Paul Elias, AP, December 30, 2008
As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren.
In 2006, as the influx reached its peak, the police department formed a special crime-fighting unit to deal with the complaints, and authorities began cracking down on tenants in federally subsidized housing.
Now that police unit is the focus of lawsuits by black families who allege the city of 100,000 is orchestrating a campaign to drive them out.
“A lot of people are moving out here looking for a better place to live,” said Karen Coleman, a mother of three who came here five years ago from a blighted neighborhood in nearby Pittsburg. “We are trying to raise our kids like everyone else. But they don’t want us here.”
{snip}
Across the country, similar tensions have simmered when federally subsidized renters escaped run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities in suburban Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles.
But the friction in Antioch is “hotter than elsewhere,” said U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spokesman Larry Bush.
An increasing number of poor families receiving federal rental assistance have been moving here in recent years, partly because of the housing crisis.
A growing number of landlords were seeking a guaranteed source of revenue in a city hard-hit by foreclosures. They began offering their Antioch homes to low-income tenants in the HUD Section 8 housing program, which pays about two-thirds of every tenant’s rent.
Between 2000 and 2007, Antioch’s black population nearly doubled from 8,824 to 16,316. And the number of Antioch renters receiving federal subsidies climbed almost 50 percent between 2003 and 2007 to 1,582, the majority of them black.
Longtime homeowners complained that the new arrivals brought crime and other troubles. In 2006, violent crime in Antioch shot up about 19 percent from the year before, while property crime went down slightly.
{snip}
Original article
(Posted on December 31, 2008)
Comments
“In some neighborhoods, it was complete madness,” said longtime resident David Gilbert, a black retiree who organized the United Citizens of Better Neighborhoods watch group. “They were under siege.”
Were they ‘under siege’ or ‘laying siege’ to their old neighborhood? I think most of us here at AmRen know the answer. And we also know who, despite all evidence, the media and racial activists (one and the same?) will claim is ‘under siege’.
This couldn’t be happening to a nicer bunch of cosmopolitan whites. Knowing what I know about the political demographics of the Bay Area, I think that I can safely say that most of the white people in this article have a voting and political history that enabled the sort of social changes that are occurring right before their own eyes in their own hoods. For those of you (a minority to be sure) who don’t fit that profile, my condolences.
Violent crime goes up 19% in one year (and how many murders) and all the newspaper can do is call it an increase in ‘tension’ and highlight the problems of black folks? I suppose commentary from the crime victims themselves might have further endangered their own lives, in the ‘enlightened’ rainbow city the newspaper has helped create.
Antioch in the early 1980s was almost all white, with zero blacks.Not too long ago, there was an alleged incident where a black family said that they had a hate crime done against them, with racist graffiti being spray painted inside their home. All of the anti racist whiteys got together and raised some moolah for them. A little later, it was found out to be a hoax.They must have really needed some cash.
“But the friction in Antioch is “hotter than elsewhere,” said U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spokesman Larry Bush.”
Because the run of the mill whites are starting to figure it out. Sorry Ma & Pa kettle…Too little too late. The battle is lost. Where were you in 1965 when Ted Kennedy did his dirty work. Or should I ask where were you when you allowed the civil war and Lincoln to decided this question for us.
Wow! Those racist White homeowners need to just quit their whining. They think just because they work hard and are responsible with their money that they are entitled to live in a clean, quiet, crime and drug free neighborhood?! What nerve! These poor Black families are just trying to raise their kids like everyone else. It’s not their fault that they are loud, obnoxious, dirty, and like to rob school children. It’s clearly the fault of the White homeowners that have rejected them and made them to feel marginalized. If those racist Whites would just learn to be more accepting of their poor, federally-funded Black neighbors then things would be much more copacetic. I’m sure after the their White teen aged daughters get impregnated by some Black boys then they will be like one big happy, multicultural family.
Only those who are victims of the Government’s dysfunctional “higher education” industry would need to debate whether or not the arrival of “Blacks” in any neighborhood would result in crime, civil chaos and disorder arriving with them.
