There was an interesting quote in the Strib's main Sunday poll story that
caught my eye.
It was the comment from Janice Collins, identified as a 44-year-old single
mother working in the accounting department of a hospital. The Strib wrote,
"Collins, a black woman, said it's unfortunate that Minnesota has become
welcoming to immigrants because they have helped cause the
affordable-housing crunch. 'Leave them wherever they are, because it's
making stuff worse for us,' she said."
Here in gentrification land, the earnest liberal assumption is that it's
affordable housing "victims" versus gentrifiers. But having lived in New
York, I've seen victims go after each other first, rather than larger and
more remote forces. One list member emailed me offlist to suggest that local
African-Americans are seriously mad about immigration - even to the point of
alleging a conspiracy by media, landlords, government, etc. to purge the
city's black population with new arrivals.
My concern is piqued by my own neighborhood's anecdotal evidence. Ever since
we moved to Kingfield seven years ago, we hang out at King Park, which is a
block away. A majority of park users have been African-American kids,
frequently older siblings taking care of younger siblings. But in the last
two summers, it's almost completely changed: now, it's nearly all Latino
families - and, to be blunt, more white families, who feel comfortable with
the entire Latino families, rather than black kids whose parents aren't
there.
The question my wife and I have asked each other is: where did the black
kids go? Were they pushed out in some rivalry, did they move to a park where
they're in the majority, are they hanging out somewhere completely different
or (unlikely) did they leave the city? Does it have something to do with
racial profiling - which would require Latinos be treated differently than
blacks? I don't know, but it sure has been a dramatic change.
Anyway, I wonder how widespread Ms. Collins' sentiments are in the
African-American community, and would be interested in list members'
observations & experiences. Is there a great deal of simmering tension
there? If so, it sure isn't often commented upon.
David Brauer
King Field - Ward 10
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