Squirrel Hill: The Struggle Continues
My personal experience with gentrification in Philadelphia is sadly one that is all too familiar. Forced from my home of over ten years after an out of town developer purchased the property and dramatically raised rents, I spent one year in a slum lord situation on the outskirts of the city before finally being able to move back somewhat closer to my old neighborhood thanks to a co-habitation situation. The proposed development at Squirrel Hill was triggering not only for me, but I imagine also for many of the almost 600 people who signed a petition in opposition to this project. The specter of more displacement surely influenced the many, many community members who attended meetings, protested, wrote letters, and voiced strong opposition to this huge apartment complex that would totally change the unique and eclectic character (and affordability) of our neighborhood.
The opposition to this development was so fierce that our council person, Jamie Gauthier, released a statement in support of the community and against the proposed zoning variance that would allow the development to move forward. The decision of the zoning board to approve this project despite strong opposition from both community members and government officials signals several things: 1) the undemocratic and corrupt nature of city planning 2) a further escalation of the class war against low income people, and 3) the need for a mass mobilization against displacement and the corruption that enables it.
Stable housing is healthcare. Stable housing is also a pathway to safety and security, but most city government decision makers could care less if poor and low income people have a tolerable quality of life. The many homeless people sprawled out on our streets and languishing in pop-up camps are a testament to this indifference. Desperate people are literally selling their bodies, skipping medications, and working 2–3 dead-end menial jobs to keep a roof over their head in order to avoid being forced to sleep on the street or in an encampment. Meanwhile, houses and apartments that could easily be subsidized sit empty collecting dust, and renters are totally at the mercy of the fickle marketplace. Rent control? What’s that? We don’t do those sorts of things here.
It’s no secret that corruption is a major problem in this city, but witnessing it firsthand via the zoning board process was nevertheless very eye opening. For context, we recently had a stark view of this corruption when it was revealed that city officials, with the mayor’s support, gave a 22 year old Drexel student with no medical training or experience the green light and resources to open the city’s first vaccine clinic. The Black Doctor’s Covid Consortium, an organization actually led by medical professionals seeking to engage with under served communities, was originally overlooked in favor of Andrei Doroshin precisely because the founder and main spokesperson (Dr. Ala Stanford) is a Black woman, and everyone knows it. This city’s fetish for neoliberal entrepreneurship combined with a reflexive, deferential attitude towards white dudes with deep pockets coalesced in the “vaccine bro” Doroshin scandal. It’s probably just a coincidence that Doroshin’s father is a real estate developer. Probably.
The fact that SEPTA is now scrambling to find an appropriate location for its modernized trolley fleet after Amazon outbid them for warehouse space is another sign of this corruption in action. Rather than deploying imminent domain to secure the best option for public transit riders (80,000 of whom ride the trolleys every weekday), local officials and politicians allowed a predatory corporation to swoop in and get that prime real estate. Our political leaders have never met a corporation or a millionaire they didn’t like; they spoil them with care and consideration. Meanwhile, regular people will just have to figure something out.
Essentially, if you’re a white guy with deep pockets and connections you can get whatever you want in this city very easily whether you’re Jeff Bezos or Andrei Doroshin; this dynamic was confirmed by the zoning board’s decision to disregard the literally hundreds and hundreds of local residents in opposition to the proposed development. Having access to sleazy lawyers and paid consultants who will parrot whatever bullshit you’re peddling definitely helps as well. It also helps to have an unelected zoning board that salivates over rich developers, ready to rubber stamp anything with enough dollar signs attached to it. And unbeknownst to many Philadelphia residents, this zoning board is a major reason why many of our neighborhoods look like out of control construction zones with monstrous, ugly buildings being thrown up on every available square inch of land, especially in gentrifying tracts of north, west and south Philly. Many of these buildings would not exist without the zoning variances granted by the zoning board because, guess what, these neighborhoods were originally designed to be places where people lived in community. As things stand now, our neighborhoods are being transformed into corporate marketplaces that cater to wealthy developers, transient university students and well heeled young professionals looking for a cute place they can display on Instagram.
At the zoning board hearing, where dozens of people were prepared to testify in opposition to the proposed development, it was clear that the board’s chair Frank DiCicco was hell bent on approving the variance and allowing the development to move forward. Those who testified in favor of the development were spoken to with warmth and respect and allowed to speak without interruption; those in opposition were often rudely interrupted, cut off, or in one shocking instance, entirely blocked from speaking altogether at the behest of the developers’ lawyer. During this meeting DiCicco expressed visible annoyance at those who dared oppose his precious developers; he also thoroughly and enthusiastically embodied the stereotype of the racist and sexist south Philly Italian. This will all be confirmed by video of the meeting soon to be released by the Protect Squirrel Hill group.
Those who know DiCicco may not be surprised by any of this. He’s the former city councilman who was largely responsible for pushing through the developer-friendly ten year tax abatement. Mayor Kenney appointed him chair of the zoning board after the previous chair was indicted for fraud. I’m sure it’s entirely coincidental that a corporate lobbyist who loves real estate developers found himself chair of the board that approves development. It appears Washington D.C. is not the only swamp that needs draining.
At the end of the day, the issue of whether or not people can afford to live in their neighborhoods or find affordable housing is not theoretical. Safe and affordable housing should be available to everyone in every neighborhood, and this is not something that should be up for debate. The denial of housing to poor and low income people and the lack of protections for renters is a form of class war. Those with money and resources can rely on a corrupt, capitalist friendly bureaucracy to promote their interests while those of us with less privilege and access are left to scream into the wind. This situation is unsustainable. As more and more people sink into desperation, the continued callousness of government officials towards the plight of poor and working class people is indeed akin to playing with fire.
Even though we’ve had a setback with this atrocious zoning board decision, the fight continues! Without getting into strategy here, let me just say that people are not prepared to take this lying down. City officials and their proxies who are intent on silencing the community, trampling our rights and throwing us to the wolves should remember that their addresses and workplaces are often on the public record and easily searchable online. Considering the large numbers of activists and socially engaged folks living in this community, many of whom are ready to protest and cause a ruckus without hesitation, the powers that be may have miscalculated. I repeat, we’re not going to take this lying down. Onward!