Ronald
I live in the city adjacent to Antioch, and it is bizarre - in 8 years time the quality of life has diminished due to minority influx from SF, Oakland, and Ricmond. Clinton’s Community Redevelopment Act is a socialist plot to place poor inner-city minorities in pristine White suburbs. This has caused crime and violence to escalate 60% (and rising) while diminishing property values. Due to the minority lending meltdown (Fannie & Freddy) of the housing market, I personally have seen my modest 2bd home lose 100K in value. The children of these Section 8’ers bring their ghetto thug mentality to this area, and walk around like they own the city. They have no shame, no pride, and nothing positive to contribute. If a White resident complains, they play the race deck - not just a single card. Combine this with illegal aliens flooding CA, and NorCal will soon become North Brazilia. America is in deep trouble…
Is’nt it ridiculous how these people flee one area because they don’t like the environment, yet they work as hard as they can to bring the same environment to their new area. The stupidity is mind boggling. Maybe obama can save ‘em.
What is not mentioned here is who is outraged. Are those Hispanic gangsters outraged? Are those Indian H1B Visa programmers outraged?
Maybe those neighbors “loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren” because there WERE all those things.
it has to be a coincidence that crime, poverty and social chaos just happened to rear its ugly head when these africans moved in. I mean, we’re all the same…right? There’s good and bad in all races…right?
This is a government sponsered takeover of a neighborhood.
Whites will do what they always do, move out.
“escape run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities”
Yes, but these blacks are escaping from other blacks, yet they are already blaming whites upon arrival. Whites are resisting having their neighborhood turned into a blighted run down neighborhood.
How wonderful that white liberals are getting the chance to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. I love it.
Whenever you have a clean, comfortable white neighborhood you will soon have a government agency moving blacks into it. There will be no end to this unless whites learn to organize politically and organize along racial lines like everone else. But I don’t see that happening. Most whites are clueless on racial and political matters. This is an area where blacks and other minority groups are well ahead of whites.
What’s up? I’ve been told again and again and again that whites flee blacks because whites are racist.
BUT whites who live in integrated neighborhoods that I know have been beaten, assaulted, and raped. In fact, they seem to have been targeted because they were white.
What’s up with this? Are there any blacks reading this? Because, seriously, I’ve seen it again and again and again. I’m an ex-liberal, but I’m not stupid. What is up with this?
Answer me.
“As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren.”
Well, all I can say is that I echo those who have made the point above already, that these Lilly white Marxist fools in Antioch are getting exactly what they deserve, the “joys of diversity.” That wonderful and strong thing that you or I should always enjoy, but not them, ever.
Enjoy comrades, enjoy!
The only people I feel sorry for are the schoolchildren, since they didn’t ask to be born to a pair of Communist idiots. For them, it just happened and that makes me very sad; hopefully, they will learn from the errors of their parents ways.
Learn and never forget!
West Pittsburg was renamed Bay Point 10 years ago to try and upgrade it’s image. It quickly became known as Gun Point. Not even the illegals like to go there.
I think some of these African (I’ve started to omit the hyphenated American part ) section 8 renters would find a warm welcome in Montecito , California where the liberal Hollywood “elite” have settled . Oprah Winfrey has plenty of vacant rooms in her $57 million mansion . When I rented a room in a garage on an estate years ago , the multi-culti,”enlightened” , liberal owners were seen coercing an unknown , Black landscaper to participate in a “family photo” to show how racially “tolerant” they are . The Montecito section of Santa Barbara would be very welcoming to an African influx .
Those Bay area whites are not walking their talk! Wowie! What a surprise — not!
This is the “kumbyah” bunch who wants to organize a group-hug whenever 2 or more people gather, and then run the country down in every piece of legislation that comes down the political pike.
They’re now getting a reality check from hell. These Bay area whites kept on voting for the same leftist idiots in all levels of government, and now you’re paying the price.
Cry me a river.
Flaxen-Headed strumpet has it wrong here. Antioch isn’t one of those Bay Area suburbs full of white liberal-voting airheads. It’s actually the opposite, full of white people with few advantages but lots of capacity for work, family, community, etc. With lower incomes, little education, few social skills and no connections, these are the kind of people who know from sad experience exactly who’s going to be paying the price when the latest social-policy fad is put into effect. They certainly wouldn’t have voted for anything like this, even if they’d had the opportunity.
Section 8 has been destroying working-class white neighborhoods for decades- how come the problem is only now in the spotlight? Possibly it’s because until now there’s been no organized resistance.
Silent Bureaucrat
In the last 8 years, the black (and now increasingly hispanic) population has exploded. At times during the day and on the bus to and from work, I’m the minority among blacks.
The change has been dramatic and clearly planned and organized. Housing Opportunities Made Equal http://www.homeny.org/ and Belmont Shelter http://refs05.securesites.net/snap059/ and HUD have their fingerprints all over this as housing signs carry their logos and names.
