City Commission Tables “Compassionate Decatur” Project Until Early October

95 thoughts on “City Commission Tables “Compassionate Decatur” Project Until Early October”

1. 
   

2. I like the idea but the amount of money is ridiculous.

4. “Over the 14 years I’ve been on this commission, I can say we’ve lost 20% of the African American population. Our median income has gone up a tremendous amount. Is that good? Is that bad? I promise you, Detroit would love to be in our situation. …I’m ready for us to do something.”

   My head just exploded trying to figure out what she said here.

   1. I dunno. Her overall point seems clear to me. Decatur is becoming a very attractive place to live for a bunch of reasons (schools etc.). As a result, we’re becoming a whole bunch whiter and richer. It’s good that we’re an attractive place to live, and most cities (e.g., Detroit) would love to have our ‘problems.’ But she’d like to see how we can remain a racially and economically diverse city (which she regards as a good thing) while retaining the factors that have led to the changing demographics.

      1. “I promise you, Detroit would love to be in our situation. …I’m ready for us to do something.”

         This last part was just odd. Basically, “We are the envy of other cities – something must be done!”

6. Hmmm. So our corrupt and incompetent leadership, with all their cronyistic tendencies and demonstrated refusal to listen to the community, essentially echoed all the perfectly reasonable concerns raised here and deferred any potential action until a more precise definition of the proposed process and its intended outcomes can be articulated?

   What an outrage.

   1. If I recall correctly, they did the exact same thing on the tree ordinance. Delay, let the uproar die down, and then proceed as planned.

      1. I can’t believe I’m agreeing with DawgFan over Scott but this is so. We need to keep on them to prevent them from quietly pushing this through after the initial concerns. I’m not opposed at all to encouraging broader, city-wide discussions about race relations, economic inequality, or any of the other issues that would presumably be covered by this kind of initiative. But I’m adamantly opposed to awarding a $100K boondoggle to one entity without soliciting competing bids or proposals and requesting more specifics about what exactly we would get for our money. It don’t cost anything to talk where I come from…

         1. We may disagree about our commission’s responsiveness or agenda but we’re in full agreement on the process. I see no need to talk about “keeping on them” as though they’re toddlers or criminals requiring constant oversight. That implies that making your opinions known to them, and getting a considered listen in return, is difficult around here.

            It ain’t.

            I’m with you. Everyone in Decatur with any sense of a position on this or any other policy consideration should make their views known (outside of DM). That’s our responsibility as citizens and, quite frankly, the commission can’t operate properly without it. But save yourself the angst of feeling powerless or victimized. Simply call any one of them up and go get a cup of coffee. Speak your mind. Let them speak theirs. It actually works pretty well.

            1. “I see no need to talk about “keeping on them” as though they’re toddlers or criminals requiring constant oversight”

               Good luck with all your optimism that our elected officials only have the best for our city in mind. I’ll stick to “keeping on them”. We should be doing that to ALL elected officials….and corporations we disagree with. That is a proper function of this ole Republic we have here.

               1. At least read my whole comment, which basically says the exact same thing as you. My point is that “keeping on them” implies that getting their ear and speaking your mind is some challenging task. It’s not. Playing the role of citizen is not difficult here.

                  My optimism is not that they’ll always do what’s right or that they’ll always do what I want them to do. It’s that they’ll listen to what I have to offer and engage me in a meaningful way if I ask.

                  1. I read it. We are clearly talking about two different things.

                     1. You: “I’ll stick to “keeping on them”. We should be doing that to ALL elected officials….and corporations we disagree with. That is a proper function of this ole Republic we have here.”

                        Me: “Everyone in Decatur with any sense of a position on this or any other policy consideration should make their views known (outside of DM). That’s our responsibility as citizens and, quite frankly, the commission can’t operate properly without it.”

                        I guess we also disagree about what constitutes general agreement.

                        1. I agree that you guys are disagreeing on agreeing to disagree.

                        2. I just have a different definition of “keeping on them” as you do. That’s all. No big deal.

8. Seems like a sensible discussion and a sensible decision, from the recap posted here. (Hey, will the people who said that the commissioners would rubberstamp anything put before them and ignore any countervailing constituent feedback admit they were wrong in this case?)

