Clarksville was originally established as the first freedman’s town west of the Mississippi. A plantation owner, Pease, gave his favorite slaves land in this area to establish their lives post Civil War and to meet up with lost friends and families. Clarksville was a center of African American culture in Austin, where the first Black newspaper was established, churches, and schools were built. The construction of Mopac and rising property taxes have since driven out original families of the area, and in have moved upper middle class, generally white families.

The construction of Mopac is one of the strongest causes of the deterioration of the Black neighborhood. It was built where it would slice directly through the heart of Clarksville, an example of structural racism. Soon, businesses and new development were driving up the cost of property taxes. If you’ve ever been to Clarksville, it is apparent that the original culture, houses, and race of the neighborhood have changed dramatically.

I work at Zocalo Café, a small Mexican restaurant at the center of current day Clarksville. I’ve begun to know the regulars of the area, and can say that the number of minorities I see is near zero on a daily basis. The families of the area are young, white, college graduates who are generally new to the neighborhood. I actually had no idea that Clarksville was one of the first black neighborhoods in Texas until I began researching gentrification in Austin. The remnants of the culture are almost non-existent.

Unfortunately, based on the history of Clarksville, this is probably the future of East Austin. If I knew how to combat this problem, I’d express it right about…. HERE. But obviously I do not. This blog entry is more of just a prediction based on an earlier precedent on the direction East Austin is heading. Austin should provide protection to these families by locking property taxes where they are currently. At least allowing the opportunity to stay. Will this solve the problem? No, as local businesses will also see a rise in prices and the lifestyle will most definitely change.

More on Clarksville:

http://www.historicclarksville.org/history.htm

The infamous 1928 city plan that racially divided Austin at I-35 persisted into the 21^st century even within the nightlife and entertainment spectrum. Bars catering to Hispanic populations were the norm on the East Side as recent as the 2000s.

The East Caesar Chavez Plan attempted to provide existing residents with protection from impending gentrification in the future bar-smattered area. It divided the neighborhood into three segments: residential, conditional use, and arts/culture. Protection of the existing population is to occur within the residential segment where, hopefully, housing will remain affordable.

It may appear that gentrification has been pushed upon East Austin, but the bar owner of Rio Rita (an East Side bar) says that because of the 2008 recession, many existing bars and houses were being abandoned because the local residents were having the most trouble finding work during this period. According to him, the current East Side Bar scene moved into these areas of weakness and helped revitalize it instead of the common misconception that they forced the lower class out.

Regardless, this recent moving across I-35 by middle class whites and students does present a slew of problems that Austin will need to address in the next few years, even with plans such as The East Caesar Chavez Neighborhood plan in place.

Read more on this:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2012-02-24/sixth-sense/

Keep going Alexander! Can’t wait to see the office when you’re finished. What an amazing accomplishment to actually design AND build a permanent structure at 22.

Need a hair cut? I’m practically a professional if you look from 15 feet or more and don’t mind being covered in hair during the experience.

Mine and Nik’s submission into the AC-CA competition.

Happy birthday Alexander! Dinner at Ranch 616 then a surprise party at Brian and Daniel’s complete with a piñata with an uncanny resemblance to Alex’s head. Fun to smash.

Another surprise was in store for Alex Saturday morning at East Side Cafe where his entire family was waiting for him. Belinis, blintzes, and blueberries. Oh my!

Alex and I are currently in a custody battle over Otilie Ann Odom. Since we live in two separate cities, we switch her off every week. It’s just so lonely here in my one bedroom efficiency I want her EVERY week.

Otilie’s favorite activities are chewing up anything left on the floor including shoes, paper, and my Bose headphones. She loves chasing dogs half her size, especially when being waked by old ladies. O, and she loves to cuddle. Best dog ever.

I was particularly interested in the reading about Jane Jacobs and her book written in the 1960s questioning established practices in urban planning. Even in class we have been assuming that green spaces and parks revitalize an urban neighborhood and provide safe spaces for women and children. Jacobs questions and even proves that this is often not the case with many accepted practices. Narrow, crowded neighborhood streets area often better places for children to play as they are safer because of neighbors’ ability to watch from their windows. An intricate “street ballet” occurs in these heavily populated areas that is beneficial to its residents for the interpersonal relationships it establishes.

From my own observations, I haven’t been particularly impressed with the park only a few hundred feet from my apartment. Maybe it is because of the recent murder of a young woman by an attacker on King Street, but I don’t feel particularly safe alone in this park. It seems to be more of a refuge for the homeless than for children. I mentioned this in my observations this week as well. Perhaps, for myself, it is the “perception of crime” that hinders my use more than actual crime. I found this brief paragraph about this.

“However, there is a difference between actual crime statistics in a park and the perception of crime in a protected area. People’s perception of crime in the Heart of the City can be distorted by old information, ignorance of the facts, racism, or other influences. Perception of crime is typically identified as the most significant concern that prevents outsiders from visiting the Heart of the City and from using the open space resources in the area, particularly Franklin Park. Actual crime statistics in Heart of the City parks reflect that the parks are as safe or safer than those in other neighborhoods of Boston and that crime incidences have plummeted since the 1970s.”

Overall, I’m more creating an opposing viewpoint than arguing that parks are unnecessary or always unsafe. A park cannot just exist as an open space, it must be well kempt, highly visible, and perceived as safe.