Land and Power
(and the overlooking of community)
1. Well, we know what Robert Moses did to New York: lay the groundwork for racist urban planning and ‘improvement’ projects that initiated a domino effect all around the States. With beauty, high property values and Benjamins rolling as a result of his mandated neighborhood evacuations and next-to-nothing compensations, as long as the scales tipped towards profits, as long as Robert Moses was allowed to hold sway. African American citizens lost homes for the sake of white people’s recreation, for bridges to be designed intentionally low enough to specifically disallow public transport (buses that non-white demographics frequented) to reach places of opportunity. Barred from homes, parks, and buses – that was lower class Black citizen life in the States. How did things get this far? Robert Moses chaired, among other positions, the New York State Council of Parks and was the 1st Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, from 1924 to 1963. He rose to power, writing proposals from one position and passing them from the other. Despite public protests against him, against his decisions, despite politician promises, Robert Moses stayed, holding this power for personal gains, influencing the city, the state, and the country.
