James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Kelo, New Orleans, and Gentrification

There are unconfirmed reports that many people near the levee break heard an explosion right before the flood. There is speculation that the break was a form of "damage control;" it was going to break anyway, so make sure the richest parts of town didn't get the brunt of it.

Last June's Supreme Court decision Kelo v. New London officially validated the on-going practice of governments taking from private property owners and giving it to richer people in the name of commercial development and greater tax revenue.

Expect in New Orleans this to take place. Evacuated homeowners who want to come back and rebuild on their own land will be prevented from doing so. The city (or the state, or even the feds) will take the land from them and give it to developers. The poor and modest homeowners, even after receiving decent-sized insurance checks and government checks, will be priced out of the city. A category-5-proof levee will be built making the city an attractive destination, but land values and rents will be too high for most people. Yet the French Quarter will return in all its glory, and the Saints will be given the most plush stadium in America. Americans will be proud of how the city "came back." And now it won't have all those poor and fearsome black people!

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2 comments:

  1. James,

    I'd like to think that even George Bush isn't THAT cold, but you make a compelling arguement. Its a bit paranoid, but compelling.

    Rather than a planned event, I suspect the corporate vultures who love this kind of thing aw circling NO, thinking this very thing.

    Disturbing...

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  2. Anonymous1:48 AM CDT

    With all the storm troopers and fascist action in NOLA, and the resultant fear and desire to flee, perhaps use of the Kelo decision won't be necessary.

    Good work on your blog. It is in my regular reading list.

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