Race, Social Movements, Urban Redevelopment and Its Discontents

1
Race, Social Movements, Urban Redevelopment and
Its Discontents

• The Case of Cincinnati

2
Roots of Racial Strife in Cincy

• Economic Decline
• Cyclical relationship between econ. Decline and
  white/middle class flight
• Gentrification
• Meant to be a solution to downtown decline, but
  is actually making the problem worse
• Geography
• Segregation, again
• All leads to problems with race, which translates
  into racist residents and the racist police

3
Powerless Poor Black Residents

• Segregation (yes, again)
• BAD city services
• Does not encourage middle class residents
• Financial choices
• Gentrification instead of investment in city
  services

4
BAD Choices

• Paul Brown Stadium
• Lawsuit alleging that the Bengals violated their
  lease by being sucky
• Bengals will not allow certain waterfront projects

5
Closed City?

• Long-time residents resistant to change
• Tradition maintained well
• Article argues that this leads to problems with
  trying to solve racial problems
• True?

6
How Can it Change?

• Social Movements
• Defined organized groups of people working to
  effect change in a society or community
• Can change the status quo when the power elite
  doesnt care
• No effective movement activity in Cincinnatipart
  of the problem

7
Fundamental Problem with Social Movements

• Those that need to organize most do not have the
  time or the resources to do so
• A movement should engage those not effected
  directly by the problem
• In this case, racial unrest is a black problem
• The March for Justice in Cincinnati

8
The Future

• Whistle-Blowing
• Student Groups
• Combined Coalition for Justice and Racial
  Equality in Cincinnati
• Little change so far, but progress is being made