Albina Resident Figures Displaying BLM Sign In Window Offsets His Role In Gentrifying Neighborhood
Kyle Dudley was skeptical when he first toured the three bedroom bungalow. The 33-year-old software engineer wasn’t sure whether living in Albina district would be the right place to raise a family. However it only took a single visit to completely change his mind. “It was love at first sight,” reminisced Dudley. “I was kind of expecting a little more, you know, sketchiness? But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Many of the houses are beautifully renovated, the streets are super bike-friendly, and there’s even a New Seasons a few blocks away!“
When asked what he meant by ‘sketchiness’, Dudley blushed and quickly changed the subject, pointing out a ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign taped to his front window. “I decided to put this up after seeing the protests on the news,” he said somberly. “Something really needs to be done about systemic racism. I heard that Albina used to have a pretty thriving Black community, and I just want to do my part to try and bring about some much needed racial justice.“
Dudley’s sign, which as of press time has yet to bring about racial justice, does hold particular meaning to his neighborhood. For decades, Albina was virtually the only part of Portland in which the Black population could own property. Real estate brokers actively practiced redlining and routinely denied prospective homebuyers property in other parts of the city. Nevertheless, Albina grew and thrived in the decades following World War II. Its residents, however, faced the constant looming threat of displacement. Scores of families were uprooted to make way for development projects including Memorial Coliseum, I-5, and Emanuel Hospital.
Dudley was dismayed upon finally learning about the racist past – and present – of Portland, and indeed the state of Oregon, which was established with the goal of being a ‘white haven’. He is hopeful that his sign, along with the protest he attended and the $50 donation he made to the NAACP, offsets the damage that he unknowingly committed.