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(written 2013)

"Gentrification should be synonymous with Colonializm…" — M'Bwebe Aja Ishangi

PREFACE
Many Afrikanz fear being tagged reverse racists when speaking of gentrification leaving them in somewhat of a paralyzed verbal state to even express opinionz on the issue, much less even talk about it. Even more will sugarcoat the blatant root of this topic: whitefolks seldom-acknowledged paraded history of invading any and everyone they deem lesser than—or the incorrectly-politically-correct term, "minorities"—in the guise of societal advancement of which "racial diversity" has been the latest delusional word of choice.

You will not get that here. I assure you, this piece will not pull punches. I will not dance around the obvious simply for fear of being classified an "angry Afrikan" who echoes the necessary considerate tenants of separatizm on certain cultural levelz. Whether one likes to believe it or not, there is a race war going on, only on one side, non-Afrikanz see it as that while the other (predominantly we Afrikanz) are still looking for some kind of package deal with equality and reparationz at its base.

To shuck-and-jive on a topic such as this simply does just that, addressing everything except the core fundamental problem that whites and other non-Afrikan ethnicities attempt to take everything Afrikan in the semblance of "improving society"—a sibling of the melting pot theory manifesto (where the bottom-burnt part is where we Afrikanz usually end up). And for those who beg to differ, simply take a look at the history of their psychologically anti-communal behavior over the last 6000 yearz. 

I blow the horn of Akoben in hopes we all answer the call. This mindset endz now.

CASE SCENARIOS
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Get Ethnic Neighborhood Traits Removed In Favor (of) YT

"Living in this gentrification environment is much more difficult for residents. Actually, what they're doing is killing the indigenous culture." — Peter Kwong

• Exhibit A: circa 2001, I start seeing New York City Site-Seeing Tour Buses ride through Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. That fall, I begin seeing white people coming out of houses in my neighborhood, walking to the A-train on their way to work. 

• Exhibit B: 10:30pm a random summer Saturday night, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, 2010. A newly moved-in white resident walks up to my neighborz house and politely asks them to turn the music down. Not ten minutes later, two cop vehicles and four on foot roll up. 

• Exhibit C: Also in Bed-Stuy, a friend is given 30-dayz notice to move from her $1200 per month 1-bedroom brownstone apartment because the elderly American-Afrikan owner is selling their home to white jewz. Six weeks later she sees on Craigslist the same apartment going for $2100 a month! Needless to say, you won't see an American-Afrikan staying there anymore.

• Exhibit D: A successful Brooklyn-based female American-Afrikan illustrator is told by her Landlord he's also selling his home in 30 dayz and she has to move out. She decides to buy a home only to find she doesn't qualify because she's "self-employed"... or is it because she's American-Afrikan looking to buy in Bed-Stuy?

These are but a few examples of gentrification happening in American-Afrikan neighborhoodz in New York and throughout the United States. But why the perceived sudden surge now? How is it our communities are having more and more whites as neighborz than before? Ever asked how all these whitefolk knew to start moving in at the same time? I mean, is there some type of newsletter they publish telling them the right time to literally sneak into our communities overnight?! I wouldn't be surprised.

The exhibits mentioned have been on the incline over the last 10-15 yearz and as with the principle of cycles, this isn't the first. This latest surge is merely the "2nd-coming" if you will, or reappearance of a practice that goes back many millennium. 

In my piece, 'When Knowledge Became Kryptonite', I summarized Chancellor Williams epic work, 'The Destruction of Black Civilization' focusing on the period of the Four Golden Ages (circa 2665-748BCE). From this, we learn that it wasn't just whitefolk who's had a history of colonizing land where Afrikan people dwell, and the tactic is simple: surround the bordering area, then move in. 

Todayz nonpartisan definition of gentrification is defined as "the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents." The word itself is derived from "gentry" which comes from the Old French origin "genterie", from "gentil" or "high-born, noble". What's deep is the use of this word back then designated rank of upper class European society just under the title "nobility". The newly colonized America followed suit, using the British model to distinguish landownerz and families of great wealth and property—from everyone else.

To be frank, gentrification should be synonymous with colonializm. Often promoted as the transformation of neighborhoodz from low to high value, the residual benefit is the displacement of long-time residents and businesses—which is cleverly and I dare even say purposely overlooked. Ask yourselves, how many people do you see moving in opposed to moving out? And what ethnicities are they? This oust obviously happenz when long-time or original neighborhood residents move from a gentrified area because of higher rents, mortgages, and property taxes.

