{"id":2218,"date":"2015-04-24T11:12:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T11:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/gentrification-in-congress-heights-dc\/"},"modified":"2023-09-04T22:00:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T04:00:10","slug":"gentrification-in-congress-heights-dc-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/gentrification-in-congress-heights-dc-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Just One Mile: Gentrification in Congress Heights, DC"},"content":{"rendered":"

(I know this isn’t the usual topic of my blog, but this is a “class reflection” for my property class at Howard Law School. This is primarily for my classmates and my professor. I just posted it here because it was easier.)<\/p>\n

Right after the presentation on gentrification in Brooklyn, NY, my kids and I took a ride down the 1 mile stretch of construction taking place on Mississippi Avenue, SE in Ward 8\u2019s Congress Heights \u2013 long known as the poorest section of the poorest ward in DC. It seems as though someone is in a rush to make Ward 8 look different. We moved here in 2004 into new construction. Whenever we would tell people where we lived, some would look at us like maybe we got the name wrong, others would look afraid for us, some looked at us like, \u201cwhy,\u201d and others would just look as if they pitied us. We still heard the near nightly sounds of gunshots, but we moved there because you couldn\u2019t beat the space or proximity to the metro for the price. Not much happened as far as construction in the next few years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not the only one (of course) concerned about the gentrification of Congress Heights: http:\/\/www.washingtoncitypaper.com\/blogs\/housingcomplex\/2015\/02\/02\/the-gentrification-comes-to-congress-heights\/<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Perks<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The view from my front door. Yep – THAT is Congress Heights. What was known as the poorest section of the poorest Ward in DC.<\/em><\/p>\n

The area had its little perks, like the tennis center. It had free educational programs that my son participated in, like Freedom School, but by the time I had my second son, the program was gone. There were still tennis lessons though. Every now and then the marching band from the local high school would march through the neighborhood and entertain us. On the fourth of July, there would always be fireworks. I grew up a quiet town in South Carolina, so all the noise wasn\u2019t exactly my idea of a great time, but I dealt with it. A family friend, also from SE said that is was part of what made the area special. On our side of DC, no one complained. Then there was the go-go band that practiced in a basement of one of the homes behind us. I didn\u2019t complain until I had two infants that couldn\u2019t sleep through the noise. The police came by to tell us that it was so loud that the band couldn\u2019t hear them knocking, and short of breaking down the door, there was nothing they could do. They were playing again last night \u2013 it is what it is. We had just enough of a yard for a cookout and to have a big dog, my son had his own room, there was a basement and a guest room, but still – even those in the most cramped apartments looked at us like we were the poor unfortunate souls. I can’t help but think that if we were white, we’d be seen as pioneers, investors even. But as black folks, we were just seen as misguided.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Drawbacks?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For several years, our one way in, one way out neighborhood of two story, single family homes became a popular place to leave stolen cars. Once or twice in the last 10 years, a car was stolen. The most sensational theft was of an air conditioning unit around Christmas in 2014. Every year a new alarm monitoring company would make the rounds in the neighborhood, dropping off several clueless white salesmen who would try to scare us into upgrading our alarm system.<\/p>\n

For the most part, our time here has been uneventful. Kids would race their bikes up and down the street; parents would invite neighborhood kids to play basketball in their driveways using their portable basketball goals. The games would eventually spill into the street and last until dark. Kids regularly rang our doorbell asking if one of the kids could come outside to play.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Who Lives Here<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Just about everyone in the neighborhood of about 60 homes on 3 streets and a cul-de-sac were black when we moved in with the exception of our neighbor who lived in the basement and leased the top two levels of his home to a black family. He was rarely there. Even after all the homes were constructed, the racial makeup stayed the same except for three Hispanic families that moved into the three homes on the cul-de-sac.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what everyone does for a living, but I do know that by 10 am, the streets are pretty much empty. I assume everyone has gone to work. If vehicles are any indicator, like my next door neighbors two 2014 Range Rovers, they are all doing fairly well \u2013 but we know that vehicles aren\u2019t always the best indicator. However, as far as Congress Heights goes, this little patch of heaven was exactly that \u2013 a patch.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Real Ward 8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As soon as we would leave our neighborhood, the reality of Ward 8 was apparent. Like many of the other children in the neighborhood, our kids went to private schools in Maryland. We didn\u2019t even consider one of the several elementary schools within walking distance of our house. At that time many of them were performing poorly. Almost 50% of the children were \u201cbelow basic\u201d for their grade level in math and reading. Ward 8\u2019s unemployment rate was 14% for March 2015 (dc.gov), down from 25% in 2011 (dc.gov) \u2013 at that time, highest in US (Bloomberg). Ward 8 has the smallest labor force of any ward. As of the 2010 census, Ward 8 was 93% black, and as of 2012 1 in 3 Ward 8 residents lived below the poverty line.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And So It Begins<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first new projects to be completed on Mississippi was the ARC. It opened the year after we moved in, and it had programs at reduced rates for Ward 8 residents. The neighborhood children finally had access to top notch programs and facilities from The Washington Ballet and Levine School of Music. As soon as my daughter was old enough, I signed her up for violin, and eventually ballet.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We had been driving to Bowie, MD, then to Columbia Heights for ballet (gentrification had already reached Columbia Heights by then). Her violin teacher splits her time between teaching at the main NW campus just behind Howard\u2019s Law School and the SE campus. Her classes used to be all black. The classes, even for children not from Ward 8, are offered at a reduced rate, but with the same quality as the classes offered in northwest, just around the corner from the law school. Eventually, the classes began to look different.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just this past week, I took my daughter to class, and the class of tiny toddlers that ran by us was all white, save 2. Her violin recital showed much of the same changes.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

