Parramore and Mayor Pete have something in common -- gentrification

Gentrification (pushing poor people out of the neighborhood to make room for wealthier residents) is a dirty word in Parramore.

Gentrification is also a dirty word in the northwest side of South Bend, Indiana.

South Bend is led by “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg, who quickly became one of the highest profile politicians running to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. President.

Under Mayor Pete, South Bend – the home of Notre Dame University – embarked on an initiative called “1,000 Houses in 1,000 Days.” Through that program, the city demanded that 1,000 rundown houses be repaired or torn down.

The result was that 60 percent of the homes were demolished. Many residents of those communities were poor, or black and brown. People who lived in the rental properties that were demolished said they had difficulty finding new affordable housing. Roughly 40 percent of South Bend’s residents are black and brown.

The demolitions created an opportunity for investors to build new, more expensive housing. It also left neighborhoods scarred with empty lots – a common site throughout Parramore.

Now gentrification – partly inspired by the presence of Notre Dame University – is spreading across minority neighborhoods.

During a recent interview with Buzz Feed News, Regina Williams-Preston, a South Bend black community activist, said, “This is just how economic development happens. And I’m constantly telling the administration: If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always gotten. And what we’ve always gotten in cities all across the country is displacement of poor people and people of color.”