   Regarding racial and socio-economic diversity, I don’t want Decatur to become exclusively white and upper-middle-class/upper-class. But I don’t see any obvious solution. The main causes of our changing demographics are pretty obvious: with the extreme dysfunction of the Atlanta and (especially) Dekalb County schools, people are fleeing to Decatur as a place with good and stable schools. And with the upscale development of the downtown, other people are moving into pricy condos nearby. And then the process feeds on itself: higher-SES students = higher test scores that attract more affluent families to the public schools, more new $600K+ homes makes other people looking for homes in that price range comfortable with plunking down that kind of money have another $600K+ Masterpiece built, upper-end people visiting downtown fuels demand for more stores to cater to them, which attracts yet more affluent condo developments, etc.

   In a lot of ways, the changes in the last 10 years or so have been good. But as I said, I’d like to live in a diverse neighborhood (and have my children grow up in such a neighborhood). Short of trashing the school system and making it into a Dekalb County-style morass of corruption and incompetence, I’m unsure what will halt the process. What sort of reasonable zoning and other policy initiatives can help preserve affordable housing?

   1. “(Hey, will the people who said that the commissioners would rubberstamp anything put before them and ignore any countervailing constituent feedback admit they were wrong in this case?)”

      No, because they did the exact same thing with the tree ordinance.

   2. I think “extreme dysfunction” is way too harsh an assessment for APS. The more affluent areas in APS are doing all right.

   3. Affordable housing is not an issue about rich whites and poor blacks. It’s about whether people at all income levels are able to live in a community. Can elderly or disabled veterans live in the community? Can public employees–police, fire, teachers, clerks, sanitation workers–who make the city run afford to live in the community? Can middle and lower-income workers (nonprofit professionals, service industry) afford to live in the community?

      I would rather live in a city in which working people at all income levels–and people who can not work because of age or physical ability–can live as neighbors.

      The leadership of the City of Decatur has known (since 2008) that it has an affordable housing crisis and it has had in its hands clear guidelines on how to fix it:
      http://www.decaturga.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=817

      Our city hasn’t done anything the study recommends. Why? I’d guess because the people who live here aren’t insisting upon it–there aren’t enough vocal advocates for affordable housing in Decatur… or we’re not organized enough.

      I would like us to make this situation better. Let me know if you’d like to meet with me and work on this together.

      1. David, correct me if I’m wrong, but very few of Decatur’s own city employees can actually afford to buy into the city limits. Certainly not our teachers or public safety, unless they happen to be married to someone who makes significantly more than they do.

         1. Wacky Sitcom, that is correct. Most of our teachers, for example, live far from Decatur. We operate on a system of migrant labor.

            1. Maybe a few more road diets to make their commutes more difficult will make them feel more welcome. I know a few workers at the Courthouse who can’t wait for more road diets.

10. To me, the “Compassion” thing sounds like outsourcing the City’s response to the racial issues in Decatur. We can’t figure out how to respond, so lets throw some money at a “diversity consultant” and consider the problem solved. It’s the City leadership’s job to guide the community conversation on this issue. It seems strange to me that we would hire a third party to guide the conversation for us.

    Instead of spending $100,000 on a consultant, how about contributing $100,000 to the free and reduced lunch program, to provide healthy foods for low-income Decatur students and help them to succeed in school and at life? Just a hypothetical example, but see how we can use money to actually make a difference in the lives of the people of our community, and lift up those who are disadvantaged?

    1. Bravo.

12. You cannot engineer the racial makeup of the city. That’s illegal. You cannot have quotas of who you want to live here and in what proportions.

    If you make more government subsidized housing available, the availability must be offered to applicants on an equal opportunity basis, without regard to race, religion or ethnicity. That’s the law. You cannot set up an ordinance that gives tax breaks to elderly (and there already is one), unless it applies to all equally regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.

    If it was otherwise, people in other jurisdictions would argue that their polities (like some suburban Atlanta counties) were becoming “blacker” and that they must “do something”.

    1. Exactly. We can’t regulate who lives here, which makes some folks uncomfortable, particularly those at the City level who don’t want Decatur to branded as an all white city.

