An excellent article today in the New York Times about the detrimental effects of zoning and land use on affordable housing. The article makes the important point that this discrimination can be class as well as racially based. Communities need to address these barriers to allow their housing to be more affordable. Written by Paul Dribin
I am all in on this subject. I view it rather expansively, that in addition to police brutality and criminal justice reform, we need to confront all aspects of organized racism in our society. I have direct experience on the housing side, watching the resistance of suburban communities to affordable housing. Zoning laws, land use, building codes all make it overly difficult for people of color to be housed in the suburbs.
In my mind the violence plaguing some of the black community needs to be confronted. In St. Louis a black person is much more likely to be murdered in a street crime than by the police. I wish we had memorials to the innocent victims of these crimes. Black Lives Matter in the broadest sense of the term.
“Your money is no good here.” It may sound like a line spoken by the barkeeper in an old-timey Western movie.
— Read on www.stlamerican.com/content/tncms/live/
A great article by leadership of Empower Missouri about housing discrimination based upon source of income. If people can pay rent, have decent credit, and are good tenants, that is all that should matter. Written by Paul Dribin
Paraquad and the Equal Housing Opportunity Center have filed complaints against various apartment complexes in the area over potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. The violations relate to lack of handicap accessibility at certain market rate projects in the area. Without knowing the exact circumstances it is difficult for me to comment. Written by Paul Dribin
The St Louis Contrarian 