If White Flight Never Happened... (Atlanta, Washington: crimes, high school, university)

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I read a book by Tim Wise called "Between Barackk and a Hard Place" and after listening to one of his speeches in person, I disagree.

Elaborate?

[1979]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Hypothetically speaking, how would Atlanta be different today if white flight had never happened?

It would be a lot more expensive.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Elaborate?

Just because the USA has a black president doesn't mean all is well. There is still alot of work to do as far as issues concern race are concerned.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Just because the USA has a black president doesn't mean all is well. There is still alot of work to do as far as issues concern race are concerned.

Well, yeah...I agree. But I think that less people in the future will vote for a candidate just because of his/her race.

[Mr. Simpson]

The Atlanta region is really a mosaic of neighborhoods.
That was the underlying theme of the first annual Regional Neighborhood Summit
The building blocks for the Atlanta region begins with all our neighborhoods « SaportaReport

[AcidSnake]

Dude you only see what you want to, that much is painfully obvious. Your carely crafted Lee Atwater/Rush Limbaugh/Southern Strategy worldview won't hold any water here. Give it a rest, will ya?

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

As for the letter, if you do not see it as racist, then I cannot change your view. Even Mayor Franklin called the letter "bigoted."

I don't need to do any research on white on black racism. I know it exists today, and I know its history. And you make good points in regards to it, but they are points I already know. That you refuse to even entertain the fact that black people could be racist against whites shows your closemindedness. Just because of the long history of white racism does not mean black racism does not exist.

Instead of me doing some research on the history of white racism, which I already know, and that occurred 40 years before I was even born, why dont you do some research on the racism that exists between all groups in 2009, including blacks against whites.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Well, yeah...I agree. But I think that less people in the future will vote for a candidate just because of his/her race.

What you just said might be the case. With that said, while many people did vote for Obama, the over all view of African-Americans as a whole is still very negative. Until that changes, the issues of race and its consequences will not be truly solved.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by mdiggs1

If white flight never occurred the middle class whites and blacks would live closer to the city center, and the poor blacks and whites would live out in the suburbs.

Just like many metro areas in Europe......

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by johnatl

It's not really the same as Deacons family, but I remember some things from a little earlier.

We lived here for 18 months in '67-'68. My Dad got transferred every 18 months to four years when we were growing up. Atlanta was a stop between Charlotte and Florida for us.

Anyway, we lived here through the very tumultuous year of '68, the year we lost MLK and Bobby Kennedy. One thing I do remember is that this was the only big city in the country that didn't flare up into riots after Martin was assassinated. BUT, '68 seems to also be the year when white flight really kicked in to hyperdrive in cities all over the country.

We lived in what at that time was considered to be the far fringe of the East Metro, at the intersection of 285 & U.S. 78 - LOL!

Anyway, the people that bought our house were a sweet elderly couple "fleeing" Candler Park. The block-busting realtors had them and their neighors absolutely terrified of the "impending wave", as they told my Mom. Funny to think how that particular neighorhood has basically gone full circle since then, but of course it is now very integrated.

I blame many of the realtors of that time for fanning the flames of fear.

Would we be a different city if white flight never happened? Maybe, maybe not. Atlanta already had a very significant black population back then. I honestly think the massive freeway construction and wholesale clearing of neighborhoods under the guise of "urban renewal" did just as much, if not more to change the city - white flight or not.

Just my personal take.

You just touched on the industry or institution that might have contributed to much of the segregation in this country to this day. Then, people don't realize such tactics are used to exploit everyone to make money. So, in turn, it is just doing what the creation of race has done all along. To divide and conquer due to the love of money.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

I recently heard a lecture that touched on "white flight" and some of its causes. One huge factor in the favor of suburbia was that after the war, the US government offered low cost loans for new housing. If you wanted to refurbish an existing home, which was in pretty bad shape after years of war and depression, you were on your own. I'm sure the suburban movement was already inevitable by the time of your story occurred.

The Canadian government offered subsidies for both new homes and home renovations and Canadian cities did not experience the same kind of decline as US cities. I think some cities would have been healthier if the US did the same, but given our love affair with the auto, the suburbs probably would've still boomed. Still, its impossible to say exactly how different our cities would be today.

Great points and I would add that the blocking of Black veterans of WW2 to also get a piece of the suburban pie caused a stereotypical view of what the suburbs were at the time too.