Gentrification in Philly (Philadelphia, Penn: rent, neighborhood, colleges)

[rotodome]

Yes, I do think it's a bit out of line and presumptuous bordering on condescending to dictate to people exactly what their "best interests" are.
Not so ironically, I think that if one gets past the knee-jerk "hey, how come there's no white history month??" type reaction to things like the term "lilywhite" quoted in the article, it's pretty clear that this type of behavior is exactly what the people featured in the article are complaining about, more than anyone's ethnicities.

[Let's go flyers]

Originally Posted by Snwmn5

For her part, Alda Ballard, isn't waiting on City Hall or Congress to ensure there will be black families in the neighborhood going forward. She refuses to say exactly how many, but Ballard has bought and sold a number of properties over the years. When she does sell, the buyers typically have long-standing ties to the area.

"I don't want to live in a lilywhite neighborhood, so I do what I can to try and not let that happen," Ballard said.

___

...lol

I understand that people are resistant to change, but it seems like the natural cycle of things. The same neighborhoods that people complain about gentrification pricing them out of were completely different places in the decades before they lived there too, but neighborhoods change. With such a strong renewed interest in urban living, access to amenities/public transportation, and the dramatic revitalization of Center City and the core neighborhoods it's pretty obvious that these people are fighting a losing battle just like the people who think they're going to stop the decline in Lawncrest or Oxford Circle, etc.

If wish I was besieged by strangers offering to buy my house. To me it's funny because if there's one thing Philadelphia isn't lacking, it's low and middle income neighborhoods and affordable housing, often minutes from these neighborhoods in question.

I think we actually have put a pretty good stop to the decline in Lawncrest and Oxford Circle. It has not gotten much worse since the initial decline. There's just not enough minorities who can afford to buy a house for them to take over the whole neighborhood. I don't think there will be too many of them who can afford to buy anything past Levick St. And there are still so many white people that live in the neighborhood I just don't see them leaving now after they've already been through it. The reality is the neighborhoods been stagnant for a while now. Look at recent killings that have happened and it's either drug related or black on black crime. White people in the lower Northeast aren't going anywhere. It's affordable and they've been here for a long time.

[phillies2011]

Originally Posted by Let's go flyers

I think we actually have put a pretty good stop to the decline in Lawncrest and Oxford Circle. It has not gotten much worse since the initial decline. There's just not enough minorities who can afford to buy a house for them to take over the whole neighborhood. I don't think there will be too many of them who can afford to buy anything past Levick St. And there are still so many white people that live in the neighborhood I just don't see them leaving now after they've already been through it. The reality is the neighborhoods been stagnant for a while now. Look at recent killings that have happened and it's either drug related or black on black crime. White people in the lower Northeast aren't going anywhere. It's affordable and they've been here for a long time.

Congrats on stopping the flow of minorities into your neighborhood.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

Congrats on stopping the flow of minorities into your neighborhood.

Don't fall for the bait.

[Blackjack2000]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Don't fall for the bait.

Yeah, obvious troll is obvious.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Letters: 'Temple Town' is the new Jim Crow

I can't believe they printed this nonsense. Temple = South African style apartheid...wow.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

Letters: 'Temple Town' is the new Jim Crow

I can't believe they printed this nonsense. Temple = South African style apartheid...wow.

I agree that article is garbage.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

I agree that article is garbage.

Where was the outrage when the avenue (and corresponding neighborhood) was changed in 1987?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

Letters: 'Temple Town' is the new Jim Crow

I can't believe they printed this nonsense. Temple = South African style apartheid...wow.

Agreed. Wow. That was truly an incendiary "article".

[Better Than You]

"Older residents like Ballard are used to being greeted by their neighbors, but newcomers walk past without so much as a nod. 'It's like we don't exist for them.'"
This old racist woman is ridiculous. Maybe the newcomers can sense the hate emanating from her. Not to mention, some people just aren't friendly. What's she want, people to bow down to her? Good luck with that ... She should be thankful the newcomers are improving her rathole of a neighborhood and making it safe for habitation for the first time in thirty-five years. She could have newcomers moving in looking to rob her, assault her, murder her, rape her daughters, beat her sons, drag down her property value and generally make life miserable for her ... that's the kind of change many good working people have had to deal with, past and present.

Whack, the pharmacist, said "They grin and say hi, because they have been promised that we will be gone soon."
Another sad excuse for a human being. I would think the white people moving in are pretty open-minded, accepting and tolerant of differing races.