
• Under occupancy and population loss of gentrified areas

Of course it boils down to where you stand on most socio-economic issues. I'm sure if you favor economics at the expense of social justice then you'll side with displacing people to make a profit.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Jinx614

[lostinblue 1,989]

Gentrification is a shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values, sometimes to the detriment of the poorer residents of the community. Gentrification is typically the result of investment in a community by local government, community activists, or business groups, and can often spur economic development, attract business, lower crime rates, and have other benefits to a community. Despite these potential benefits, urban gentrification results in population migration, with poorer residents displaced by wealthier newcomers.

I love how the OP will kind of put his "own spin" on the matter. It has nothing to do with Blacks not wanting to improve their neighborhood. How many people in a depressed community can afford Traders Joes? You normally only find these types of grocery stores in well to do neighborhoods. I can't imagine living in a depressed community and living on a very tight budget having a store like this in my backyard.

Furthermore it would be different if it was a community grocery store with people who own the store from that community. The problem with gentrification is that the owners of these establishments aren't even part of the community, most of their profits leave the neighborhoods and are not re-invested into the neighborhood in which they earn their profits.

Where I am from the black folks burned down the stores owned by jewish folk ...Jewish folks never rebuilt and 50 years later not a single black person ever put a grocery store in that area of the city. Some people travel 10-15 miles to shop. A lot of Taxi and bus fare. I know of a store near me that employees over a thousand people .. mostly part time but a lot of teenagers work there.

[deleted-05292014 331]

First we heard about white flight and how it ruined the neighborhood... Now it's we don't want whites moving in... It will raise the property values. ... Who would not want their property values going up.This is where most wealth is made in America .... for the average person.

"FIrst we heard..." Ok you make it sound as if this was some made up phenomenon. White flight is a common topic of study in a number of sociology classes taught in college that touch or focus on the subject. It's not a theory it was an actual event that took place.

..."Man first we hear about this Moon thing and causing tidal waves Gawd!"

[lostinblue 1,989]

"FIrst we heard..." Ok you make it sound as if this was some made up phenomenon. White flight is a common topic of study in a number of sociology classes taught in college that touch or focus on the subject. It's not a theory it was an actual event that took place.

..."Man first we hear about this Moon thing and causing tidal waves Gawd!"

Now whites come in and improve the neighborhood improve property values.... and you still .

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Easy there, JinxTheKiller... he's not saying it didn't exist, he's saying it's a shift in trends (or at least that's how I read it).

First we heard about white flight and how it ruined the neighborhood... Now it's we don't want whites moving in... It will raise the property values. ... Who would not want their property values going up.This is where most wealth is made in America .... for the average person.

"FIrst we heard..." Ok you make it sound as if this was some made up phenomenon. White flight is a common topic of study in a number of sociology classes taught in college that touch or focus on the subject. It's not a theory it was an actual event that took place.

..."Man first we hear about this Moon thing and causing tidal waves Gawd!"

[deleted-05292014 331]

Easy there, JinxTheKiller... he's not saying it didn't exist, he's saying it's a shift in trends (or at least that's how I read it).

[deleted-05292014 331]

Now whites come in and improve the neighborhood improve property values.... and you still ######.

That improvement is not based on some unique or superior economic technique, it's at the expense of pushing the current residents out.

How about assisting people in those communities, who live in those communities, with low interest loans or small business incentives? I'm all for helping those who help themselves. But no to conservatives thats welfare. But it's not welfare when GE corp doesn't pay any taxes or tha 60% of Americans receive welfare every tax year when they claim that home mortgage deduction including me

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Americans receive welfare every tax year when they claim that home mortgage deduction including me

What deduction? For interest?