by the Rev. Natalie Conway
A former parishioner called me recently incensed by an article in the Baltimore Sun. The article was about the Poppleton community in West Baltimore and how homeowners were being forced out of their neighborhood. He wondered why there wasn’t an outcry to this city eviction. I don’t subscribe to the Baltimore Sun but I told him I would check it out.
The article was on the front page of the Friday, July 23rd edition. The first thing that struck me was a quote: “You’re not doing that in Federal Hill.” You might as well have said: “You’re not dong that in Bolton Hill” or any other predominately White communities in West Baltimore. The second thing that struck me was the City of Baltimore was using eminent domain—how the government takes private property for public use and it’s legal. The third thing that struck me was eminent domain—such as bad as redlining.
“In an aging city with several ongoing redevelopment projects, such property seizure is commonplace. But some argue its use is uneven, typically resulting in the displacement of low-income and working-class people in communities of color.”
“The Poppleton community houses Black churches, landmarks, and schools, and the Edgar Allen Poe house, and the first public housing complex, Poe Homes, which will be overhauled with federal dollars.”
Poppleton community is probably not the first displacement of individuals of color and it won’t be the last. Poppleton like other predominately Black communities has been neglected for decades. Take a ride down Druid Hill Avenue and up McCulloch Street and look at the boarded up houses. Where is the cry for injustice when one is forced out of their home using eminent domain and where is one to go? Redevelopment in these areas could allow people to stay in neighborhoods where they grew up, started families, and maintained a sense of pride in their neighborhoods. A great example of this is the Fulton Avenue redevelopment.
Charm City is not Charm City when the redevelopment line is on one side of Eutaw Place but not the other. What can we do—Memorial? We have a new Justice Missioner, an advisory board, and money to invest. Take a few moments and read the article in the Baltimore Sun. Maybe it will stir up something within you to write to your council member about the injustices in the redevelopment of Baltimore neighborhoods.
Peace and Blessings,
Deacon Natalie