Blacks standing around doing nothing or selling drugs or pushing trash around in shopping carts are common sights. In the last month, a black family moved in across the street into a very well maintained house that never had any problems. For some inexplicable reason, the wooden fence in the driveway has been flattened and no effort has been made to repair it or even move it out of the driveway. It’s just laying in the driveway blocking the car.
We’ve had two large-scale drug busts in the last two years. The police I know have described how these black and hispanic gangs are setting up shop all with the aid of HUD, HOME, and Belmont who don’t ‘discriminate’ against anyone. Thugs and criminals are just poor blacks being discriminated against according to these feel-good groups.
No long-time white resident here is blind. They see the changes in the sharp contrast of black and white. People are leaving. HUD, Belmont, and HOME couldn’t be happier. They have move homes to bring in more blacks and hispanics who are fleeing the hellholes they created and turning this community into the places they left behind.
John PM, I always respect your comments. Yet on this one story I think that you need to know that Antioch has a lot of Conservatives. I don’t live far from there and I have witnessed that the Christian presence -not Marxist-prevails. It’s just that our government has forced the ghetto onto this community. If there are White Marxists there (I am sure that there has to be a remnant) then they are indeed reaping the affects of their ideology. Don’t confuse Antioch with the East Bay. If I am wrong about my assessment, John, I sincerely apologize. There have been just too many great insights you have provided over the years from you and I just want you to have my input about Antioch. I’m sure if you’ve been there as many times as I you might agree.
We purchased a home in Pittsburg, Ca. in 1978. Blacks who served in WW2 remained in well kept middle class homes. Then, the good old section 8’ers started to move from Oakland into Pittsburg and as the saying goes “There goes the neighborhood”.
Redevelopment monies from the government then tore down the black neighborhood and re-located the 8’ers to West Pittsburg and Antioch.
We moved from Pittsburg to Los Angeles (Frying pan to the Fire).
San Fransisco is renowned as a super-Liberal city, with a super-Liberal agenda, and a large homosexual population with an abnormally high rate of HIV/AIDS and other STDs. The super-Liberal White residents of San Fransisco, and their political partners in other urban holes across the nation, are largely responsible for the death of America.
Nothing pleases me more than seeing Frisco overrun with Blacks and hearing the hypocritical, Liberal Whites cry about it, all the while being forced to take a strong dose of their own medicine.
This is almost as good as watching Hillary and Slick Willie beaten down by Blacks in the Democratic primaries, 9-to-1, as a reward for spending more than a decade earning the title “First Black President”.
Perhaps there is justice in the world after all.
To the few traditional Conservatives in San Fran, you have my condolences.
Have you noticed how the section 8 housing, Somali “refugees”, and illegal immigrants never wind up in Chappaqua, Hyannisport, or any of those other places where our rich, liberal elites live?
“Whenever you have a clean, comfortable white neighborhood you will soon have a government agency moving blacks into it”.
I would say blacks take even greater pleasure moving into poor ‘white’ neighborhoods. Not that there are any left.
Drove into Antioch, Frisco Bay
Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Except for the tough Scots-Irishman in Berkeley, the greater area of the Bay Area with whites is teeming with kumbiyah whites and their idiotic ways. Unfortunately, many of the patterns that come out of this odd sliver of territory affect all of us. This is typical black behavior that the woosy liberals will soon have to get used to.
“A lot of people are moving out here looking for a better place to live,” said Karen Coleman, a mother of three who came here five years ago from a blighted neighborhood in nearby Pittsburg.
Interesting how those better places are almost always predominantly white neighborhoods. Interesting as well, how they rarely stay that way once the demographics start to change. Also funny how when whites start to complain, it’s always due to racism, not because they too, want to raise their children in nice area, and aren’t happy about seeing blight enter their communities.
Only 55% of the residents of Antioch are non-hispanic white people and their real estate values have dropped more than half in only two years, so I’ll scratch this city off my list for my next move.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Antioch-California.html
Whenever you have a clean, comfortable white neighborhood you will soon have a government agency moving blacks into it. There will be no end to this unless whites learn to organize politically and organize along racial lines like everone else. But I don’t see that happening. Most whites are clueless on racial and political matters. This is an area where blacks and other minority groups are well ahead of whites.
Anytime whites organize along racial lines, they will inevitably be accused of racism, and even white supremacy. Since the 60’s white guilt has been ingrained in most whites.
