In California, following the 2008 financial crisis, residents of a sleepy San Francisco suburb called Antioch witnessed their home values plummet by as much as two-thirds (Kirkpatrick and Gallagher, 37). “Until recently, low-income households, including voucher holders, were systematically priced out of the single-family, suburban housing market. The limited number of Section 8 recipients who did manage to find housing outside the urban core were isolated in the “bad” parts of suburban cities, created residential “containment zones” that were sharply defined in terms of race and class” (Kirkpatrick and Gallagher, 33). Yet as a result of the financial crisis, the entire Antioch rental market suddenly became available to Section 8 voucher-holders.
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New immigrants are increasingly using suburbia as a gateway into the American dream (Denton and Gibbons, 14). While “the image of suburbs as all-white havens remains commonplace and suburban segregation remains high”, minority populations in suburbs in every part of America are rapidly increasing their demographic share. (Denton and Gibbons, 19). It seems likely that the future will only increase the minority share of suburbia, with the US Census Bureau estimating that 49% of 21st century population growth will occur within the Hispanic population (NOVA Demographics). What is clear in California, Washington DC, and across the country is that the widespread archaic perceptions of suburban demographics inhibit meaningful political integration, and prevent minorities from realizing their full potential. Greater awareness of the migration of minorities into suburbia is …show more content…
The lack of understanding of the changing demographics in suburbia means that most are ignorant of the issues these populations face. Without a larger awareness of the position in which these populations are in, relief will be non-existent. The image of suburbs as crime-free utopias is also outdated. “Even affluent suburbs can experience many of the same problems that have plagued primary cities…including contentious urban renewal and ethnic tensions” (Denton and Gibbons, 16). The movement of poor and minority Americans into the suburbs has shown that justice systems in suburbia are just as racist as those in larger cities. Between 1980 and 2007, police arrested African Americans at rates up to 5.5 times those of white Americans (HRW, 2). This is notable not only because of the alarming disparity in arrest rates, but also because despite a migration into the suburbs, police policy seems just as racist as in the city center. In fact, for the last three years that data is available, arrest rates of African Americans for drug offenses have increased (HRW, 4). High arrest rates, liberal use of force, and massive incarceration create a system where minority suburban kids are brought up in communities that are under constant intimidation by the Police. In Antioch, Section 8 residents found that the Police department was only too
New immigrants are increasingly using suburbia as a gateway into the American dream (Denton and Gibbons, 14). While “the image of suburbs as all-white havens remains commonplace and suburban segregation remains high”, minority populations in suburbs in every part of America are rapidly increasing their demographic share. (Denton and Gibbons, 19). It seems likely that the future will only increase the minority share of suburbia, with the US Census Bureau estimating that 49% of 21st century population growth will occur within the Hispanic population (NOVA Demographics). What is clear in California, Washington DC, and across the country is that the widespread archaic perceptions of suburban demographics inhibit meaningful political integration, and prevent minorities from realizing their full potential. Greater awareness of the migration of minorities into suburbia is …show more content…
The lack of understanding of the changing demographics in suburbia means that most are ignorant of the issues these populations face. Without a larger awareness of the position in which these populations are in, relief will be non-existent. The image of suburbs as crime-free utopias is also outdated. “Even affluent suburbs can experience many of the same problems that have plagued primary cities…including contentious urban renewal and ethnic tensions” (Denton and Gibbons, 16). The movement of poor and minority Americans into the suburbs has shown that justice systems in suburbia are just as racist as those in larger cities. Between 1980 and 2007, police arrested African Americans at rates up to 5.5 times those of white Americans (HRW, 2). This is notable not only because of the alarming disparity in arrest rates, but also because despite a migration into the suburbs, police policy seems just as racist as in the city center. In fact, for the last three years that data is available, arrest rates of African Americans for drug offenses have increased (HRW, 4). High arrest rates, liberal use of force, and massive incarceration create a system where minority suburban kids are brought up in communities that are under constant intimidation by the Police. In Antioch, Section 8 residents found that the Police department was only too