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Influx of Black Renters Raises Tension In Bay Area

This is such b.s.!  Where do they draw the line with this government subsidizing to move these families into the suburbs?  I really wonder, because I would like to move to Santa Barbara myself.  I can't afford it.  Can I get some government subsidies to make that possible?  If not, then I think that is discrimination!!!

Another thing, how come there are so many black people getting these government subsidies?  Why can't the black people in the neighborhoods they're being moved out of clean up their own neighborhoods instead of having to be moved out of them?  This goes back to the same crap we're having to deal with on our borders.  If you keep letting illegal mexican immigrants come across to America then they are not going to want to do what it takes to clean up the corruption in their own country.  It works all the way down to the neighborhood level.

I'm not a racist person, I love to see anyone succeed.  But I can see these people being pretty pissed off when you move a group of people from a culture of failure into their neighborhoods where they have worked hard to keep clean and decent.  Just because you move these people out of their old neighborhoods does not mean they leave their thug culture behind.  It wouldn't matter if they were white people.  If they were mixed up in a thug culture I wouldn't want the government moving them into my neighborhood either.

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Influx of black renters raises tension in Bay Area

Dec 30, 3:24 PM (ET)

By PAUL ELIAS

ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren.

In 2006, as the influx reached its peak, the police department formed a special crime-fighting unit to deal with the complaints, and authorities began cracking down on tenants in federally subsidized housing.

Now that police unit is the focus of lawsuits by black families who allege the city of 100,000 is orchestrating a campaign to drive them out.

"A lot of people are moving out here looking for a better place to live," said Karen Coleman, a mother of three who came here five years ago from a blighted neighborhood in nearby Pittsburg. "We are trying to raise our kids like everyone else. But they don't want us here."

City officials deny the allegations in the lawsuits, which were filed last spring and seek unspecified damages.

Across the country, similar tensions have simmered when federally subsidized renters escaped run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities in suburban Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles.

But the friction in Antioch is "hotter than elsewhere," said U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spokesman Larry Bush.

An increasing number of poor families receiving federal rental assistance have been moving here in recent years, partly because of the housing crisis.

A growing number of landlords were seeking a guaranteed source of revenue in a city hard-hit by foreclosures. They began offering their Antioch homes to low-income tenants in the HUD Section 8 housing program, which pays about two-thirds of every tenant's rent.

Between 2000 and 2007, Antioch's black population nearly doubled from 8,824 to 16,316. And the number of Antioch renters receiving federal subsidies climbed almost 50 percent between 2003 and 2007 to 1,582, the majority of them black.

Longtime homeowners complained that the new arrivals brought crime and other troubles. In 2006, violent crime in Antioch shot up about 19 percent from the year before, while property crime went down slightly.

"In some neighborhoods, it was complete madness," said longtime resident David Gilbert, a black retiree who organized the United Citizens of Better Neighborhoods watch group. "They were under siege."

So the Antioch police in mid-2006 created the Community Action Team, which focused on complaints of trouble at low-income renters' homes.

Police sent 315 complaints about subsidized tenants to the Contra Costa Housing Authority, which manages the federal program in the city, and urged the agency to evict many of them for lease violations such as drug use or gun possession. Lawyers for the tenants said 70 percent of the eviction recommendations were aimed at black renters. The housing authority turned down most of the requests.

Coleman said the police, after a complaint from a neighbor, showed up at her house one morning in 2007 to check on her husband, who was on parole for drunken driving. She said they searched the house and returned twice more that summer to try to find out whether the couple had violated any terms of their lease that could lead to eviction.

The Colemans were also slapped with a restraining order after a neighbor accused them of "continually harassing and threatening their family," according to court papers. The Colemans said a judge later rescinded the order.

Coleman and four other families are suing Antioch, accusing police of engaging in racial discrimination and conducting illegal searches without warrants. They have asked a federal judge to make their suit a class-action on behalf of hundreds of other black renters. Another family has filed a lawsuit accusing the city's leaders of waging a campaign of harassment to drive them out.

Police referred questions to the city attorney's office.

City Attorney Lynn Tracy Nerland denied any discrimination on the part of police and said officers were responding to crime reports in troubled neighborhoods when they discovered that a large number of the troublemakers were receiving federal subsidies.

"They are responding to real problems," Nerland said.

Joseph Villarreal, the housing authority chief, said the problems in Antioch mirror tensions seen nationally when poor renters move into neighborhoods they can afford only with government help.