The natural question is who decides when the prices should go up with gentrification used as the tool to enforce it? In the case of Hurricane Katrina of 2005, New Orleans was via a natural disaster where financially prepared (although a more proper and biased termed should be "greedy") white folk took advantage. With Brooklyn, 2012s Hurricane Sandy only continued the spiraling down of once prosperous American-Afrikan communities (including Harlem), after having been residual targets of some 50+ yearz of economic bigotry toward the American-Afrikan community in the form of job deficiency and COINTELPROs drug and gun operationz who's residual effects still roam our streets—in particular, the stripping and destabilization of Afrikan families, specifically Father figures.

The results of this cultural invasion leaves the disadvantaged further deprived with little collective thought on a strategic counter. Of our so-called "black leaderz", none are speaking of these topics nor of the importance of keeping blackfolk in our neighborhoodz via home ownership or even communal projects that would include the purchases of these homes by, say for example, multiple-family buying from sellerz who are often the Elderly.

The New York City 2000 U.S. census showed Brooklyn as having 2,465,326 residents with an increase of 164,662 residents from 1990. That’s approximately 45 new residents per day on average and rest assured, over the past decade the number of these occupants have at least doubled as well as lightened in complexion!

As said, at this point in history, we are experiencing a recurring cycle of colonializm. A more recent example happened in Nubia over 50 yearz ago... 

NUBIA: ONE OF THE FIRST MODERN GENTRIFIED
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Gone Extinct (are) Neighborhoodz (from a) Takeover Relocating Indigenous Families Yonder

Before there was Kemet, or KMT (erroneously called egypt), there was Nubia. Ancient Nubia comprised of a sophisticated people who built cities, roadz and temples comparable to those of the people of KMT. Through archeological research and excavationz by Afrikan historianz like Anthony Browder's ASA Restoration Project, we  are learning there were more pyramidz constructed in Nubia than in Kemet. But unfortunately, further study of ancient Nubia is an arduous and almost impossible task because the primary area now lay under 250 feet of water at the bottom of Lake Nasser. This 2nd largest man-made lake in the world coverz an area of approximately 1550 square miles. Since 1981, Nubian Lake, as it is sometymz called, has covered an area which extendz from the 6th Cataract of the Nile River to beyond the 5th and has an average width of 6 miles and as wide as 50 miles in some areas. 

During the construction of the Aswan High dam between 1960-1968 and the subsequent creation of Lake Nasser—which was the destruction of our ancient homeland in Sudan where over 40 Nubian villages (equating to some 120,000 people) were forced to relocate further inland from the old town of Wadi Halfa. They were resettled in and around the city of Aswan and villages further north to a settlement called 'New Wadi Halfa', created on the shore of Lake Nasser, where only 50-70,000 were resettled. 

The majority of the Nubianz were moved about 6 miles from the Nile near Kom Ombo, 28 miles downstream from Aswan in what was called “New Nubia”. Otherz were moved some 430 miles south to the semi-arid Butana plain near the town of Khashm el-Girba up the Atbara River. The climate there had a regular rainy season as opposed to their previous desert surroundingz in which virtually no rain fell. There the government developed an irrigation project, called the New Halfa Agricultural Development Scheme to grow cotton, grainz, sugar cane and other crops in Sudan. The ironic thing is when we ask ourselves, along with Somalia, isn't Sudan the poster-child of hunger and malnutrition?!

An untold number, however, were drowned when they refused to leave the landz that our Ancestorz had occupied for more than 5000 yearz. So what we have are outsiderz coming into a multi-millennium-aged area to invade their land because they had the physical might to do so.

Did the white invaderz respect the peoples right to live where they’ve lived as long as YT even existed? No! They drowned them! In addition, Browder noted approximately 18 ancient temples were moved, 12 are still in KMT and the remaining can be found in white-owned museumz in Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; Leiden, Holland and New York City. These temples were presented as “gifts” to those nationz that assisted in the destruction of Ancient Nubia and the construction of the Aswan High Dam. So we must ask ourselves, how is it YT can steal from someone and then present said stolen artifacts to someone else as a present and it not be deemed a residual benefit of colonializm?!!?

There's practically no way to estimate the total number of temples and tombz which now lie at the bottom of Lake Nasser, nor is there any way of knowing the many customz and secrets those structures hold. Because of the creation of this dam, the world—especially we Afrikanz—may never have the opportunity to study the full impact Afrikanz from the southern Nile Valley had on the development of Ancient KMT.

LAND THEFT, INC.
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Get Erased Neighborhood Traits Removed (by) Invading Foreign Yankees

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said ‘Let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land.” — Jomo Kenyatta

Todayz world comprises of what Ancestor Del Jones phrased, 'Cultural Bandits' on a level not seen before. American-Afrikan culture in particular is currently experiencing an epidemic best classified as "bleached-out syndrome" that has Adele dubbed the Queen of Soul, Eminem the King of Hiphop, Justin Beiber the King of Pop, and Robin Thicke or Justin Timberlake, the King of R&B!