       The fact that the program is even being considered seems to suggest that Decatur is not compassionate towards people of diverse backgrounds. How is compassion even measured?

       Is this all the result of one allegation of racial profiling?

       1. Much of Decatur isn’t compassionate towards “people of diverse backgrounds”, but rather cling to a laager mentality. Cf. Debora above. Of course, she styles it as a class issue, and it is, but it’s perceived as a racial issue because that’s how class plays out in these parts.

          The other thing that might help for some folks to understand the feelings out there is to know a bit about Decatur’s history. Plenty of older folks haven’t forgotten what happened here in the 60s, but most Decaturites have no clue, because our history has been whitewashed (sorry). The truth is that black/low-income people and white people started from very different places, and the effects of that are still working their way through the generations. It still rankles to many.

          1. “Plenty of older folks haven’t forgotten what happened here in the 60s, but most Decaturites have no clue, because our history has been whitewashed (sorry).”

             Agreed. It follows the same basic story line as you might expect in a mostly white neighborhood in the South in the 1960s, but I think many people today tend to think that Decatur was above it all, or at least mostly above it. That was certainly true of me before I started digging into this stuff. It’s the danger of presentism, combined with the lack of a well-written history detailing the facts.

       2. “Is this all the result of one allegation of racial profiling?”

          Largely, but forget about the demographics study performed by the intern.

       3. I thought it was several examples of profiling–something like 4 or 6?

14. It’s become very clear that the tree ordinance fiasco has changed the political dynamic in the city of Decatur. The commission seemed to loose lots of credibility with the way that one came down and that has impacted our relationship with our leaders. I’m fairly certain this particular item would have had much less resistance if it had come up prior to the tree ordinance. I feel like we need some therapy together to help restore the pre-tree era of good feelings.

    1. I am sure you could find a facilitator for that for $100,000.

       1. No way. Open the bid process. I can do it for $97,000.

    2. Your view of the political dynamic in this city might be skewed by DM conversations. Most people in Decatur didn’t pay attention to that issue at all. And those who pushed for a strong tree ordinance came back in full force after those against the ordinance got it delayed. There was a huge turnout at one meeting to argue against the tree ordinance. But the pro-tree ordinance crowd came to every meeting after that, which is why it passed. People who show up at every council meeting are far more likely to vote than those who show up once because of one particular issue.

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    1. A few points that might ease your troubled mind:

       1. The Decatur Housing Authority is distinct from city government and does not operate with property tax revenue.
       2. The housing they provide is not free.
       3. Most of the folks in DHA housing do work.

       1. oh, Scott, couldn’t you have allowed it to waft and linger in the air a little longer before flicking your Bic?

          1. Must. Resist. The troll!

          2. 🙂

          3. “And Charlie…. LIGHT A MATCH!”

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    1. This is the best non-apology apology ever!

       “I don’t understand why wanting to draw in people of meager means is good for the city.”

       Poor people need not apply! When we build the moat, there will be a toll that only people with a net worth of $1 million-plus can afford!

       1. I love this place.

       2. Maybe instead, you could tell her exactly why you believe drawing in people of meager means actually is good for the city.

          1. Well, I didn’t realize that was necessary. But OK. I was a child of “meager means.” My family certainly fell below the threshold of “middle class” that Debora has decided is the dividing line between who we should want living in our city and who we shouldn’t. But access to a quality public education paid for by much wealthier property owners allowed me to rise above the station in life that people like Debora would have had me confined to. THIS is why I hate seeing all but those of great financial means being priced out of Decatur. Alas, I’m sure that we have very different perspectives on what “good for the city” means anyway…

             1. That doesn’t answer the question. That is a great reason why those of lesser means would want to live in the city, not the other way around. If you want to support education for those less fortunate, there are many, many charities and scholarships who will accept your donation. And I expect you and others to blow your lid, but you are advocating taking a step backwards. I am not advocating excluding anyone, but I don’t support actively trying to attract those who contribute less simply b/c they make less. Nor am I advocating attracting only those who contribute more. The government should not try to engineer the “desired” demographic makeup.

