Bye Bye Cameron Village (Raleigh, Durham: condo, homes, shopping centers)

[NYC2RDU]

Originally Posted by lancers

No it doesn't at all. So do they stop at Cameron or do we go down the line until everyone with any gripe real or imagined is satisfied?

I don't know, this isn't my hill to defend. But I'm okay with honoring our commitment to have a country where all men (and women) feel like they were create equally.

Does change both you in general, or is it that you assign a morale score to every situation and believe that if it doesn't meet a certain minimum it's not worth pursuing?

[lancers]

Where does it end?

[ITB_OG]

Originally Posted by ITB_OG

The more I think and read about this, the more I realize how much name changing could be ahead if people now feel the Cameron name needs to be expunged because it’s trained.

Not that anyone cares, but that was supposed to be “tainted” not “trained,” and it’s too late to edit, but I couldn’t just leave it there. Stupid autocorrect.

[wizard-xyzzy]

Originally Posted by wizard-xyzzy

Over the decades, the City either ignored Oberlin or made decisions that accelerated its deterioration.

Originally Posted by ITB_OG

What do you think the city should have done differently?

The City annexed the Oberlin community but provided very few City services (water, sewer, etc). Of course, Oberlin was not the only African-American neighborhood to be treated that way. In general the City conspired with banks and developers to redline those neighborhoods and keep them second-class areas.

When the City authorized construction of Cameron Village (oops, the Village District) the streets around Oberlin were redesigned. In the process the Oberlin community was split and some of the homes were taken by eminent domain. You can bet that no white folks' homes were taken in that project. Same story when Wade Ave as we know it today was built in the mid-1960s. (Residents of Hayti in Durham had the same thing happen to them when the Durham Freeway was built.)

Then the City began to rezone parts of the community as O&I, with little or no input from the residential land owners. In some respects, Oberlin was one of the first Raleigh neighborhoods to be gentrified -- although nobody thought of it that way back then, and certainly nobody in power was concerned about the impact on the African-American property owners. It's my understanding that only four houses and two churches have been designed Raleigh Historic Landmarks. Heck, if this was Mordecai (from which black folks were essentially ejected) there would be a zoning overlay and the whole area would have been declared historic. Nor has the City has shown interest in resolving the issues around the 3-acre Oberlin cemetery.

[UserNamesake]

Originally Posted by DodsonRamseur

Careful or what?

Just be careful.

Originally Posted by NC Observer

The man owned slaves. Not sure that the number of slaves that he owned makes any difference...

Thank you... Bo posts his fair share of odd and polarizing statements considering he is a Realtor who is pretty recognizable. Kinda reckless if you ask me.

Originally Posted by ucctgg

... do we rename Raleigh "The City"?

Let's do it!

Originally Posted by lancers

Where does it end?

It ends when it ends. Just relax and watch.

[ITB_OG]

Originally Posted by wizard-xyzzy

In some respects, Oberlin was one of the first Raleigh neighborhoods to be gentrified -- although nobody thought of it that way back then, and certainly nobody in power was concerned about the impact on the African-American property owners. It's my understanding that only four houses and two churches have been designed Raleigh Historic Landmarks. Heck, if this was Mordecai (from which black folks were essentially ejected) there would be a zoning overlay and the whole area would have been declared historic.

While I’m all for preservation and am all too aware of the potential negative impacts of gentrification, I question whether the city should have designated the area a historic district, certainly not without the residents advocating for and supporting the idea. If they did and weren’t listened to, then that’s certainly a problem, but I wouldn’t assume everyone would have wanted that as it usually limits what property owners can do with their property. There have been other historically black neighborhoods in the area that have rejected the idea, and residents should really be the ones making that decision.

[ucctgg]

Originally Posted by raleighsocial

I mean you're free to pursue that if you want if you feel so strongly about it. Cameron Village is privately-owned property and the decision was privately made by the owner.

You missed the sarcasm font.

I should have labeled my thread to what Lancer commented: "Where does it end"?

[roscomac]

So if Regency decided they wanted to change the name of one of their shopping centers because they found the current name to be unacceptable and/or a liability, who should have stopped them?

[ITB_OG]

Originally Posted by roscomac

So if Regency decided they wanted to change the name of one of their shopping centers because they found the current name to be unacceptable and/or a liability, who should have stopped them?

I don’t think anyone so far has said they should have been stopped from doing so.

[roscomac]

No, just 7 pages of griping about a business decision made to reflect the changing times.