What is the Restorative Gentrification Listening Project?
The Restorative Gentrification Listening Project seeks to understand the harms of gentrification by listening to the stories of those most directly impacted and then working to repair the harm and prevent further harm.
The one who strikes the blow doesn't know the force of the blow, only the one who has received the blow, knows its force. This process is an opportunity for the harm of gentrification to be identified by those who have been most affected by it, specifically the long time Black residents of Northeast Portland, Oregon . This begins with the newer residents having the opportunity to listen to the stories and perspective of those harmed and how the harm can be repaired. We will facilitate a sustained dialogue among the participants to help them devise collaborative action strategies, based on their own strengths and resources, for correcting the harm and preventing further harm. This dialogue will not only foster action, but in the process, build the kind of trusting relationships that reach across racial and class lines and will empower the community to continue to work together protecting and improving its quality of life.
Why the need for dialogue on issues of Gentrification?
Portland, Oregon is a growing urban area with an increasingly diverse, but mostly segregated, population. Historically the Black community here has been geographically located in the NE neighborhood. In the last 20 years gentrification has changed the neighborhood dramatically. Long term, Black community members have left the area and what was once a tight knit, culturally connected area, is becoming dominated by young, mostly White people.
While the damage to relationships in the community has been long in the making, the fairly recent economic revival has emphasized the cultural and racial divide. There have been more and more conflicts between long term community members and new arrivals.
For many of these newcomers there has been a sense of bewilderment. They want to live in a racially diverse neighborhood, but can't understand why it is so hard to build new relationships. Most of them have never lived in a racially diverse community, particularly one which is transitioning from a largely Black demographic into a mixed neighborhood. It seems clear that these new residents lack the knowledge and understanding of the area's history and how this change impacts the original Black community.
For many of the original Black residents, this sudden, rapid economic growth created a constant reminder of opportunities they had been denied in the past when they attempted to build a successful, economically vibrant community of their own. Overt practices like red-lining were not even a generation removed and many feel that they still exist on a more subtle but still damaging way.
This project is designed t create an opportunity for people to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers we were all facing in building a thriving, racially diverse community.
While there are opportunities for people in Portland to engage in "dialogues on race" there is clearly a need for a forum focused on the harms of gentrification and an opportunity for people to take action to repair the ham. Many Blacks have feel fatigued by the thought of attempting to engage Whites in dialogues where in the past they feel unheard, their experiences minimized or questioned. For many Whites there is a fear of their ignorance or confusion around racism and feelings of hopelessness in terms of being able to take positive actions to repair the harm.
The restorative model is based on the idea that no one understands the harm more than the person who has experienced it. Long time community members are asked: What happened? Who was harmed? How were they harmed? And "How can the harm be repaired and prevented in the future. It's an important element to create a context where the question isn't, "DID it happen," or "WAS there harm," but one where there is a shared understanding and acceptance that the harm exists and that we need to be educated and empowered in order to repair this harm.
Our goal is to build community and cultural understanding and to find ways to act together to include an value all members of the community. For more information, contact Michael.