                1. I’m not blowing my lid. I’m just shaking my head. Ayn Rand would be proud…

                2. In other words, you’re asking “why should we want The Poors around in the first place?”

                   1. No one’s interested in The Poors anymore. They peaked with their first record.

             2. [removed at author’s request]

                1. I assume you own your home free and clear, without a federally subsidized mortgage?

             3. I do understand your points, and I’m all for diversity. But, the question still remains: Why is it a good thing for a city to actively draw people of meager means into the city. I see this as different than trying to drive people out.

                If the answer is that by drawing people of lesser means into the city and finding a way, in essence, to subsidize their lives so they can live in a place and in a way that they could not otherwise afford in order to strengthen a future generation which would in turn be better for all of society, then you have a point and I like it!!!

                1. “If the answer is that by drawing people of lesser means into the city and finding a way, in essence, to subsidize their lives so they can live in a place and in a way that they could not otherwise afford in order to strengthen a future generation which would in turn be better for all of society, then you have a point and I like it!!!”

                   That was exactly my point.

                2. [removed at author’s request]

                   1. “I, however, choose to keep what I work for and support my family.”

                      To the exclusion of charity? Or are you referring to taxes?

          2. Rather than doing things to “draw them in”, I think the goal should be to not enact or maintain policy that drives them away. For example, zoning requirements regarding density can lead to more expensive housing. No, relaxing them wouldn’t be a magic bullet, but it would help. Some might argue that the tree ordinance may have such a negative effect, i.e. increase the cost of housing, and they might be right.
             As for why this is a good thing, I’d argue that a balanced demographic is good because it can keep a place from, politically, erecting so-called moats. That, though I’m sure some will disagree, would be just plain wrong.

             1. “it can keep a place from, politically, erecting so-called moats”

                So, this is about liberal self-preservation?

                1. Not sure if I understand you, but my point was that when you have a lot of people with money they tend to support policies that have the effect of keeping people without much money out. Banning apartments, for example. In other words, a balanced demographic might prevent a city from becoming more like an HOA.

                   1. Sorry. Failed attempt at sarcasm. Those with more are more likely to be conservative. As more move in, CoD might become a little bit less liberal.

                      1. Eh.

                         There’s an increasing amount of literature out there that the real political gap in the US is increasingly urban/rural as opposed to rich/poor – the sort of people who are flocking to Decatur in spite of the “NO HOUSEHOLDS UNDER $100k/YR NEED APPLY” signs are solidly “liberal”, as opposed to the people who buy out on Lake Lanier or in Cumming or what-have-you. Decatur isn’t going to turn red any time soon just because well-to-do people move here.

                         1. Agree about the rural/urban divide being the key one. And though I’m not certain about this, if memory serves the Democratic nominee for President has either gotten the same or greater percentage of the vote in Decatur for the last 4 election cycles.

                         2. Perhaps, but “Blue” voting isn’t the same thing as being a truly progressive community. Decatur is a classic example of “bourgeois bohemians” or “crunchy cons”. It’s not exactly a hotbed of progressive activism. Voting is easy.

                2. oh, FFS, must everything be reduced to this liberal/conservative binary? i’ve never met a pure one from either side and filtering every dialogue through it strikes me as absurd. i make a motion to ban the mention of it here—can i get a second?

                   look, socioeconomic homogeneity and the monoculture it produces is nothing to aspire to nor turn a blind eye to as it organically develops. inbreeding, whether among monarchies or small towns like ours is not healthy—it produces inferior stock.

                   in genetics there’s a concept called, “hybrid vigor” that explains the strength and resilience that results from mixing genetics vs. highly selective breeding. it’s why your average pound mutt, provided a similar environment, will live longer and be less diseased than a purebred whose family tree looks like a flag pole.

                   ditto cultures. to whatever extent our country is great, it’s not because of our similarity, but our diversity, and historically we have been quite deliberate in our immigration policies to preserve and encourage this strength. it didn’t happen by accident, and keeping Decatur’s diversity at healthy levels won’t either.

                   when I think of New York in the 90s, it still had much of the diversity that made it a great city of the world: old, young, rich, poor, family store, and national chain all co-existed, and the rainbow of ethnicities that lived there produced an unrivaled culture. when i visit there now, it’s still a great city, but a much less interesting place to be—left purely to market forces, Manhattan has begun to price its diversity out of the market. it’s still bright and shiny, but there’s not a lot of cultural gold beneath the gloss.

                   some may say, “great, let the market do as it will, besides I’d rather be surrounded by mirrors of me than not.” that’s cool, but if you’re all about Selfie Culture, you’re probably not someone I want on my back deck because I learn far more from folks different than i am than those like me.

                   on the other hand if you dig diversity and the interestingness it cultivates, walk on through the side gate—we mutts saved you a seat and a cold one.

                   woof.

