In the midst of the LA Fall, corporations are mobilizing their plans to overturn affordable housing situations of poor working residents in the inner city, both in Koreatown with the K3 Apartments and in Leimert Park. In the South-Central neighborhood, city council is pushing to redevelop the Bethune Regional Library on Western/39th Street, a historical library where local kids and residents can check out books, access free computers, free tutoring services, and simply access a quiet, comforting space to perform any desk work. In other words, the library compared to those in the high-income neighborhoods is a genuine community spot that has served and been appreciated by the local working-class people of the area; though once again in traditional indifferent fashion City Council has casted another community hold into the hands of corporate developers, to destroy and rebuild into a ‘luxury hotel’. Bold of the city to continue to neglect the needs and demand of the community again, because this time around the organized peoples of the neighborhood won't stand idly by to just let the city and enterprises ruin their hood anymore to fulfill their incessant appetite for profit.
Unidad Coalition is here to step up and take action, they are on the streets now shouting among the neighborhood, “NO LUXURY HOTEL ON PUBLIC LAND!”
This social movement organization explain themselves as, “The United Neighbors in Defense Against Displacement (UNIDAD) coalition [is the] product of a community collaboration formed to prevent the displacement of residents in South Central Los Angeles and to improve the health and economic well-being of low-income communities of color through responsible development.” (UNIDAD-LA)
In a relatively short amount of time, UNIDAD has mobilized fast against the Hotel Development, organizing outreach effort in the surrounding neighborhood, in the Rose Garden in Expo Park, and uniting with SAJE’s Youth Program to mobilize local youths to join their campaigns. The coalition is organizing several campaigns along with the effort to leverage the Los Angeles Area Planning Commission to overturn the decision for private development on public land, and instead build an affordable housing apartment, circling a community petition, hopping on public opinion calls for city council, and mobilizing the locals to join the struggle. Some of these campaigns are against the following effort to pass SB 1373, an ordinance that “would amend the Surplus Land Act in a way that would enable ongoing gentrification and the use of what is currently public land for private gain,” and develop a proposal, “in partnership with residents, business owners and other community-based organizations have begun to draft recommendations for the Community Plan which put people at the forefront,” called the People’s Proposal. “The People's Plan calls for city leaders to create policies that would protect South LA residents and ensure they have equitable access to healthy opportunities, such as: Affordable and Healthy housing, Economic Development and Employment opportunities, and Environmental and Health protections.” These particular campaigns stand as the coalitions two principles on their platform, “1. Community Benefits and an Inclusive Process, 2. The People's Plan, An Equitable Development Policy.
So as long as the city council keeps making bad decisions, expect organizations like UNIDAD to come up. The community organized, is not a community to play around with.