As revealed in the beginning of this piece, innumerable examples of this whited-out template are happening before our very eyes. Not only on this land, its presence can be categorized into what's called '10 Areas of People Activity' or ''10APA':

1) Economics
2) Education
3) Entertainment
*4) Health
5) Labor
6) Law
7) Politics
8) Religion
9) Sex
10) War

The 10APA, coined by Drs. Neely Fuller, Jr. and Francess Cress-Welsing are literally the blueprint of global white supremacy (GWS); and yes, gentrification and GWS are of the same breath. (*Keidi Awadu recently added Health)

Not that I prefer to live in the slumz, but as sad as it soundz, "Renovation = Gentrification" and as said, gentrification is synonymous with colonializm. We are seeing new street signz, sidewalks, metal park benches, glass bus stops, new buildingz and condo's being built, and let's not mention the beefed up police presence… all these are clear signz that spell... G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.!

In New York, especially Brooklyn, since the Barclays Center (home of the NBAs Brooklyn Nets) was built downtown, historically Afrikan Fort Greene and Bedford Stuyvesant has been whitewashed almost mimicking Manhattan. We got a glimpse of what was to come before 9/11 when street vendorz were muscled off Nostrand and Fulton Avenue.

The NY Times ran an article, May 31, 2013 on Spike Lee's father Bill Lee on what's been plaguing American-Afrikan communities around the country. The 84-year-old Lee, a veteran jazz and session bassist and pianist has written soundtracks for his son’s early movies, including 'Do the Right Thing,' has been a resident of Fort Greene, Brooklyn for more than 40 yearz. Like any artist, you would hear jam sessionz coming from his home where musicianz and singerz would come to practice and bless music cypherz.

Up to the release of that article, for the year 2013, 17 noise complaints to 311 and 911 had been filed mainly by his white next door neighbor who's lived there a mere 3 yearz. Bill's wife, Susan Lee, 61, said they had never been cited by the police, despite the complaints. "Nor should they be," she said. “This is a professional house with professional musicians living here,” she said. “If it bothers you, maybe this is not the place for you.” To the average reader, one might think this is singular incident. Mrs. Lee couldn't be more exact when she further stated, “This is the problem with the people who just got here, compared to the people who’ve been here longer… You didn’t just move into a house, you moved into a community.” An American-Afrikan community at that!

Because of gentrification, Soul Summit Music Party, a predominantly American-Afrikan-based event, used to be a weekly and then bi-monthly family oriented Summer event in Fort Greene Park only had one party last year because of the changing complexion of the community. The NYPD and politicianz have responded rapidly in favor of the new colonizerz—I mean, "localz" constant complaints on events like these which have been a positive family oriented part of our culturally enriched neighborhoodz for generationz in Brooklyn.

Other cases of gentrification show the outright stealing of land. The Washington Post ran an article on its website this past September 2013 about a seventy-six year-old retired Marine sergeant Bennie Coleman of Washington, DC who was literally thrown out of his home he bought twenty yearz ago in cash by armed U.S. marshalz because he owed a mere $134 in property taxes. The District sold the lien to an investor who foreclosed on his $197,000 house and sold it. He and many other homeownerz like him were left with nothing:

"For decades, the District placed liens on properties when homeowners failed to pay their bills, then sold those liens at public auctions to mom-and-pop investors who drew a profit by charging owners interest on top of the tax debt until the money was repaid.  But under the watch of local leaders, the program has morphed into a predatory system of debt collection for well-financed, out-of-town companies that turned $500 delinquencies into $5,000 debts—then foreclosed on homes when families couldn’t pay, a Washington Post investigation found."

The way it works is lienz are generally sold the year after a homeowner failz to pay a tax bill for the same amount as the debt. Homeownerz then receive several warningz before their lienz are put up at annual auctionz.  Once a lien is sold, ownerz have six months to repay the investor with interest! And if that does not happen, the investor can move to foreclose; either way the homeowner is being shammed.  Investorz also took storefronts, parking lots and vacant land—about 500 properties in all. In many of the cases, the amount of the lienz were less than $500 and to date, in the DC area, tax lien purchaserz have foreclosed on nearly 200 homes since 2005 and are looking to take 1200 more, many owned free and clear by American-Afrikan families for generationz!

