From Crosscut: “In the next 15 years, Yesler Terrace will change in ways and to a degree never before seen in Seattle.
“The $1.5 billion project to redevelop the neighborhood will lead to massive increases in housing and job opportunities. And what was once a small, low-income neighborhood — home to a diverse spectrum of folks from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds — will soon become a sprawling hub of economic opportunity for mixed-income residents. The population will go from 1,200 people to anywhere between 6,800 and 8,300 people to make Yesler Terrace by far the densest neighborhood in Seattle, with more business as well. If it all goes according to plan, the neighborhood will blossom into the homogenous, mixed-income focal point this city never knew it needed — or wanted.
“It sounds great for the city, but for the residents of Yesler Terrace, one of the city’s early public housing projects, one word comes to mind: gentrification.”
Are we part of it? Are We Proud of It? The youth of Yesler Terrace bear a physical resemblance to the nursing assistants of Seattle’s long term care communities.
Either these youth join the right church/synagogue tomorrow — to one day retire to a tax-exempt, non-profit, retirement home — or they will be tasked with servicing those who did. Right?
What if each and every one of us supported the National Domestic Workers Alliance: http://www.domesticworkers.org/
Then, did the neighborly thing by sharing this website with those gentrified out of housing in Seattle? The wheels of justice are turning; at least we don’t have to reinvent them. Good question though!
Now I go to experience farm labor at a U-pick pepper garden, where those around me will be speaking more languages than I can identify. I’ll know I related to as many cultures (hill to valley) as I easily can in one day.