“White privilege” is supposed to automatically exclude whites from daring to speak out about the needs of their own. While blacks, and other minorities, are expected, and even encouraged to do so.
Ironically, seeing as non-whites are becoming less and less a minority in most Western countries, and with most whites being socially discouraged and even downright scorned for caring about their own. In the long run whites are fast becoming the most non-privileged people of all. As our numbers steadily decline next to other ethnic groups, we will find ourselves a truly oppressed minority, still conditioned to think of ourselves as being privileged with, and no right to speak up for ourselves, lest we offend the sensitivities of other races.
Our real problem, is we have been socially conditioned to be fearful and guilt ridden for caring about the needs of our own people. As long as this remains the case, white flight will continue until there is nowhere left to run.
This article makes the point that with the rise in number of Section 8 (mostly black residents) violent crime rises 19%. Then at the very end of the article lets loose with the howler “Tensions like those afflicting Antioch have drawn scholars and law enforcement officials to debate whether crime follows subsidized renters out of the tenements to the suburbs.”
They began offering their Antioch homes to low-income tenants in the HUD Section 8 housing program, which pays about two-thirds of every tenant’s rent.
Interesting, is it not, that after eight years of the GOP in the White House, here we have an out-and-out socialist program of the government paying peoples’ rent and then engaging in massive social engineering. Makes you wonder whatever happened to Republican promises to cut “big government” and “end welfare”.
The best way to describe Antioch is that it shouldn’t be confused with the Bay Area suburb of Marin County. Whites in Antioch are the typical liberals of the East Bay.
To White is Beautiful Robert, regarding:
“Don’t confuse Antioch with the East Bay. If I am wrong about my assessment, John, I sincerely apologize. There have been just too many great insights you have provided over the years from you and I just want you to have my input about Antioch. I’m sure if you’ve been there as many times as I you might agree.”
Robert,
Good to hear from you and thanks sincerely for the information on how Antioch differs with the East Bay. My comments above, were based on my general opinion of the area (which I openly admit is somewhat limited to begin with) and also some of the observations of other posters as well. Since you live in the area and know it better than I possibly could, I will take you at your word that Antioch is not some hive of unwashed Red freaks all dope dazed, and cavorting about in sandals and beads.
This only makes this article one thousand to a billion times worse however, since it would have no positive side to it now. If the majority of whites living in Antioch are respectable Americans fit for such a description, then it means they are now suffering under the official “tolerance” terrorism progroms that our government seems to simply have been thriving on for the last 50 to 60 years. Not comforting, to say the least, but what really is these days?
Again Robert, thank you sincerely for the inside info and also for your kind words about my writings in general; you have a great and prosperous New Year my good man,
John PM!
Are communities allowed to reject Section 8 programs? If there is one way to protect our neighborhoods it is to keep Section 8 out of our towns and no housing projects either. I hope more communities are aware that subsidized housing and section 8 attracts the worst members of society. Many towns have been foolish in the past falling for the Washington bait of federal money for these housing projects. Now they have to deal with the crime and welfare. Elderly housing isn’t even safe since back in the Clinton administration HUD decided that the handicapped should be eligible for elderly housing as well. Soon they were allowing alcoholics and drug users into the elderly housing because, guess what? Drug users and alcoholics were “handicapped”! Can you believe it? Elderly people were being mugged in their elderly housing.
This is how the Democrats work. They used the elderly to get votes but then they throw them under the bus when some new pc group appeals to their twisted sense of compassion. It is better to just reject Washington’s money because if you accept the money you have to accept their rules. Some towns have tried keeping their subsidized housing for natives to the town but the ACLU soon put an end to that. So towns have to put outsiders before their own people. A person who has lived in a community all of their lives can be turned down for subsidized housing while someone from out of state can get an apartment.
To Silent Bureaucrat—My apologies for being presumptuous. There is a term for being unjustifiably prejudiced against a person or people based on their geographical residence. I am guilty of that term for my remarks on this thread. My apologies to all.
Millie asked:
Are communities allowed to reject Section 8 programs?
I don’t know about Section 8, but I’ve heard several stories just from St. Louis about those who tried to organize opposing housing project were visited by the FBI and warned about engaging in “civil rights violations.” Though I don’t know if the FBI would visit black thugs in these projects were visited by the FBI and warned about civil rights violations.
“Influx of black renters raises tension”,,,
Is there ANY place that blacks go where “tensions” are lowered? Is there ANY place blacks go to that they improve?