                   1. I’m almost there 100% with your comments, however, the belief that Manhattan (or anyplace for that matter) has become what it is completely because of market forces misses the mark for me. Market forces have never been allowed to work unencumbered so it’s always been a combination of market forces and government control forces at work. Blame or credit can’t be placed or given exclusively.

                      1. agreed, but adding that kind of nuance to my rant would have required an even longer comment, and my pixel quota was exhausted.

                   2. +1

             2. To add to my example above, and I believe this is being considered already, the City could allow more rental cottages on single-family properties. A small step, to be sure, but it may be that only a series of small steps is feasible or desirable.

          3. Unless you inherit it, making tons of money takes a lot of time and energy. Folks who earn less but have a more balanced lifestyle bring a lot to a community in terms of civic engagement, entertainment, culture, and just plain neighborliness. Unless the “earn less’ is so inadequate that they need 2-3 jobs to survive. That’s one of the reasons that the widening gulf between the haves and have-nots worries me. Less people in the middle creating a balanced community life. (Plus the whole little-to-lose phenomenon in which a growing underclass turns to violence and revolution.)

             1. Wait, you are saying the rich generally trade their free time for more work and more money? But I was told they didn’t build [those incomes], someone else made that happen.

                On a slightly more serious note, I scanned this thread and saw a whole lot of excuses for why the poor can’t afford to live in Decatur: zoning and all that jazz. No mention of the 500lb gorilla, taxes (unless I just missed it). Sure, a middle income family can’t afford a 3,000 sq ft new build in Decatur, but they would be able to stay in a pre-existing home but for the fact that progressive Decatur taxes them to death. And now the government of Decatur is setting about to cure the effects of . . . the policies of the government of Decatur.

                1. A large part of the reason our taxes our so high is the lack of economies of scale. It is part of the cost of living in a small city

                2. It’s hard to argue with that, Dem. Which is why I don’t favor property tax levels that are based so heavily on external increases in value, which is the system we have.

                3. “And now the government of Decatur is setting about to cure the effects of . . . the policies of the government of Decatur.”

                   Well, in a sense they are. Or more precisely, they’re allowing a partial cure. One of the reasons it’s so expensive to live here is the lack of smaller rental units. That’s changing in a big way. Still expensive, relatively, but much less than buying any single familyresidence in Decatur.

                   1. This conversation is close to self-parody.

                      Metro Atlanta has the one of the highest concentration of high-net worth black households in the U.S. There is no shortage of black households who could afford to live in Decatur. I interact them all the time in my work. Yet there is a long thread based on the assumption that “diversity” would require subsidies. That means people (like Debora) assume black = poor.

                      Maybe the problem is that black households that could afford Decatur don’t want to live around a bunch of clueless white people? Maybe that’s one of the things a CoD study needs to find out?

                      1. I don’t think the only concern here is racial diversity. Frankly, the main form of diversification needed (as opposed to desired), is more childless people paying taxes and supporting the businesses that pay taxes.

                      2. I have told my partner for years that, much to white liberals’ chagrin, alot of blacks probably don’t want to be here (I’ll give you time to recover). Old houses, subways, buses – not so charming if you associate them with lack of wealth, the (bad) old days, and/or just dusty and tired. Maybe – just maybe – they want the hell away from small, grown men on bikes with bells, wearing helmets and Buddy Holly glasses and overly patronizing women in Birkenstocks trying to have a “dialogue” with them. Maybe- just maybe- the elderly black couple, who are offered what is to them an immense amount of money for their home, think “F YEAH! I am outta here!” Alot of black professionals want the hell out of the city and enjoy what you shun and what they never had: larger house, in the suburbs, 2 car garages, yard, and peace and quiet. If they *really* wanted to share glasses of local ale over bowls of your delicious organic farm to table cruel free hummus, trust me, they can. By the way, I have friends who crow “diversity” all day long, but I have never, ever – ever seen any black person from our housing project at one single function they’ve hosted nor have they ever invited anyone of true socioeconomic diversity to any of our dinners out or meet ups. So – how many of you all regularly socialize with those of *extremely* limited means and are of color? How many of you regularly invite them over for your dinner parties? How many of you regularly invite them to dinners out? I’ve been to alot of such functions and have never witnessed it. Ever. I guess endorsing $100k assuages alot of guilt.

