Thread coming. 1/18 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/barricades-let-urban-inequality-fester/613312/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

There have been quite a few conservatives lately saying they simply don't believe in "systemic racism" in America. What they mean is there's very little overt, specifically race-directed discrimination today. But this article demonstrates how... 2/18

...subtle, covert and non-race-directed policies can have the same impact. @patrick_sharkey rightly brings up how seemingly benign policies were used against black people, and gave cover to the white people/institutions that implemented them. 3/18

Three years ago I wrote about 12 specific policies put in place in virtually all cities nationwide, designed to separate blacks from whites. Check them out. 4/18

https://cornersideyard.blogspot.com/2017/01/why-dr-kings-work-isnt-done.html

1. Aggressive policing (1900-present). No containment strategy can succeed without a method of enforcement and police have historically performed that function. Their role? Keep undesirable people and activities "over there". What got George Floyd killed. 5/18

2. Restrictive covenants (1900-1950). Before there was redlining there were restrictive covenants. Blacks were prevented from buying homes in neighborhoods by virtue of covenants in deeds explicitly saying so. Not outlawed until 1948 but set the landscape. 6/18

3. Racial violence (1915-1965). Working in tandem with aggressive police were white mobs that targeted blacks for crossing boundaries. Read about the Red Summer of 1919. The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is getting renewed interest. But this extended WELL afterwards. 7/18

4. Exclusionary zoning (1920-present). Zoning policies that favor single family homes on large lots ensures homes are built at higher price points. Cities are able to choose their neighbors. And no federal enforcement of fair housing policies means no fear. 8/18

5. Redlining (1935-1970). Redlining has had a moment over the last few years. It's become understood as the quintessential benign policy ("we're just managing our lending risk") that has huge disparate impacts. 9/18

6. Public housing (1935-1970). Public housing wasn't bad in and of itself; its failure came from how it was implemented. Too often it was used as a part of the wall separating black and white neighborhoods. Local decisions supported by state and federal inaction. 10/18

7. Urban renewal (1950-1990). Federal money poured into cities to promote "slum clearance". Many black neighborhoods were destroyed for large public and private projects with no connection to the previous residents. 11/18

8. Blockbusting (1950-present). "Helpful" real estate brokers knocks on a door to let people know a Negro family just bought a house a couple blocks over. "You know what that does to values. If you're interested in selling let me know." Multiply that by a million. 12/18

9. Interstate highway development (1955-1995). Used in conjunction with public housing and urban renewal, this became the third piece of the wall that created the ghetto. Just like the other two, highways solidified the boundaries and destroyed neighborhoods in the process. 13/18

10. Inadequate local public funding (1965-present). The 9 practices above are successful in creating separation but also in starving a city. So what happens? White flight, business flight, and decisions made to "prioritize public investments" in select areas. Guess which. 14/18

11. Retail redlining (1980-present). A more recent practice as blacks have suburbanized. Retail in the suburbs deteriorates quickly as blacks move in. Black suburban communities are left with retail that doesn't match their economic status. The downward cycle sets in. 15/18

12. Predatory lending (1995-present). Banks pumped money into the hands of prospective black homeowners with little regard and limited risk (because of financial tool design). IMO the 21st century version of blockbusting. 16/18

I listed these chronologically because a pattern becomes clear. Over the last 120 years the practices have become less race-specific. Intentionally. In 1900 covenants were in deeds that explicitly said "no Negros". But an argument could be made that... 17/18

...since redlining was put in place that no explicit tool has been used to systemically oppress black people. But you don't have to have a Jim Crow "whites only" sign to let people know they're not welcome. 18/18 END