The article also noted, 

"Foreclosures have upended families in some of the city’s most distressed neighborhoods. Houses were taken from a housekeeper, a department store clerk, a seamstress and even the estates of dead people. The hardest hit: elderly homeowners, who were often sick or dying when tax lien purchasers seized their houses."

One 65-year-old flower shop owner lost his Northwest Washington home of 40 years after a company from Florida paid his back taxes—$1,025—and then took the house through foreclosure while he was in hospice, dying of cancer. A 95-year-old church choir leader lost her family home to a Maryland investor over a tax debt of $44.79 while she was struggling with Alzheimerz in a nursing home.

This is a shrewd game targeted mainly at urban areas by whites (and a lot of so-called jewz) from outside neighborhoodz looking to steal the land as their forefatherz done before establishing the 13 colonies in 1607-1733; same game, same player, same victim.

It became common practice at the auctionz where local investorz who would pay a few hundred dollarz to buy up lienz in neighborhoodz they knew were prime for takeover. Prior to 2001, most were looking to get paid from the interest, if there was a foreclosure, it was handled by the tax office.  But the work overwhelmed the agency, so city leaderz made a critical change telling investorz to go directly to court to file foreclosure cases.  This was a game changer, allowing investorz to begin charging legal fees and court costs—turning minor delinquencies into overwhelming debts.

"Companies from Florida, Illinois, Maryland and New York came to town, prepared to spend millions.  In 2007, more than 150 purchasers spent five days competing for 2,000 liens, first on properties downtown near the Capitol, then Georgetown, followed by Dupont Circle, Chinatown and finally the neighborhoods near the Anacostia River, long stricken by poverty." (ibid)

What we find is the obvious, since 2005 in the city of Washington, DC alone, 72% of so-called "minorities" (American-Afrikanz and Latino's) are hit hardest whereas in white suburbz, roughly 20% are in foreclosure. The ending result? Gentrification!

OPERATION TAKEOVER THE HOOD: BOROUGHZ UNDER BESIEGE
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Gather Ebony Neighborhood Terrain: Rape + Invade + Flood = Yieldz

“Think about the colonizing role that wealthy white gay men have played in communities of color; they’re often the first group to gentrify poor and working-class neighborhoods. Harlem is a good example. Gays have moved in and driven up rents, as have renegade young white students, who want to be cool and hip. This is colonization, post-colonial-style. After all, the people who are “sent back” to recover the territory are always those who don’t mind associating with the colored people! And it’s a double bind, because some of these people could be allies. Some gay white men are proactive about racism, even while being entrepreneurial. But in the end, they take spaces, redo them, sell them for a certain amount of money, while the people who have been there are displaced. And in some cases, the people of color who are there are perceived as enemies by white newcomers.”  
— Bell Hooks, Homegrown: Engaged Cultural Criticism

When we look at New York, an analysis by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's executive vice president and a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, Michael Petrilli reported Brooklyn is home to four of the top 25 fastest gentrifying zip codes nationwide. He recently posted an article on the Institute's blog entitled, "The fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods in the United States," basing his analysis on Census Bureau data.

These might more accurately be called the "fastest-whitening" neighborhoodz. The report found that the Columbia, South Carolina zip code of 29202 showed the largest increase in its white share of population, from 32.6% in 2000 to 79.7 in 2010, but four neighborhoodz in Brooklyn weren't far behind.

Parts of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, which have traditionally been known as middle-class black neighborhoodz for the last 120+ yearz beginning around 1895—just 30 yearz post Emancipation—showed a dramatic increase in white population, with the sixth-ranked 11205 zip code showing a jump from 19.7% in 2000 to 49.3 in 2010.

Two zip codes encompassing parts of Williamsburg also ranked, with the white share of 11206 increasing from 16.6% to 45.6%; and the white share of 11237 increasing from 22.6% to 42.3%. Also in the top 25: The Prospect Heights zip code of 11238, whose white share grew from 16.8% to 38.3% in the same time span.

Earlier I mentioned New Orleans where gentrification snowballed when over 80% of New Orleans was underwater when Katrina came. Many local white developerz and politicianz felt it was a blessing from god with 1833 deaths—48% of which were American-Afrikanz. After 95% of the 1.4 million residents of the metro area had been evacuated before the storm, the remaining 55,000 were evacuated afterwardz in, as you may recall, a "timely" manner.

The Huffingtonpost.com reported after billionz of dollarz were invested in a revamped levee system: 
• Population before Katrina: 484,000; post: 360,400
• Before Katrina, 67% of the population was American-Afrikan and whites 28%, today, less than 60% are American-Afrikan and over 35% white.