                         1. “How many of you regularly invite them over for your dinner parties? How many of you regularly invite them to dinners out? ”

                            I guess I better not, since I’d likely be serving local ale and hummus. Glad you warned us. Though perhaps in my favor, I’m not a small man, nor do I have a bike with bells on it. Don’t have a bike at all, in fact. But I do have some Buddy Holly glasses around somewhere that I could be sure not to wear.

                         2. Very nicely done. I happen to be one that does have friends of a different race, and you are spot on. They make fun of me constantly for the things I like (local ale) and what Decatur is about ($30 oysters). To assume the only way we can get diversity of race is with low income housing is laughable (and I’m not saying that is anyone said that *cough* *cough*).

                4. Word.

    2. Define “meager means”. The median household income in Georgia is about $46k/yr. That’s definitely not enough to buy into Decatur today. If you want to buy a house in Decatur today, you need a household income of at LEAST $75-80k/yr, assuming a $350k house (and that’s a big assumption.)

       Starting salary for Decatur PD is right around $40k. Our teachers, the pride of our system, make somewhere around $50k. Those are just the numbers that were readily available online. I’m sure our sanitation and office workers don’t make that much. Are they the kind of people of “meager means” we don’t want living here?

       1. +1

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    1. I love this comment. I think we should adopt “a trailer park in Paulding County” as our go-to hyperbole. “Why, if we adopt that policy, its a slippery slope until we’re no more than a trailer park in Paulding County!”

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    1. I’m not sure how you’ve made the jump that there is a group of people expecting housing without working for it.

    2. I have told my partner for years that, much to white liberals’ chagrin, alot of blacks probably don’t want to be here (I’ll give you time to recover). Old houses, subways, buses – not so charming if you associate them with lack of wealth, the (bad) old days, and/or just dusty and tired. Maybe – just maybe – they want the hell away from small, grown men on bikes with bells, wearing helmets and Buddy Holly glasses and overly patronizing women in Birkenstocks trying to have a “dialogue” with them. Maybe- just maybe- the elderly black couple, who are offered what is to them an immense amount of money for their home, think “F YEAH! I am outta here!” Alot of black professionals want the hell out of the city and enjoy what you shun and what they never had: larger house, in the suburbs, 2 car garages, yard, and peace and quiet. If they *really* wanted to share glasses of local ale over bowls of your delicious organic farm to table cruel free hummus, trust me, they can. By the way, I have friends who crow “diversity” all day long, but I have never, ever – ever seen any black person from our housing project at one single function they’ve hosted nor have they ever invited anyone of true socioeconomic diversity to any of our dinners out or meet ups. So – how many of you all regularly socialize with those of *extremely* limited means and are of color? How many of you regularly invite them over for your dinner parties? How many of you regularly invite them to dinners out? I’ve been to alot of such functions and have never witnessed it. Ever. I guess endorsing $100k assuages alot of guilt.

       1. Well, Honey, meet the exception to your Decatur rule. I don’t know with whom you & your partner socialize, but my husband & I have more Black & Brown friends than we do White friends. Our dinner & cocktail & birthday parties have people from all walks, as well as all ranges on the color spectrum. It’s not really complicated–we like who we like, regardless of where they fall on the socioeconomic/color continuum, and we’re not concerned about keeping score, or trying to balance our “POC vs. white aging hipster” quotient. While we socialize with people who run the gamut of racial/ethnic/religious backgrounds, I must confess most of them share common values/political views with us & each other. Looking at us from the outside, people would say we’re a “diverse” group, but maybe we’re really only diverse on the surface. Speaking just from my own perspective, it’s more difficult for me to “mix” with people whose core values (including their politics) are markedly different from mine, than those who simply look/worship differently. YMMV.

