Trader Joes booted out of NE Portland by activists.

[Jesus Malverde]

3. Must End Gentrification to Advance Economic Equity

As President Obama noted in his State of the Union address, economic inequality has reached an epic height in our nation, shutting the doors of opportunity for millions of Americans. In urban centers we see this growing inequality through gentrification. Too often the "development" of urban centers means the displacement of low and moderate-income long-time residents and new housing and amenities for the rich. A first step in ending the growing economic inequality, which is deeply tied to ongoing racial inequality, is to stop this displacement.

The corrosive effect of gentrification can be found throughout the nation even in the "liberal" whitest city of America Portland, Oregon. Portland is known internationally as a leader in urban design with many boasting of its bike-friendly streets, accessible 20-minute neighborhoods and quaint local business culture. In fact, this year, Portland was named the best U.S. city by the real estate company, Movato.

Unbeknownst to many, however, Portland is also a case study in gentrification, a glaring reminder that urban economic disparities will persist as long as the structural inequalities of our economy remain.

Other cities riding the cusp of the latest development trends have experienced the same results. In Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, inner city neighborhoods that were once majority black have been inundated with plans for redevelopment. The upward redistribution of wealth through public-private partnerships, have rewarded real estate speculators, exporting long time black residents and bringing in higher income predominately white residents

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dedrick-muhammad/must-end-gentrification-t_b_4687167.html

San Francisco every year has less and less African American residents.

By 1970, 24 percent of the Haight-Ashbury was African-American. Today maybe 1 percent.

That this would be happening in one of the most "liberal" cities should be troubling.