Heres an interesting set of circumstances to pay close attention to.I was canvassing Richmond,CA yesterday driving up and down Cutting Blvd while counting how many Black owned business that were open.Believe it or not its 5 that are doing business along the 1.5 mile corridor.During the 60s-90s they were as many as 25-30.The reason for the reduction is very plain to see.Richmonds Black population is a staggering 16% or 16,000 of the overall population of 100,000 residents.Heres where it gets interesting during the years of 2003-2013 Richmond experienced a high volume of deaths(418) 97% of whom were Black residents.In 2006 Mayor Irma Anderson contemplated inducing a state of emergency for the small city just 15 miles north of San Francisco,CA. Citizens were in frantic and fear of their lives as they continue to address the issue with its citys Mayor, City Council personnel and The Chief of Police.Something needed to be done very fast,The city petition the Federal Government for funds to hire more police to combat this serious pandemic plaguing the community at large.Richmond did receive funding in which Chief Magnus instituted a policy soley focused on engaging officers to be more pro active in the community while introducing themselves to the citizens..During a pivotal time of the often Called Confused War which saw three different fashions from various regions of the city engage in a volley of gunfire which resulted in untimely deaths.Residents remained fearful for their lives and were beginning to become outraged based on the fact innocent bystanders were dying.Folks wanted out of Richmond,Thousands were given vouchers to relocate to other regions in East Contra Costa County and Solano County,non voucher holders elected to cities such as Stockton,Sacramento etc. North Richmond,CA is often labeled as the most dangerous 1 mile radius on the planet,saw a large majority of its residents flee,North Richmond is home to the Las Deltas Projects, a crime ridden and dilapidated public housing complex. The county wishes to demolish it in favor of a mixed-income village but does not have the funds.In its current state Las Deltas puts the county $600,000 in the red every year and has a 70% vacancy rate.When I drive around the city and I see Black people I often yell Eureka as if I have discovered Gold.Based on the new polices implemented The Gang Enhancement law Penal Code 186.22(a) PC institutes rules of three or more people congregating together on a block or street is considered a gang.Which answers the question why nobody hangs on the corner anymore.Richmond,CA is a different city than it was 10 years ago based on the fact 1,000s of Black residents have vacated the city according to public information a mere 1% of the population was responsible for the carnage that had the small city on the edge.The majority of its participants in the Confused War are either relocated, dead,jailed or fighting cases that invoke the Gang Enhancement Law.Antioch and Vallejo,CA has experienced an influx of murders and violent crimes in the past (5) years could it be because former Richmond residents now reside in those cities.Either way you look at it the powers that be often take pride in making Richmond a better place to live.The infrastructure has changed as bicycle lanes constantly reminds us the gentrification will soon take precedence in a city that had an astounding Black population in the 40s one of the greatest migration in the history of America took place in Richmond the population increased dramatically from 23,600 in 1940 to over 93,700 in 1943 as tens of thousands of new Black residents migrated from the economically depressed South and Southwest to work in the shipyards.This is our legacy folks Im sure our Grandparents didnt have this killing each other in mind when they drove,hitch hiked and boarded railroad cars with only their shirts on their backs.I strongly encourage everyone to read about your history not just Black history but Real Richmond,CA history..youtube/watch?v=jobTDGKIBcc
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:52:39 +0000
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