Another way was when non-Afrikan Realtorz began leaving "We buy home with cash" flyerz on the doorsteps of homes owned by American-Afrikanz (mainly the elderly); a tactic that echoes Chancellor Williams book. Most elderz sold their homes for pennies on the dollar compared to what it was flipped for. In 2000, a brownstone in Brooklyn could be bought between $150-300K. Today you can't find an underdeveloped one less than $750K!

Although this practice is legal, they're success relies solely on our ignorance. We collectively suffer from a lack of awareness of the importance of land acquisition and economics. We talk of Nationality and sovereignty, two political feats that cannot exist without people power, whereas buying land can be done by one family. With intent, communal buying creates just that… a community. And while we still fantasize one day this society will grant us equal liberties (although knowing this same society has been founded and maintained by disparate judicial policies and social acts), non-Afrikanz continue to make Jomo Kenyatta's statement a reality!

Like American-Afrikan families, our communities have been further fragmented because of our continued reluctance (or better put, forgotten awareness) in grasp the value of land. We move from apartment to apartment paying someone else's mortgage never thinking gentrification can force us to relocate at a moments notice. Hell, before this article, many didn't' even know what gentrification actually is!

There's something unequivocally wrong here! We must ask ourselves, why are we still talking about equality and not land ownership?! Do we not realize owning land bringz power?! Why are our so-called leaderz not talking about developing/resurrecting our own communities by buying land and (re)building homes?! Instead they want us to believe the vote will answer the needz we've beckoned for generationz that have yet to yield the results needed for us to prosper. They are either that clever or we are that mentally dense… and the judgement's still out on this verdict!

Take a look at your surrounding American-Afrikan neighborhoodz and count how many "positive" Afrikan-owned businesses are there—if any. What ethnicities own the local market, gas station, cleanerz, laundromat, and restaurants? You'll find most are owned by non-Afrikanz; from the rodent-infected chinese chicken shacks and italian pizzaria's to the exquisite european cafe' that just opened. Why is this still an unaddressed problem? This fallz under 'Economics' of the 10APA I spoke of because certainly, the money they make from our wallets are not circulated within our community.

This year, a study conducted by the IASP (Institute on Assets and Social Policy) revealed the wealth gap between American-Afrikan and white families between 1984-2009 nearly tripled. In 1984, the gap was whites: $90,851, American-Afrikanz: $5,781, a difference of $85,070. In 2009 the ratio was whites $265,000, American-Afrikanz $28,500, a whopping $236,500 gap!

Dr. Amos Wilson couldn't have said it better,

"We have a "leadership" that has sold us conspicuous consumption as a way of salvaging our egos. It makes us think that we will be equal to the whites when we can drive the same cars, have the same jobs, sleep in the same beds and buy in the same neighborhoods—a consumer equality; not an equality of ownership; not an equality based on wealth! … So, we have a "leadership" that has sold us on income equality… not wealth!".

THE ECONOMIC RESIDUAL EFFECT OF GENTRIFICATION USING THE 10APA
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Gone Extinct (are) Nubian Townz Relocating Inland Families (of) Yesterday

As stated in the title, this is a continued discussion on the debate of deficiency or difference on race and the closing path of collision the people of this planet have endured for what history supports go back to the dayz of the Nile Valley. Although each are worthy of an article of it's own, as we see, gentrification can be pretty much affiliated with each of the 10APA.

Using the 10APA, other examples of gentrification can be seen. American-Afrikan culture and customz have been gentrified or better put, plagiarized dating back to the dayz of the Nile Valley:

• Language (Education): Listen to how whitefolk use urban slang: "swag", "chill", even "Son". There's even the growing sensitive topic of them thinking they can use the "N-word".

• History/Science (Education): white scientists claiming a DNA study showz King Tutankhamun was actually from Europe!

• Music (Entertainment): white rapper Macklemore named American Music Awards Hiphop Artist of the Year for 2013, Miley Cyrus trying to twerk, or Robin Thicke suing Marvin Gaye (more on this in a sec).

Just as Hiphop has gone through an identity crisis and bleaching of the skin, so are our neighborhoodz. In fact, many areas where Hiphop legendz grew up now sell for close to if not millionz!

Notorius B.I.G. (aka Christopher Wallace) described his Bedford-Stuyvesant childhood apartment as "a one-room shack". Well this shack was listed in April of this year for $725,000! The house where Spike Lee shot the 1994 film, "Crooklyn" (7 Arlington Place), also in Bed-Stuy recently sold for $1.7 million—confirming the very profitable buy and sell trend echoed by Brooklyn Realtorz alike

• Health: although food is bound to no ethnicity, it is however to nature, and we find Monsanto at the head of plagiarizing material foodz with their chemically rooted Frankenstein'd GMO food substitutes.