“Nothing pleases me more than seeing Frisco overrun with Blacks and hearing the hypocritical, Liberal Whites cry about it, all the while being forced to take a strong dose of their own medicine.
Posted by at 12:37 AM on January 1”
The article describes what’s happening in Antioch, way over in the east bay, not in San Francisco. You are right that the people in S.F. are super-liberal, and they probably support Section 8, in no small part because it is moving blacks out of their city, and in to someone elses. But it is not them who is suffering the degredation of their city due to this cause. It’s the previously white, working and middle class cities east of Oakland.
So now, the white population of Antioch, CA is experiencing the joys of multiculturalism, firsthand, and they’re howling like a wolf gone mad. I love it.
What did they expect, that black people were like “The Cosby Show” portrayed them, or like some Bud Yorkin-Norman Lear TV production?
We have a community up here near Sacramento called Rocklin. The way they dealt with section 8 was to create only senior section 8 housing. they fulfilled the law without importing the benefits of diversity.
Per Proactive from above…”…reality check”. Yep, that simple. I remember using this term a lot in the 80’s. I sincerely hope it’s making a come back. It really should.
Everytime you hear a liberal eat crow…just say…Hello?…Reality Check?!
It worked back then…!
As always…”Don’t blame me, I voted for the white guy!” :)
So, is the goal of this subsidized housing programs specifically for getting poor black into nice white neighborhoods which they played no part in creating. Thats funny the remarks about trying to raise your kids like everyone else. There not like everyone else there invading a land which doesn’t belong to them of course the natives aren’t going to want you there.
Taking the people out of the ghetto does not take the ghetto out of the people, and the result is that they create a new ghetto wherever they’re planted.
Antioch honors Dr. King-
http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/MLK/
In NYC it is illegal to refuse a section 8 voucher. If a section 8 voucher is refused, there is basis to file an official complaint by calling 311. No landlord, even private homeowners, can refuse a section 8 voucher legally.
Some race-aware whites should start a ‘section 8 watch’ website, which could inform its readers of where this legislation was being proposed around America. This would give white realists the ability to move away first whilst their houses have more value, and will also create a moral dilemma for those whites who prefer not to think about such things—do they take the advice of their ‘racist’ amren reading neighbour, or hang around and watch their street get turned into the Congo?
Soprano Fan wrote:
“What did they expect, that black people were like “The Cosby Show” portrayed them, or like some Bud Yorkin-Norman Lear TV production?”
This is so true. I was thinking of this the other day. In Good Times, you had strong, nuclear families with hard-working parents who taught their kids wrong from right. Yet they still lived in public housing in the ghetto and couldn’t get ahead because of whitey.
But if you went into some of those black Chicago projects there were probably no two-parent families or people who held down 2-3 low wage jobs.
It was all anti-white propaganda.
I made a typo. I said the Whites of Antioch Aren’t the typical liberals of the East Bay and shouldn’t be compared to them. I don’t know why I made such a mistake.
Flower Mound, Texas is a decent mostly white community, but has recently started allowing Section 8 renters in, and it has been going downhill fast.
Fortunately, I got my wife and kids out while the getting was good and got that house sold!
Considerably whiter here in our village in Germany. If the Africans get into our town, not sure where we’ll go, though. Russia could be good. I am blessed to speak German and Russian and can make it anywhere.
God Bless, you all in the New Year!
“Longtime homeowners complained that the new arrivals brought crime and other troubles. In 2006, violent crime in Antioch shot up about 19 percent from the year before, while property crime went down slightly.”
The “racist” accusations by evil whites is true. But the blacks will not admit it. 40 years ago Pittsburgh was a great little town. But some of the developers marketed their homes to government employees. That meant blacks. It took the black government employees and their thug children only about 15 years to destroy Pittsburgh. Now they are moving on seeking other towns to destroy.
Of course, the issue never raised in stories like these is exactly who wrecked the neighborhoods these Section 8 renters are fleeing. Was it educated white guys from the suburbs driving into the ‘hoods at night who made them unliveable?
If or when you see the words “Redevelopment” in any city or county budget or hear it discussed at a meeting ask the tough questions immediately. This means you are going to have a influx of Section 8, crime and racist blacks living right next door to you. First signs are extra cars in driveways/parking stalls, fast food/diapers in streets, loud noise/music, punks wearing hoodies/baggy pants, crime rate going up, problems with fights/theft/assault in schools. It never fails.
Vote in Libtards for your government and bank on it.
