Before Gentrification: The Creation of DC's Racial Wealth Gap

This book connects the dots between redlining, incarceration, and gentrification in Washington, DC, revealing how policies and policing have displaced and decimated the Black middle class. It explores how DC became the nation's murder capital and incarceration capital and why it is now a haven for wealthy White people.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 05 September 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

This book explores the devastating impact of a century of redlining, disinvestment, and the War on Drugs on Black communities in Washington, DC. It reveals how these policies and practices have led to the displacement and decimation of the Black middle class, contributing to the city's status as the nation's murder capital and incarceration capital. Through the stories of those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, the author delves into the mechanisms that have made DC a haven for wealthy White people, highlighting the profound consequences of choosing prisons and policing as solutions to the problems faced by Black communities in the twentieth century. Before Gentrification serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing anti-Blackness and racial capitalism that pervades US cities, and its implications for communities across the nation.

This book explores the devastating impact of a century of redlining, disinvestment, and the War on Drugs on Black communities in Washington, DC. It reveals how these policies and practices have led to the displacement and decimation of the Black middle class, contributing to the city's status as the nation's murder capital and incarceration capital. Through the stories of those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, the author delves into the mechanisms that have made DC a haven for wealthy White people, highlighting the profound consequences of choosing prisons and policing as solutions to the problems faced by Black communities in the twentieth century. Before Gentrification serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing anti-Blackness and racial capitalism that pervades US cities, and its implications for communities across the nation.

Weight: 442g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520391178