It is extremely difficult for me to wrap my mind around the idea of a neighborhood as close-knit as Northeast, Roanoke was before urban renewal, and it is absolutely devastating that so many people were subjected to the displacement that lead to such drastic life changes. Now, living in Brooklyn, I cannot imagine a city neighborhood where it is perfectly safe to leave your doors unlocked, children unattended and secrets known. As a non-native to New York City, I suppose my perspective could be skewed, but even in my small hometown in Pennsylvania, I knew of no neighborhood in which everyone knew and helped one another like they did in Roanoke. It is heinous–but not at all surprising–that the government would blatantly disregard the needs and livelihoods of an entire community of people in favor of profit. Is this something you see happening in New York City today? Where and in what ways?
(One mildly relevant side-note: As I was reading, I could not help but think of Urban Outfitters’ “Urban Renewal” line, in which old clothing is cut up and redesigned, then sold at a high mark up. Given the implications of urban renewal as discussed in the reading and the many accusations of racism Urban Outfitters–a massive, high-profile company with a white Republican billionaire for a CEO–has faced, I found this more than a little amusing.)