"One of the goals of the programs is to de-concentrate poverty," Villarreal said. "There are just some people who don't want to spend public money that way."

Tensions like those afflicting Antioch have drawn scholars and law enforcement officials to debate whether crime follows subsidized renters out of the tenements to the suburbs.

Susan Popkin, a researcher at the nonprofit Urban Institute, said she does not believe that is the case. But the tensions, she said, are real.

"That can be a recipe for anxiety," she said. "It can really change the demographics of a neighborhood."

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Comments

  • LackeyZeroLackeyZero Member Posts: 640

    I'm not particularly too fond of how some cops act. And I'm going to have to agree though that the "poor" are made up of more of the bad.

    Not knowing the full extent of the story makes it hard to judge though.

    I think the government should do some background check before doing subsidies...

  • CleffyCleffy Member RarePosts: 6,412

    I agree, subsidies spent like this should not be predominantly spent on 1 demographic.  Its well known that african americans aren't unilaterily poorer then everyone else, its just a double standard.  I am sure there are many white, mexican, asian, and middle-eastern families that could use the money to move out of bad neighborhoods.  Infact I live in one of those bad crime infested neighborhoods, or atleast it used to be 2 decades ago.  20 years later, its a whole lot better here because people moved up and tried.  I also lived in DC when it was the murder capital of the country, and now my old neighborhood is home to predominantly million dollar homes.  Most of my extended family is still below the poverty line.  I am sure there is a huge demographic in New Jersey that would love to get these subsidies.

  • ZorvanZorvan Member CommonPosts: 8,912
    Originally posted by gnomexxx


     
     
    Coleman said the police, after a complaint from a neighbor, showed up at her house one morning in 2007 to check on her husband, who was on parole for drunken driving. She said they searched the house and returned twice more that summer to try to find out whether the couple had violated any terms of their lease that could lead to eviction.
    The Colemans were also slapped with a restraining order after a neighbor accused them of "continually harassing and threatening their family," according to court papers. The Colemans said a judge later rescinded the order.
    Coleman and four other families are suing Antioch, accusing police of engaging in racial discrimination and conducting illegal searches without warrants. They have asked a federal judge to make their suit a class-action on behalf of hundreds of other black renters. Another family has filed a lawsuit accusing the city's leaders of waging a campaign of harassment to drive them out.
     



     

    Her husband is on parole. This means that he, any vehicle he is in, or HIS RESIDENCE is open to search and seizure at any time without warrant.

  • Tuor7Tuor7 Member RarePosts: 982

    "Across the country, similar tensions have simmered when federally subsidized renters escaped run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities in suburban Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles."

    But they don't "escape", they just drag their problems along with them.

    Without an inner change, a change in scenery wont do any good.

  • streeastreea Member UncommonPosts: 654

    It's hard to judge based on the story. Sometimes people overreact. Sometimes people lie about being a victim.

    A few years ago though, when I was looking for an apartment in the Dallas area, I noticed that every apartment complex I came across that allowed people in through Section 8 was rated poorly. Some of the stories previous renters had too were just... awful.

    If people were more honest, I think that this would be a great program. Sadly, some poorer people take advantage of the program and have no interest in making their life "better," and greedy owners of apartment complexes don't seem to care about the state of their property or the happiness of everyone involved... just that they can get more tax breaks off of Section 8.

  • BrianshoBriansho Member UncommonPosts: 3,586

    People are only going to change if they want to. A scenery change will not do anything. Take Prince Georges county in Maryland. Its really bad there but no one wants change. Its just easier to get the hell out of dodge when people decide they have a right and decision to take others lives. Why stay and try to make a difference when people have a survival of the fittest mentality that they are passing on to their children. I guess if you think you grewd up in the ghetto that gives you the right to disrepect every other human being on the planet and do whatever you want and ignore laws. Its all about entitlement.

    Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!

  • gnomexxxgnomexxx Member Posts: 2,920
    Originally posted by Tuor7


    "Across the country, similar tensions have simmered when federally subsidized renters escaped run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities in suburban Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles."
    But they don't "escape", they just drag their problems along with them.
    Without an inner change, a change in scenery wont do any good.

    That's the "culture" that I'm speaking of.

    There is a thug culture in this country that is bringing it down.  It's not just in one race either.  It's in all of the races.  It's a culture of thinking that it's cool to be selfish, dumb, violent, irresponsible, and malcontent.  It's a culture that is almost worshiped by some people.  You can see it all around even in the richer suburbs if you look around.

