State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

CASE STUDY 17GENTRIFICATION AND HOUSINGINSECURITY ERASE THE PAST ANDCREATE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURECharlene Campbell has lived most ofher life in N/NE Portland. Now, likemany of her former Black neighbors,she lives east of 82nd Avenue. Charlenesays, “There are more Blacks living out here thanbefore. Go farther out—Burnside and 162nd, andeven out on 181st—you see a lot of Black faces. Allthose people you mean when you say, ‘I wonderwhat happened to them.’ They’re out here.”For the last seven years, Charlene, 62, has livedwith her 39-year-old daughter and her threegranddaughters, ages 21, 13 and 8. Earlier, shemoved from place to place, progressively fartherfrom N Portland, where she grew up.Before moving in with her daughter, Charlene’slast stable living situation was a house in NEPortland. She received a “no cause” eviction; thelandlords didn’t have to explain why they werekicking her out. The constant uncertainty wasa struggle. She says, “It affects a lot becauseyou don’t know whether you’re going to be in aplace or on the streets.”Charlene helps her daughter pay rent and bills.Even though Southeast is more affordable thanNortheast, it’s still a daily struggle to makeall the payments. With the inflation in rentalprices, going back to her old neighborhood isunthinkable.Charlene grew up in Columbia Villa whenBlacks primarily lived in North Portland. Placeslike Mississippi Avenue and Alberta Street arestarkly different from when she was young.She rarely saw Whites in these areas, whichwere predominantly Black, full of businessesthat served the Black community. Now they’remostly White, with little indication of the past.Even Columbia Villa is a far cry from what sheremembers. It was rebuilt and renamed NewColumbia in 2005. Charlene says the mostnoticeable difference is the influx of housingdevelopments. “When I lived there, it was betterbecause you had your own yard. You could doyour own thing. You had neighbors, but it wasn’tlike your door here, their door there.”While her new home in many ways remindsher of where she grew up, there are also majordifferences. Southeast is rural. The streets arelong, with few sidewalks, and you can walk longstretches without seeing a crosswalk. She hasfew friends who live in the area and relies onthe phone to stay in touch. For the most part,Charlene keeps to herself.144