In 2013 the US was still reeling from the collapse of the housing market in 2008. While hundreds of thousands of Americans unjustly lost their homes, many foreclosed on illegally, there was one upside to this collapse. For a few years at least, irresponsible sprawl development was put on hold across most the nation. I… Continue reading The Earth Isn’t Dying, It’s Being Killed by Realtors
Category: Right to the City
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs Amazon’s City-Destroying Machine
With the nonstop national media coverage of AOC, you’d be forgiven for forgetting she’ll actually be representing a geographically small congressional district starting January 2019 comprised mostly of Queens and the Bronx. Already the congresswoman-elect is dominating headlines of centrist and conservative publications, building massive Left-wing support while Neolibs and TradCons alike chide her for… Continue reading Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs Amazon’s City-Destroying Machine
Our Cities Need Socialism
Remember in 2016 when the McResistance told us that fighting for progressive causes was getting put on hold while all effort would be focused on blocking Trump? Then, predictably, Democrats ended up confirming virtually all of Trump’s nominations and cabinet picks. Alleged maverick and new liberal darling John McCain voted for every one of them,… Continue reading Our Cities Need Socialism
Pitting Cyclists Against the Homeless Is Peak Neoliberalism
If you read blogs about bikes you likely saw how Seattle’s DOT installed a dozen and a half bike racks in a place nobody would lock a single bike, let alone dozens of bikes. SDOT did this, quite obviously, to block homeless people from camping in the location, as everyone figured out pretty quickly. Condemnation… Continue reading Pitting Cyclists Against the Homeless Is Peak Neoliberalism
If You Can’t Bike On It, It Doesn’t Belong In the City
Last week a critical mass of mostly black kids on BMX bikes swarmed the Cross-Bronx expressway in a glorious reclamation of space from the monopoly of the automobile. Predictably the mass ride quickly caught the attention of media and the NYPD, who arrested 16 of the teenagers, prompting outcry of a disproportionate response by law… Continue reading If You Can’t Bike On It, It Doesn’t Belong In the City
Hawaii Proposes Radical Prescriptions for Curing Homelessness
Trying to grasp the interplay between the US homeless crisis and the capital housing market can be a tad tricky at times. So often homelessness is viewed as the fallout of addiction or bad life choices, or the after affect of incarceration. After the housing market crash which saw hundreds of thousands of Americans lose… Continue reading Hawaii Proposes Radical Prescriptions for Curing Homelessness
Should City Driving Be Considered Terrorism?
[UPDATES: See below] When an allegedly intoxicated driver plowed into crowds of pedestrians in the heart of Times Square today, you’d be forgiven for thinking this isn’t something that happens all the time in New York. Alas, you’d be wrong. Even in the densest city in America cars are allowed to race around at lethal… Continue reading Should City Driving Be Considered Terrorism?
Chamber of Commerce Bullies Michigan’s Capital to Reverse Sanctuary City Vote
Less than two weeks after unanimously voting to be on the right side of history, late Wednesday night Lansing, Michigan’s city council reconvened to reverse their vote echoing an executive order by mayor Virg Bernero upon the demand of the local Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. To the shock of everyone… Continue reading Chamber of Commerce Bullies Michigan’s Capital to Reverse Sanctuary City Vote
AirBNB, Displacement, and Freezing the Homeless to Death
On Martin Luther King Day it was reported an infant, possibly only hours old, had died in a homeless camp near a bus stop in downtown Portland, Oregon. First responders rushed the baby to OHSU, but it was too late. Reports were inconclusive as to whether the child was in fact stillborn, or died shortly after… Continue reading AirBNB, Displacement, and Freezing the Homeless to Death
Performance Art, the Commons, and a Monster Named Netanyahu
This week Israeli artist Itay Zalait did something truly amazing in Tel Aviv’s famed Rabin Square. Zalait erected a golden statue of right-wing extremist and mass murderer Benjamin Netanyahu, who also currently serves as Israel’s prime minister. This depiction was revolutionary for several key reasons. Statues of living figures are forbidden in Israel, as are other forms… Continue reading Performance Art, the Commons, and a Monster Named Netanyahu