No one has moved in just yet, but the resources that were supposed to be reserved for the poorest of the poor children in Ward 8, are becoming increasingly unavailable, and filled with children coming from other areas where the services were already available \u2013 just more expensive.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Projects<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently there have been some huge projects underway on the one mile stretch of Mississippi Ave between Alabama Avenue and 4th<\/sup> Street. The tennis center had several indoor and outdoor courts that were by no means overwhelmed with users. Somehow it has ended up undergoing an $18 million renovation. http:\/\/dgs.dc.gov\/page\/dgs-southeast-tennis-and-learning-center-project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just up the street from the tennis center, the pool is also being renovated. http:\/\/dgs.dc.gov\/page\/dgs-oxon-run-play-dc-playground-project<\/a>. The pool sits between an elementary and a middle school\u2026 both schools have been renovated in the last 12 months. Across from the middle school is the most dramatic change to Congress Heights, Ballou High School, known more for violence and underachievement than academics.. http:\/\/dgs.dc.gov\/page\/dgs-ballou-high-school-modernization-project<\/a> . The expected cost of the project when it was approved in 2012 was $120 million.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pic of old school from DCPS website. I never saw grass this green or trash free.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All gone. Funny, but not, the sign says, “Remembering Marion Barry.” That is another story in itself.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Another view of the old school. I used to hate coming here to vote. It was really nasty.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What’s left.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is there now.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

More to come…<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What they are building across from Ballou… from the high $300’s.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Do They Think?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

While we were driving around and taking photographs of the \u201cprogress\u201d I saw two students in band uniforms in front of a house across from the school (Ballou High School). The house wasn\u2019t in the best shape – nothing like the newly constructed homes just down the hill – indicative of most of the homes right around Ballou. I stopped and introduced myself and asked them what they thought of the new school. They replied that they loved it and it was much better than before. I asked what they thought about the classes and the education. They said that it had improved as well. I asked what the teachers were like \u2013 had they changed. They said that there are now all kinds of \u201cdifferent\u201d teachers \u2013 not just black.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Walking in front of Ballou – Even I don’t walk in front of Ballou…<\/em><\/p>\n

Passing the tennis center, which is partially open, I saw two older black gentlemen loading their rackets and ball hoppers into their trunk and stopped to ask them what they thought of all of the changes. One said \u201cI like the changed, the place is great, but you know they are coming now \u2013 they will be here any minute.\u201d I asked him if he had seen any changes in the people who come to the tennis center. He said no. When I asked him what part of the city he comes from to play tennis, he replied, \u201cOh! I\u2019m from Maryland,\u201d and laughed. http:\/\/www.rwlcsetennis.org\/#!renovation-impact\/cee5<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If You Build It\u2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just across Wheeler Road, still on Mississippi is the baseball field. It always reminded me of that movie, Field of Dreams \u2013 you know, \u201cif you build it, they will come.\u201d I had no idea that children in Congress Heights had an interest in baseball. The field sat seemingly unused after the ribbon cutting in 2011, but recently I\u2019ve seen a few teams playing on it. I always asked myself, \u201cwho is this for, exactly,\u201d each time I passed the field on my way home. I guess the argument could be made that not many black children were going to be playing tennis either, but eventually, they did. Venus and Serena Williams have been supporters of the tennis center since it opened in 2001, and were present for the ribbon cutting ceremony on the $18 million expansion in 2014.<\/p>\n

Those beautiful high rise apartments you see in the distance? The ones that have been looming in the background of many of these photos (it is just one mile in Congress Heights that I am covering – a 20 minute walk, 10 minute run if you are in shape.) Those are the apartments formerly known as Parkside Terrace that were “plagued by drugs, criminals and violent attacks.” The residents were given vouchers to find other housing, and only around 60 of the former tenants were able to move back in once the renovations were complete. Now, it is senior and low income housing, but not public housing. You have to complete an instant credit check, and many local applicants who were excited about the prospect of moving into the new high tech, high security, amenity-rich apartments have been denied.<\/p>\n