          1. Uh… Um… What she said…

24. I’m sure I’m not alone in my belief that income & racial/ethnic diversity is not only a worthy goal, but makes for a more ideal place to live (at least, IMO). However, unless there’s a clearly articulated plan/process for the City to achieve these goals, I’m inclined to agree with the poster who said this just seems like Decatur’s commissioners throwing money at a problem they find difficult to talk about. When I first heard about this, I was hoping it meant there would be a combination of approaches–one of the most necessary (again, IMO) being some protracted sensitivity training for our police (which would include a refresher course on identifying actual suspicious persons, instead of simply assuming people of color are suspicious just by their presence), for starters. I would’ve liked to see similar outreach programs for non-police citizens, too. I can’t lie–it does bother me that we’re becoming more homogenous, and one of the biggest reasons that we’re becoming less racially/ethnically diverse is because we’re becoming less income-diverse. We all know Decatur is becoming impossible to afford not only for the working-class & poor folk, but for retirees as well (this is true regardless of whether someone is trying to own or rent a place to live here). I’d hoped a diversity outreach could’ve spanned a combination of methods to address these very real issues, rather than a feel-good band-aid that, after it fails, many would point to & say, “See? We tried, but it didn’t work. So much for diversity–let the market take over!!” Maybe the City can come back in 5 weeks with a more solid plan that it can actually articulate sufficiently for more of us to feel comfortable getting on board with it. I truly hope so.

    1. One of the primary causes seems to be worsening of schools in the city of Atlanta, which drives wealthier people to move to Decatur. The Decatur city administration has no control over the quality of schools in Atlanta.

    2. Cubalibre, well said

    3. +1. Can you be on this committee for diversity?

26. I feel much the same way you do, Cubalibre. That said, outside of the existing public housing stock, I just don’t see poor families being able to move here. On the other hand, I do think the substantial increase in rental units coming on board is an opportunity for more economic diversity in the middle-income range. Yes, I know the rents mentioned for them are quiet high, but sacrifices in other areas can make them doable. If one has a job on MARTA or in biking or walking distance, it is very easy to live here without a car. That’s usually the second biggest expense for people after housing.

    1. Wanted to add this to my above post, but missed the editing deadline: Aren’t we going to be adding about 2000 people to the population once all of these apartments are finished? That’s a significant number, many of whom will likely be less than upper-middle class. And they will almost certainly skew younger and with fewer children, which will further diversify the population.

28. If you actually look at the social research on diversity, you have to keep in mind a few things.

    The definition of diversity in use today was mostly created by employees of equal-opportunity and affirmative-action programs. Thus, diversity almost solely refers to race and gender in conventional discussions. Incidentally, this is why an institution that is 90% white will be criticized for lacking diversity, but an institution that is 90% black will not. I do not think race and gender are more important than political ideology, religion, occupation, class, and many other variables, if you are interested in diversity for the sake of getting to know people who are different from you.

    Also, social research by Robert Putnam and many less famous people as well shows that racial and ethnic diversity leads to a “hunkering down” effect. Essentially, people cluster with people who are similar to them, and there’s a weaker sense of community. This tradeoff between diversity and community seems fundamental–you can’t gain one without losing the other. Since people value both, it’s important to figure out how much of each you’re willing to lose.

    Any statistics on racial diversity need to include sensible base rates. This is a contrived example, but the statistic that Decatur is 70% white means one thing in a universe where the US is 50% white, and another thing in a universe where the US is 90% white. Currently, the US is 72% white. Decatur is approximately 73% white. If you prefer, instead of using the US as a reference, you can use the demographics of the state of Georgia (60% white), or the Atlanta metro area, or Dekalb county. I prefer to use either the US or Georgia, but your preferences may vary. I know that the full presentation to the board included benchmarks, but summaries of the presentation seems to omit them.

30. I am all for the churches in Decatur pooling together funds to facilitate a Compassionate Decatur conversation. I’m no tea bagger, but this whole premise just seems outside the scope of our city government. If this kind of extra money is floating around, maybe our property taxes are too high. Lowering those would be very compassionate.

    1. Such an effort could be spearheaded by Decatur Cooperative Ministry.

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