The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same
Garyside traveled around Gary interacting with, and talking to Garyians. Garyside could not help but deduce that there seemed to be a growing consensus of thought revolving around what is going on in and around Gary. In a word. Gentrification. This was vocalized from the older to the younger residents, as well as all economic levels all around Gary. Garyians also vocalized that “the writing is on the wall. Just look around”. One resident stated with passion, “look who is buying these properties. It ain’t us”. In addition, Garyians are noticing a significant rise in the cost of housing, in a pandemic mind you. How ruthless. It is price gouging at its best. A prelude to Gentrification. Mind you, gentrification is not a new phenomenon in Black communities. It happens over and over again. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Garyians’ affordable housing is shrinking as a result. The increase in rent is beginning to resemble the high and unaffordable costs of rent in Chicago. There was a lot of ongoing discussion about the rising rent prices in Gary, even though the areas are still blighted to a degree, and has crime spurts. Some stated that Gary housing use to be somewhat affordable, which is what drew people to Gary.
One Garyian woman stated that “a person of no color purchased a house for $20,000.00, and put a little elbow grease into repairs, and then turned around and put a price for sell for an exorbitant amount of money. The property was on Gary’s Westside in what some said is a troubled community. This all creates unaffordable living, and a push to leave. Garyians are being priced right out of their community. People of color, so to speak are being set up for gentrification by people of no color. Again, there is a rapid and significant rise in rental units and housing prices. This is happening in all areas of Gary, from the low end to the high end.
The story is the same as what played out in Detroit, and all other communities around the United States that are predominately African American. African Americans are then thrown a bone of affordable housing units. These units coincide with the promise that districts precinct captains and/or council people agreed on. Listen they got to make it look like they did not force the residents out. Then to make it look like an agreeable resolution, they offer a small controllable number of Black folks affordable housing. A number so small that it does not represent the displaced residents. What a joke. History continues to repeat. It has been said that:
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'” By George Santayana
All of this has been played before; up to and including, increasing taxes, and/or taxing people out of their communities. They bought up property in Miller Beach, and sent prices soaring to acquire the properties. While others are acquiring these properties through tax sales. They put a little elbow grease into the repairs, and then price gouge. Now they are asking for prices similar to Illinois exorbitant rent prices, and housing market prices. Mind you Garyians still have an Indiana minimum wage. What is it? Oh — $7.25 an hour by law. That wage has not been raised since when? On the other hand, as a result of the worker shortage, some employers have raised their hourly rates. That being said, even though jobs are increasing hourly rates because there is a shortage of workers; it still does not balance out for the employee. You see, if more than half of your income is applied to housing, there will continue to be the working poor. As a result, the working poor will have to rely heavily on subsidies for food, as well as utilities. What happens when these funds run out?
Here lately, we are consistently faced with pandemics, after pandemics. Prior to that every year around the time the flu season began we were faced with a new strain of the flu that would surface.
To date, as a result of COVID-19, employment came to a screeching halt. Now citizens are losing the roofs over their families’ heads, and are fighting evictions. No more extensions are being afforded to them to stop them from becoming homeless. Soon the few homeless shelters will be closed, or shall I say gentrified out of existence; especially those on Broadway. SIDEBAR: Gary has only a few homeless shelters.
Is it sad to think that all will be lost because people of no color want the housing stock, which Garyians have resided in for decades? Gary is the last of a dying breed. One of few Black cities where you continue to see a high percentage of generations of residents born and raised in Gary. Gary is truly like a small town. There are a considerable amount of people who were born and raised in Gary several decades ago. Listen, not only do they continue to reside in Gary; they are Gary strong. They are proud of their residency. Marshalltown is one of many strong ass communities of those born and raised in Gary, and have a strong cohesiveness. Some still live in their family home. Others have relocated back to Gary in the neighborhood they grew up in. Their children have also become residents. Not to mention the legacy residents/homeowners, who refuse to leave their homes. They have stayed in Gary when it was good and bad. Generational history is here.
On another note, Gentrification seems to be the norm here in America. It is ironic because when Blacks moved into Gary [FOR JOBS], then White flight ensued, taking their businesses with them, leaving Gary desolate. Even Merrillville reinvented the rules, to dislodge and not be a part of Gary. Then Gary became inundated with stores that . . . . well you know, but I digress.
Ironically, when Blacks move into a predominately white community, whites move out. Suffice to say when Whites move into a predominately black community through gentrification, Blacks ARE MOVED out (through mass gentrification). Unfortunately there are no laws to combat this injustice; however there is a law that allows whites to move out of a community if it is racially changing.
Gentrification seems to happen in every city where African Americans reside from Black Wall Street to Gary, Indiana. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This same game is being played out at Black folk’s expense and well-being. Now when you see the same game during a global pandemic, you no longer have to wonder. You kind of know what the deal is.
When Michael Jackson sang “they don’t really care about us” he did not lie.
Suffice to say is that what they did not bank on, is that Garyians are Gary strong. Garyians are going to hang onto our existence, communities, and property. Garyians are not just going to hand over our communities and go away. We invested our time, and families in the place we call home. As Garyians, we will stand, and “we shall not be moved”. It is so apparent that for over 400 years now, the more things change; the more they stay the same.
This is like an elephant Garyians, and together we shall surely stand. You see no one can eat an elephant all by themselves, however, if we all take bites out of the elephant together–then we can eat an elephant. On another note, if Developers and Investors get monies to build; then homeowners and property owners should have been afforded the same consideration. That is monies to improve their properties. Garyians also should have been allotted monies to build or form businesses. Talking about being between a rock and a hard place. Let me say this. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In ending, listen. On one hand, bringing Gary out of the blightedness it has faced for decades, and trying to bring an economy in, can be beneficial to the residents. However, we truly have to drain our own swamp. A new vision to reimagine is a good direction, something to be commended for. Garyians truly need that. On the other hand, not just the City but the residents should benefit as well. You see when the bubble bursts from super-inflating the housing market, guess who will be here. The ones that were here before. Legacy Garyians.