“‘This is a miracle,’ said the Rev. Everett Hackney, 76, one of Parkside Terrace’s first residents when it opened in 1968. ‘We had people getting shot, robbings in the halls. A lot of us were hoping and praying for this a long time. Now God has made that hope a reality. For me, this building — this is God.'” http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2009\/10\/04\/AR2009100403064.html<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Is This a Sign?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the one mile stretch that the kids and I photographed, there are six schools. All underperforming, all black, all under renovation, and all right next to new homes priced at $300K and over.<\/p>\n

Malcolm X Elementary<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

100% Black<\/strong><\/p>\n

244 Students<\/strong><\/p>\n

34% of the students are BELOW basic level in reading and math. 47% are at the basic level in reading. 40% are at the basic level in math. 19% are proficient in reading. None are advanced. So out of 6 children, 2 are read at below the basic level, 3 read at basic, and one is proficient. 14% of the students are in special education. (Stats from DCPS website)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This sign made me laugh. In case you cannot read the sign…<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That’s the new Giant shopping center in the background. In case you still can’t read the sign, the homes start at the low 400’s. http:\/\/www.ryanhomes.com\/find-your-home\/our-communities\/washington-dc\/washington-dc\/ashefordcourt<\/a> To afford that, with stellar credit, one would have to make upwards of $86,000 per year. (Bankrate.com) When one in three Ward 8 residents lives below the poverty line, we have to ask – who are these homes for?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Looking at this chart, it isn’t likely that someone from Ward 8 will be able to afford a home here. For the most part, the incomes in other wards have been increasing at a much faster rate than they have in Ward 8. Ward 8’s income actually dropped. If education is a priority for families when searching for a home (it is) and we can assume that these homes are for families since the models boast from 3 to 5 bedrooms and upwards of 3,000 square feet, why would anyone spend this much money to live here? Why would anyone move? Even with homes like these? Will this be another Prince Georges county full of well educated black people with high incomes and big houses living near terrible schools? Will there be a mass exodus from these other wards or other states into Ward 8 allowing for gentrification like we’ve seen in other communities around DC that were once poor and black or Hispanic?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Would you sacrifice a good school system to move here to have a DC address, DC taxes, and walk to the metro?<\/p>\n

Remember, Ward 8 has the highest unemployment rate in the city, the worst schools in the city, and the lowest income in the city. But state of the art schools and facilities are being renovated\/newly constructed. There are no coffee shops yet, mainly because the area, which was mainly farmland, turned residential, has very little commercial property. There is one grocery store, Giant, which was built within the last 5 years or so \u2013 here are some statistics about the commercial spaces in Ward 8, and a surprising (or not) declaration by a new Congress Heights resident who may want to \u201copen a caf\u00e9.\u201d http:\/\/www.elevationdcmedia.com\/features\/congressheights_100714.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

In class, I wondered, and asked the question, \u201cWhat are the things to look out for in the steps in the gentrification process that serve as signals to the rest of us that we could get pushed out?\u201d<\/p>\n

At another school within walking distance of my house that has been newly renovated is Eagle Academy. It is now a charter school.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

98% Black<\/strong><\/p>\n

1% Hispanic<\/strong><\/p>\n

80% economically disadvantaged<\/strong><\/p>\n

(from DCPCSB website)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This is a sign that is in the parking lot. There’s barely any other parking, and in order for you to drop off your kids close to the school, you must have an fuel efficient vehicle. That’s right. I would see all of these people trekking up the hill to the back of the school pick up their kids, and I’m thinking there was no other way to get them – that the back door is the only way. Apparently, the pick up lane in front of the school is for fuel efficient cars only. So you have to have a new car to pick up your kids from school… in Congress Heights… across from the nastiest liquor store you’ll ever see. People here barely have jobs. Right<\/em>.<\/p>\n

By \u201cus\u201d I don\u2019t necessarily mean myself and my family. I mean us as in people of color who are part of the current makeup of Congress Heights – those who moved here because they had to move here when there was nowhere else to go. I can\u2019t include myself, because unlike many of the families who lived here for decades through crime and drug wars, I chose to live here when I could have lived elsewhere. Maybe I am a gentrifier who just happens to be black? Maybe organic produce?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some say the signal is the coffee shop. If that is the case, gentrification hasn\u2019t arrived yet unless you count the IHOP, which I believe is the only restaurant where you can sit and have a meal in Congress Heights. Some say it is white women pushing strollers and walking dogs, or white guys on bikes. But are all gentrifiers white or any race with money? If they are any race then maybe the warning shots already happened and it was missed. I have seen people walking dogs (and picking up after them) around here for a while now.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Who Is All of This For?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I feel good about the new schools and facilities coming to the area, not for us necessarily because we always had access because we had two cars and would go into Virginia or NW for activities with the kids, but because the people in the neighborhood before us will finally have access to the quality of services that people in other parts of the city already had. Congress Heights has amazing green spaces. Now that the city is cleaning them up, the kids can play and enjoy them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