    I think it's going to keep on for a while too.  Especially if you look at the youth of today.  They are showing no signs of changing this way of thinking.  Most kids these days are sluggish, irresponsible, purposeless, and proud to be stupid.  If there is a kid today that shows any sign of wanting to make something of himself/herself then their competition is going to be practically zero.  They are a very small minority.  Most of today's kids are going to grow up and wonder why they don't get all the stuff they feel they're entitled to just for being born.

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  • gnomexxxgnomexxx Member Posts: 2,920
    Originally posted by streea


    It's hard to judge based on the story. Sometimes people overreact. Sometimes people lie about being a victim.
    A few years ago though, when I was looking for an apartment in the Dallas area, I noticed that every apartment complex I came across that allowed people in through Section 8 was rated poorly. Some of the stories previous renters had too were just... awful.
    If people were more honest, I think that this would be a great program. Sadly, some poorer people take advantage of the program and have no interest in making their life "better," and greedy owners of apartment complexes don't seem to care about the state of their property or the happiness of everyone involved... just that they can get more tax breaks off of Section 8.

    People taking advantage of government programs?????  Shocking!!!!  

     

    These people are going to do nothing for themselves until they HAVE to.  Life is full of hard lessons.  It's a rough gig to make it through.  But you don't punish the people who have worked to succeed by stealing their earnings to give to people who don't try. 

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  • DristolDristol Member Posts: 59

    Don't bother coming to Santa Barbara. It may seem like such a great place to live but the truth is that you've only got two types of people here.

    1) The wealthy retiree.

    2) The slave, err service worker.

    The middle class is getting the boot. Excuse me, the middle class has been getting the boot. By and large, most people in the middle class who work in Santa Barbara are commuting in from down south or north, ie. Ventura or Santa Maria/Lompoc.

    The cost of living is far higher than in other places in the country. The price of gas alone is often rediculous in comparison to what the so called national average is stated as being. It's a joke. I don't know why I bother living here... oh perhaps because I was born here during a time when the streets weren't swarming with people from Los Angeles on holiday, when the mayor wasn't spending the city money on aesthetics. We've spent millions on redoing the same bloody street in this city, tiling it, putting in palm trees, retiling, decorating, all the while the homeless population explodes and the real infrastructure falls apart.

    Anyways, food for thought. I know it's a bit of a rant and slightly OT, but it's my two cents.

  • zoey121zoey121 Member Posts: 926

    Down here the home owners association in various neigborhoods are very much the gate keepers and can give home owners all kinds of crud if standards are not kept. From grass 1 inch to high to fade rate of paint.

     How with subsides can these folks afford upkeep and if there are home owners guidelines to the property?

     I also wonder with crime going up in certain areas as the subsides came in how it affected home vaules in and around the area??

  • gnomexxxgnomexxx Member Posts: 2,920
    Originally posted by zoey121


    Down here the home owners association in various neigborhoods are very much the gate keepers and can give home owners all kinds of crud if standards are not kept. From grass 1 inch to high to fade rate of paint.
     How with subsides can these folks afford upkeep and if there are home owners guidelines to the property?
     I also wonder with crime going up in certain areas as the subsides came in how it affected home vaules in and around the area??

    They don't care about stuff like that.  The governments position is that it's better to bring the top level down closer to the bottom than it is to let the bottom level raise itself up closer to the top.

    Look at our public education system.  It's a great example.  How much money is spent on special education programs as opposed to programs for kids who are in the top level of intelligence? 

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  • ArndurArndur Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 2,202
    Originally posted by gnomexxx

    Originally posted by zoey121


    Down here the home owners association in various neigborhoods are very much the gate keepers and can give home owners all kinds of crud if standards are not kept. From grass 1 inch to high to fade rate of paint.
     How with subsides can these folks afford upkeep and if there are home owners guidelines to the property?
     I also wonder with crime going up in certain areas as the subsides came in how it affected home vaules in and around the area??

    They don't care about stuff like that.  The governments position is that it's better to bring the top level down closer to the bottom than it is to let the bottom level raise itself up closer to the top.

    Look at our public education system.  It's a great example.  How much money is spent on special education programs as opposed to programs for kids who are in the top level of intelligence? 



     

    Ugh I hate how hard they work on the bottom 10% instead of working on the top 10% where the leaders of tomorrow are. i don't understand why there has to be so many dam handouts. These people get handouts and all too often don't feel the need to help the society that just got them their new home.

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