• Labor: we all know slavery was abolished 150 yearz ago, but differences in wages in the United States among whites and people of color are present today. As of 2009, the median weekly wage for American-Afrikan workerz was 65% that of white workerz. The median American-Afrikan male income was $23,738, compared to the median white non-Hispanic male income of $36,785.

• Law: New York City may have its "Stop and Frisk" operation back. A recent interview by a local said it best:

"what's really interesting is this act shows there are those who think it is lawful to exclusively profile American-Afrikanz and Latino's and are willing to fight for it knowing it excludes whites."

• Politics: Bro. Keidi Awadu aka the Conscious Rasta on his talk show, LIBRadio.com recently stated:

"Blacks in America love the Democratic Party. Before Franklin Roosevelt, colored folks loved the Republican Party… The two-party political structure that dominates the American political economy has failed to adequately attend to our group’s self-interests. There is little indication within the current political climate that this deficit can be overcome despite slight shifts in ideology among those parties. Democrats have long held majority control over metropolitan school boards and have consistently undermined educational opportunity for too many urban youth. Republican Party members have disproportionately dominated corporations that have excluded these youth and their parents from enjoying economic justice and advancement opportunity… They have developed a system which excludes us."

As we should know affairz of the nation and state benefit only those inevitably in pursuit of controlling the ignorant. To think a politician (or government for that matter) is interested in biting their own hand—one that dates back to the lineage of their caucasian forefatherz who fought exclusively for white privilege—would draw up the Constitution of the United States to implement racial equality for all is more than preposterous thought complimentary of ignorance; in fact it's IGNORing history!

The recent government shutdown should've sent a resoundingly clear message that has been consistent since its inception. And even more obvious, since a dark-skinned, although white-minded, President has presided in "command" (I use that term loosely), they are not for the people although the people continue to vote them in! Hence, why I don't vote.

• Religion: of all the fabled biblical characterz, through AgitProp (Agitation Propaganda), Hell-y-wood changed the complexion and history of the Nile Valley (Egypt) as well as religion.

• Sex: This is obviously an area that dictates behavior and perception of what is beautiful, or more specific, sexually desired. We see more white females surgically adding curves to their frames as well as enlarging their lips, let alone their fixation with tanning. While strangely enough, we find bleaching has resurfaced in the Afrikan community, as well as our women's fixation with Indian-hair, blonde weaves, and yes still, colored contacts.

• War: Afrika has been a combat zone for europeanz, arab, and asianz for millenniumz; not just for the galvanizing of the still abundant amounts of natural resources, but the people as well. When we look at the United States occupancy alone, they include the Middle East as part, where we find 100-200 thousand soldierz have been stationed there along with most of their 150 military deployments.

Looking at gentrification through the lenz of the 10APA, it is undoubtedly not just with land. One of the most effective of all is the third field, Entertainment!

Take for instance the case of white american artist, Robin Thicke who took pre-emptive legal action against the late legendary singer Marvin Gaye's estate on August 13, 2013 requesting a Los Angeles judge to declare his single 'Blurred Lines' does not infringe on Gaye's 1977 release 'Got To Give It Up', following allegationz from the late soul legendz heirz and Bridgeport Music bosses, who own the rights to George Clinton's band Funkadelic's compositionz. If you've heard Thicke's track and are aware of Gaye's #1 hit, it is undeniable striking the similarities they both have.

Anyone that can hear would agree, but what holdz weight and basically incriminates Thicke's theft is not only his pre-emptive (or strike first disabling an enemy) legal action, but his own exact wordz. During an October 13, 2013 interview with Oprah, Thicke revealed he used 'Got To Give It Up' as the inspiration for his song, but insists the only thing that remainz the same is the feeling fanz get from listening to the tune. Really? Just feeling? I knew the first time I heard within the first few secondz. It clearly is not just a "feeling" as he tries to downplay it. Have you heard these two songz back-to-back?! Inspiration is one thing, outright plagiarizing is another!

He went on to say, "(Got To Give It Up) is a classic... I had gone into the studio with Pharrell and said, 'I would love to get something like this feel, something that makes you feel like this', and that's what inspiration is. You can't own a feeling; you own the melodies, the basslines, the chord progressions, the syncopations, that's what makes a song." He digz himself another 6 feet when he asserts, "I sure hope (this gets settled out of court). You know how weird it is to be in legal battles with my idol? With the person who inspires... half of my music? It's either Michael Jackson or Marvin Gaye (who inspires all my work)."