My fear is, like the inexpensive Washington Ballet and Levine Music programs at the ARC, the area will be \u201cdiscovered,\u201d prices will rise, and those who have waited for change will find that the changes were made for someone else, not them. The cost of housing has already gone up, and even with the rent controls in place, with the level of unemployment and low income in the area, the daily evictions, evidenced by piles of furniture and personal belongings on the sidewalk that we drive by each morning on our way to the highway, are bound to become more frequent.<\/p>\n

I would tell myself that we were doing something good for the community by staying, by not running from the gunshots, and helicopters, and stolen cars. I would tell myself that the kids in this neighborhood needed to see a mom and a dad living together who took care of their kids and went to work every day. Even in our little patch of heaven we were a curiosity to the kids in the neighborhood. Some of the houses had two parent families, but others had single, hard working mothers and grandmothers. Often kids would come over to play with my kids outside and whisper to my kids, \u201cis that your dad?\u201d To my kids it was obvious that the guy that washed the cars, brought groceries in, and inflated basketballs was the dad, but to other kids it wasn\u2019t. Maybe I was doing something good for the community just by being here \u2013 or maybe I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Did We Start This?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In an ideal world, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In that case, Ward 8, and specifically Congress Heights, looking at these statistics, has been squeaking for years now. What seems more accurate is that the wheel that looks the most promising gets the grease\u2026 and air\u2026 and the shiny new rims. I hadn\u2019t considered that by simply being here, with a higher income and an intact family unit, that we, and others like us, were making Congress Heights attractive \u2013 changing the numbers – drawing attention to the potential for exploitation. Maybe our presence wasn\u2019t as helpful as I thought.<\/p>\n

I remember being at my God sister\u2019s home near Baltimore for her housewarming. She had just purchased a beautiful new home. When we were growing up, her parents lived in a stunning home in Potomac \u2013 they were one of the few black families, that weren\u2019t celebrities, living out there at the time. All of the guests were middle to upper middle class black people. Her co-worker pulled up and I thought she looked familiar, but I didn\u2019t have a conversation with her. We left around the same time. We also pulled up to our homes at the same time \u2013 her in her new Acura, us in our Suburban. Apparently, she had just purchased the house next door to us, and had moved in with her young son. She had gotten it for a steal when white guy who was renting it out to the black family was foreclosed on. He was waiting for housing prices to go up, and had taken out a second mortgage in anticipation of that rise \u2013 and lost the game.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Does Gentrification in Congress Heights Look Like?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

About two years ago a small group of mostly white young professionals moved into a house at the bottom of the hill in our neighborhood. They were an eclectic group \u2013 looked like investors who had gotten together to buy the house. It was a beautiful home. They dealt with the usual \u2013 stolen mail, boosted garbage cans \u2013 nothing out of the ordinary for our neighborhood, or any neighborhood really. Then, within 18 months, we see a Sotheby\u2019s \u201cFor Sale\u201d sign go up. They bought it from the previous owners, who were under water having purchased it for $400K, for $263K. They sold it this December for $375K. Probably not what they were expecting to get for a house within walking distance of the metro, and all these new amenities, that looks like this http:\/\/tour.homevisit.com\/tour\/information\/quick-preview.asp?id=83418<\/a>, in DC, but still a nice sum depending on how many ways it had to be split. I haven\u2019t seen the new owners yet.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

More Questions, Less Answers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

So I am still left with the same questions. What does gentrification really look like? Is it when the white people move in? It doesn\u2019t seem like that is the only sign. Is it when the coffee shops come? Is it when the recreation centers get upgraded? What about when the schools get rebuilt? Is it still a white woman pushing a stroller or jogging? If this is not gentrification then who is all of this for? Maybe I am pessimistic, but I have a hard time believing that this is for \u201cus.\u201d What does a gentrifier look like? Maybe it looks like me. Maybe I have no right to get upset at the changes and what seems like the inevitable exploitation, because I was one of the warning shots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(I know this isn’t the usual topic of my blog, but this is a “class reflection” for my property class at Howard Law School. This is primarily for my classmates and my professor. I just posted it here because it…<\/p>\n

Continue reading ➞ Just One Mile: Gentrification in Congress Heights, DC<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","blog_design-has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nJust One Mile: Gentrification in Congress Heights, DC - Socamom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/gentrification-in-congress-heights-dc-2\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/gentrification-in-congress-heights-dc-2\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Just One Mile: Gentrification in Congress Heights, DC - Socamom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(I know this isn’t the usual topic of my blog, but this is a “class reflection” for my property class at Howard Law School. 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