What Can We Do?

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all have enjoyed hearing what I had to say about gentrification in Atlanta and in general. I would also like to note that this will be my last post on this blog. I have enjoyed writing this blog and speaking on an issue that is important to me. Thank you all so much for tuning in.

In my previous post, I talked about the impact gentrification has on communities of color and how it affects Black residents of gentrified/gentrifying neighborhoods. In summary, when Black residents are made to move due to gentrification, they oftentimes won’t be able to find adequate housing, and if they do, the neighborhood will be worse for wear compared to their previous one.

Now, I want my final post to be a hopeful one. I am not one for doom and gloom in my personal life, and even when I have my moments, I always try to think positively about things, look for the silver lining and all that. While this is a pressing issue that I have strong feelings about, I wish to leave you all informed and maybe optimistic about the future regarding neighborhoods, which brings me to this question: how can you fight or resist gentrification?

Firstly, it isn’t something that one person can accomplish by themselves. This is something that involves people with hefty salaries and the means to accomplish their goals and see their plans brought to fruition, corporations looking to capitalize on luxury housing, and completely transform communities to make profit.

Wow. When I put it like that, it sounds like something you would expect to see in a Saturday morning superhero cartoon.

Though this is a complex issue, all hope is not lost.

The greatest threat to gentrification is the very thing it aims to destroy, community. That song “The People in Your Neighborhood” from Sesame Street comes to mind. The people who comprise these communities can take a stand against gentrification. Voicing opposition to it is the first step. According to an annotated bibliography detailing how to fight gentrification in Rainier Beach, one of the themes of the research they compiled was the community unifying in opposition to gentrification. They are the ones it will affect; them coming together to voice their resistance to this.

The fight is being fought right here in Atlanta!

Members of Community Movement Builders in Atlanta, Georgia, an organization that fights gentrification. Courtesy Kamau Frankin

An article by Mariette Williams from Business Insider talks about efforts to combat gentrification in Atlanta and how residents can band together to stop it. The article brings up Atlanta’s past of getting rid of public housing which opens the door for areas in Atlanta to be developed. “Most of the people who were able to get a Section 8 voucher moved to other, lower-economic pockets of the city, and the majority of people did not get these vouchers and no data has emerged as to where they went,” says King Williams, director of the 2015 documentary “The Atlanta Way” which tells the story of this phenomenon. He is also

there was one point from this article that stood out to me, and I definitely think it could be implemented as a means of fighting gentrification. it comes from Shirah Dedman whose 2018 documentary “You a Nomad” looks at gentrification in Oakland, California. She proposes that there be a tax on vacant properties. A vacancy tax went into effect in 2019 with vacant properties being taxed $3000-$6000. But I thought about how here in Atlanta I have seen so many apartment complexes and buildings like old warehouses that stand unoccupied. I wonder what if they could be converted into houses. Imagine how that would benefit the unhoused in the city. Studies show that it’s a lot cheaper to give the unhoused homes as opposed to services that provide a temporary fix to their lack of a home.

As far as other ways to fight, I would say simply amplify your voice. Educate those around you about what is going on and how it will affect them. Let them know that there are ways to fight this, ways to stop Black residents from being pushed out of their homes. Banding together to change hearts and minds is how change is made. Tell your local leaders, city councils, etc. Use your voice. Speak up! We should ensure fair, affordable housing for all. In my opinion, that is the key to making a community thrive, not solely artisanal coffee shops, upscale restaurants, and yoga studios.

I do not know how future Atlanta will look. I must admit that the areas which are and already gentrified add beauty and color and vibrancy to the people. Yet I cannot help but wonder at what cost did these new apartment complexes come? There must be a way to increase property value without destroying an already established community. Time will tell if Atlanta can maintain a balance between what is and what is to come.