Gentri-fuck-ation in Portland

Forum: Strap-on.org
Date: 02/03/2002

the only community in portland that is not racially segregated is where it is currently being gentrified so there are still enough people of color but their numbers are decreasing rapidly. there is a paradox here: if you are white, it seems more racist to want to live in an all-white community than if you wanted to live in a racially mixed community, but in practice the latter runs the greater risk of contributing to the displacement of people of color from inner portland. that's why i always hesitate to give white people an advice about where they should move in to - i don't feel good about what i say either way.

on the other hand, i believe that individual poor or working-class white people are not personally responsible for gentrification if they are simply trying to find a place to live that they can afford and it happened to be a community currently being gentrified. i believe that gentrification is not simply a natural result of more people wanting to move into any particular area, but a result of the complex interaction of social, political and economic structures that are largely beyond our individual control. i do believe at the same time that we should be conscious of our position in the oppressive structures even as we have no choice but to participate in it to some degree.

north and northeast portland are more racially diverse and cheaper to live in, but not for very long. southeast portland is more white and middle-class (while being generally queer friendly), but it had not always been that way. the choice is up to you, but remember that there is no politically un-problematic way to exist in a world that is very problematic. there is no simple way to exist in a world full of complexities and contradictions.

emigrl

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