My point exactly! This white pirate confesses his music is based on the influence of two, well, one-and-a-half Afrikan men (sorry MJ)?! Having heard this song, you immediately think of Gaye! If this isn't carbon-copyright infringement, what is?! (Thicke reportedly offered up a six-figure sum to settle the controversy, but Gaye's family rejected the offer.)

While there are thefts being fought in courts historically discriminative toward people of color, there are otherz not even given this option. The NewYorkTimes.com reported October 24, 2013 the Dominican Republic's (DR) top court in Santo Domingo declared children of undocumented Haitian migrants—even those born on Dominican soil decades ago—are no longer considered citizenz as of September 23, 2013. NYTimes stated "over 200,000 people were made stateless in one slam of the gauntlet, of which cannot be appealed." Talk about gentrification!

The court ordered an audit of all the nationz birth recordz dating back to June 1929 to determine who no longer qualifies for citizenship (1929?! Why so far back?!!?). In 1900 DR issued a map stamp in which the border between the Republic and Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola, cut approximately 50 miles into Haitian territory, claiming possession of the Haitian town of Hincha. Haiti protested and they invaded. Although this continuing race war is alive and well, it wasn't until 1929 that both countries legally "agreed" on a border.

If you're not familiar, the history between the DR and Haiti is mostly a negative one and showz the demographic basis for the present mixture of the population stemming from the division of the island into the two colonies of St. Domingue and Santo Domingo. Their archive is mostly decorated in blood from an ongoing violent relationship sharing one island where racial prejudice runz amok against Haitian people resulting in high poverty in both landz.

After the signing of the treaty of Ryswick (1697) between France and Spain, the two colonies on Hispaniola followed different economic paths. The French quickly developed St. Domingue producing sugar that surpassed that of all the English colonies making it economically vital. To bring St. Domingue to this level of production, the French foresaw a growing world market for sugar, so they enslaved and imported huge numberz of Afrikan slaves.

By 1790, the Afrikan population surpassed the whites and a new demographic group was created: the mulattos. St. Domingue at that time had more than 500,000 Afrikan slaves, compared to 30,000 whites and 27,000 freemen, this last class containing both Afrikan and mulatto individualz. In Santo Domingo the Spanish colonists did nothing to develop sugar plantationz having no interest in supplying sugar to the European market. Since they were not as wealthy as their French counterparts, and less concerned with market pressures, these landownerz chose not to bring in Afrikanz in large numberz. At that time, Santo Domingo consisted of 125,000 white landownerz, 25,000 Afrikanz or mulattos, and about 60,000 Afrikan slaves.

Today in the DR, these Haitian migrants have been the cellar dwellerz of society for generationz, living in urban slumz or impoverished sugar concentration, I mean, plantation camps, where wage abuse is a common practice. For decades, Haitianz, housed in remote shantytownz known as bateys, were brought over on contracts for sugar plantationz to cut cane under the scorching rayz of the sun.

What's overshadowed are the people of DRs historically prejudice view of their neighborz, choosing to identify more with their nationz spanish colonial past, despite their own racially mixed heritage, holding disdain for anyone with dark skin solely as Haitian or better put, Afrikan. In summation, they chose to identify with the european elite. Surprised?!

As of November 26, 2013, approximately 350 Haitian migrants have repatriated, crossing the Jimani/Malpasse border after been terrorized attacked or threatened to death and chased by angry Dominicanz. The term "genocide" should also be added...

SOLUTIONZ
G.E.N.T.R.I.F.Y.: Grab Ebony Neighborhoodz, Take Realty = Invaluable Fortunes Yearly

"This generation has to learn from both the mistakes and successes of what is now a more distant past and push to make progress that can be measured not by how many talks we give but how many lives we change by creating a real Black movement" 
— Kamau Franklin, Esq.
"Some Thoughts on What Young Black Activists Should Consider In Creating a Successful Black Movement"

Ordinarily, I would just say, in the wordz of Giancarlo Esposito who played the character "Buggin Out" in Spike Lee's 1989 classic, 'Do the Right Thing', "Boycott Sal's!" But we can see our track record on boycott's lasts as long as it takes for the latest iPhone to sell out (thanks large in part to pawnz Jesses Jackson and Al Sharpton). But I digress.

One immediate solution is land acquisition. In the conscious circle, we hear talk about sovereignty. I believe for now it needz to be shelved until land is actually acquired, for although I champion the thought of it, it's a european law, for we are tenants of the world bound not by the political and economic transparent borderz instilled by the hand of european control and greed.

We fail to realize this regulation has and continues to be tweaked whenever YT feel Afrikanz begin utilizing this alleged "legal" tool to be utilized toward freedom. We cannot continue to think we can attain socio-, economic-, industrial-, spiritual-, AND mental independence if we persist going through their channelz.

