Gentrification Essay

The documentary, Flag Wars, takes a look at the two groups of people in Columbus, Ohio going through a period of competition and war. The African Americans who are currently living in the community are in danger of losing their home to the new white and gay residents who want to restore the area with new homes. This creates gentrification because it causes some of the long-time residents of the community to lose their home when they can’t afford to pay for it anymore.
I believe that gentrification has more of a negative effect on the community in Columbus, Ohio because you can see that the current African American residents in the community are constantly getting housing violations for simple things like having a carved sign above their homes. One of the current resident believes that the violations are happening only because the new residents moving in on the same block. I also think that the only reason Columbus, Ohio is being gentrified is because of the location, architecture, and culture of the area. The newer residents are moving in because they think that it is a desirable location to live in.
The program enhances my opinion about race, privilege and poverty because the newer residents in the community have the money to buy the run-down homes in the community, while the older residents who can’t afford to keep their homes because they don’t have enough money are being forced out the neighborhood. One of the current residents that live in the community is extremely sick and has trouble with her liver. She lived on disability insurance and couldn’t afford to fix her home or move the cars that were currently in the back of her yard. At the end of the documentary, she dies and her home is eventually repaired and sold. There was a town hall meeting in the community when the residents were telling the officials what their problems were. I think that there were a few residents that were angry about the fact that the area was slowly being turned into a Historic