Politics of division
Speaking of my home town, this article from The Metro Spirit is pretty darn interesting. It takes a look at how The Augusta Chronicle doesn't work to edit profane, inflammatory or racist comments from its blogs, and how such things inadvertantly contribute to slowing economic development.
But I think it reveals a larger problem that Augusta, like many Southern cities, struggle with, and that's the fact that most political issues are still divided sharply by race. It's true that flat-out racism is still alive and well down there, as it is, sadly, almost everywhere, but I think it's a little more than that.
You have a large population of the white community which is fearful of change, nervous and wary of the rising political power of African-Americans and is unaware and/or oblivious to the concerns and challenges facing the black community. And, on the other hand, you have a large population of the African-American community which often acts, understandly to some extent, in a reactionary, hostile fashion toward many in the white community.
Factor in years of ineffective leadership and representation from the likes of Bob Young, Larry Sconyers, Marion Williams, Charles Walker Sr. and many, many others, and you've got a recipe for disaster. The political situation is awful down there.
Oone example, which I alluded to earlier, involves Gilbert Manor. The low-income housing development is not only sorely in need of renovations, but it also is situated next to the Medical College of Georgia. Here both sides let those folks down as several African-American commissioners opposed moving the development to a new location, with numerous folks presuming that it was because it would cost them a couple of thousand votes. However, a new proposed mixed-use, mixed-income development off a predominantly white area of Deans Bridge Road was ultimately shot down because many of the white leaders in the community vehemently opposed it.
As a result, Gilber Manor remains where it is ... and, as a result, there is no room for MCG to grow and the state government and the board of regents looked elsewhere in Athens-Clarke County.
The division and, in the case of folks like Robin Williams or Charles Walker Sr., corruption in Augusta has made it extremely difficult to attract meaningful economic development to that community, which is unfortunate. Change is needed down there, and I do think that their new mayor, Deke Copenhaven, has worked hard to bridge the vast racial gap which exists.
But I think it reveals a larger problem that Augusta, like many Southern cities, struggle with, and that's the fact that most political issues are still divided sharply by race. It's true that flat-out racism is still alive and well down there, as it is, sadly, almost everywhere, but I think it's a little more than that.
You have a large population of the white community which is fearful of change, nervous and wary of the rising political power of African-Americans and is unaware and/or oblivious to the concerns and challenges facing the black community. And, on the other hand, you have a large population of the African-American community which often acts, understandly to some extent, in a reactionary, hostile fashion toward many in the white community.
Factor in years of ineffective leadership and representation from the likes of Bob Young, Larry Sconyers, Marion Williams, Charles Walker Sr. and many, many others, and you've got a recipe for disaster. The political situation is awful down there.
Oone example, which I alluded to earlier, involves Gilbert Manor. The low-income housing development is not only sorely in need of renovations, but it also is situated next to the Medical College of Georgia. Here both sides let those folks down as several African-American commissioners opposed moving the development to a new location, with numerous folks presuming that it was because it would cost them a couple of thousand votes. However, a new proposed mixed-use, mixed-income development off a predominantly white area of Deans Bridge Road was ultimately shot down because many of the white leaders in the community vehemently opposed it.
As a result, Gilber Manor remains where it is ... and, as a result, there is no room for MCG to grow and the state government and the board of regents looked elsewhere in Athens-Clarke County.
The division and, in the case of folks like Robin Williams or Charles Walker Sr., corruption in Augusta has made it extremely difficult to attract meaningful economic development to that community, which is unfortunate. Change is needed down there, and I do think that their new mayor, Deke Copenhaven, has worked hard to bridge the vast racial gap which exists.
posted by Jmac at 12:45 PM
2 Comments:
How is acting reactionary and hostile toward another race "understandable?"
Again, I noted 'to an extent' ... but also because even though I think the majority of it is wrongheaded, it's fueled by very real frustrations that are a result of the actions of the other side.
If someone kept ignoring the issues important to you and you grew upset and said 'fine, we're not talking about this anymore' ... you'd have some measure of justification, wouldn't you?
It's a bad situation all the way around.
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