All along we've had a mechanizm already in place, we obviously just don't know it… our buying power—of which the American-Afrikan amount will reach $1.1 trillion by 2015! 

The key strategy for Afrikanz with interest in buying land should not be confined just to American borderz. Statistics show we are starting to explore the world outside America, as Marcus Garvey inspired us to do. Many of us are taking cruises,  weekend getawayz to the Caribbean and traveling to Afrika.

The next mold we are set to break is to elimate thinking as a tourist and embrace the freedom land owning bringz. It bringz sustainability and in certain areas, an improved way of life. When you hear the numberz of what we spend on travel, it revealz an enormous opportunity for fulfilling the void Garvey was unable to do: communal building.

When we take into account the American-Afrikanz travel market is one of the top three fastest growing segments in all areas of the industry, it should not raise your eyebrowz as a tourist, but as an entrepreneur. American-Afrikanz account for 45% or over $40 of the current $90 billion in total annual revenues generated from multicultural travel.

In Brickton, Philadelphia, Kesha Moore talks of such a model that allowz domestic community building in, 'Gentrification in Black Face? The Return of the Black Middle Class to Urban Neighborhoods':

1) Middle class, Black residents actively recruit other middle class, Black residents to move into the neighborhood drawing on shared experiences of racial discrimination in residential neighborhoods and the “ethos of racial uplift”. Residents move in because they want to “give back” and invest in a Black community.

2) Middle to upper income residents who can afford a more expensive neighborhood, make the choice to remain in the community.

3) Add middle and upper income Black residents to the neighborhood without promoting the displacement of current low income residents. Encouraging asset accumulation (e.g., homeownership, entrepreneurship) amongst low-income residents is considered a critical component of community development and crucial step towards creating an “economically and politically powerful Black neighborhood”.

With a few added steps, these three serve as a template that could reverse the momentum gentrification has built. I would add, if you must sell, do so only to a fellow American-Afrikan/person of Afrikan descent. Also implementing a communal Susu could help not only lower-income families, but these fundz could be used to purchase additional properties.

Currently (and I emphasize "currently"), there is no law against buying land anywhere on the planet, so trade in your posterz and march rally shoes in exchange for communal Susu's, a shovel and some non-GMO'd seedz!

We must begin to see this as a collective, addressing as an issue that will continue to plague us for generationz unless we rid ourselves of thinking some how thingz will miraculously get better. This is America and this is "their" plan;  a plan that will continue to exclude us if we don't suit up and get in the game—OR create our own plan—both of which are essential if we are to succeed and maintain for generationz to come!

As Brotha Kamau Franklin wrote, "Afrikan people post Jim Crow and the Black Power movement put less emphases on where we buy and who we buy from." We have to change that. It was done with before with Black Wallstreet and can be done again!"

Abibifahodie (Afrikan Liberation)!

For those interested in a resolution, I have one I can share one with you. Contact me here.

I leave you with this video excerpt from the 1997 movie, 'Chasing Amy'. It profoundly sumz up what you just read:
Press Play and/or script excerpt link.
containz adult language

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RESOURCES:
• Do the Right Thing: Boycott Sal's Pizzeria
• Duende Natural
• Black middle class economically vulnerable
• In Black Middle Class: The Vulnerable and the Comfortable
• IASP (Institute on Assets and Social Policy) - Watch video segment by Melissa Harris-Perry at the bottom
• Washington Post: Left with nothing
• The Case for Black Gentrification: Lessons from Brickton, Philadelphia
• The Two Brooklyn Neighborhoods That Got White Almost Overnight
- http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/06/6007420/report-gentrification-brooklyn
- http://gothamist.com/2013/01/02/brooklyn_gentrification_the_map.php
• How Can Black Organizations and Activists Move the Black Masses?
• Mapping the Changes Coming to Harlem's 125th Street
• Aswan Dam
• The Conflict Between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
• History of the Dominican Republic

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#1: Get Ethnic Neighborhood Traits Removed in Favor (of) YT

#2: Gone Extinct (are) Neighborhoodz (from a) Takeover Relocating Indigenous Families Yonder

#3: Get Erased Neighborhood Traits Removed (by) Invading Foreign Yankees

#4: Gather Ebony Neighborhood Terrain: Rape + Invade + Flood = Yieldz

#5: Gone Extinct (are) Nubian Townz Relocating Inland Familes (of) Yesterday

#6: Grab Ebony Neighborhoodz. Take Realty = Invaluable Fortunes Yearly

#7: Get Ethnic Neighborhoodz To Relocate Influx From Yard