The Home I Can't Go Back To

As a kid I knew the neighborhood as the block our house was on, the Mexican restaurant Arco Iris where I’d leave with a candy and a wish in the fountain, or the local Latino grocery stores. I’d roll with my Dad in his ’71 Plymouth Valiant in the hardworking, majority Latino area of York Blvd. – now lined with vegan-friendly eateries. We’d drive past the occasional Chicano artwork on once-vacant walls, that now seem to clash with the art-deco style – a more recent façade.

The face of Highland Park has changed. There’s a few remnants of the past. Several of the Chicano murals have survived or been revived. But the dual-language menus in restaurants are rare – there’s new priorities. As an influx of affluent folks move-in, the storefronts change, and original community members fear they’ll be pushed out. And for good reason: the home I was born into has increased in value by 1,000%. Now, it’s the home I can’t go back to.

Highland Park is in District 1, represented by councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. The Highland Park native ran on a campaign promise to meet needs like affordable housing and “expanded protections from the violence of poverty.” In other words, to meet the needs of a community whose battle against violence has persisted amidst an emerging socioeconomic paradox. Crime is not what it was in the 90’s, but last month a woman was fatally shot less than a mile from a home that is selling for over a million dollars.

Socioeconomic status (SES) gaps in our communities affect our overall health and impact society on the whole with economic demands. We know lower SES correlates to lower educational attainment, poverty, witnessing violence, increasing depressive symptoms, and reduced net worth into adulthood. The community violence that results from the tensions of lower SES tugs at the intricately woven fabric of our neighborhoods As Highland Park changes, residents and developers need to consider how they might address this gap and listen to residents who’ve witnessed and been affected by the accelerated change.

It’s possible to reduce inequity and redistribute wealth with or without government backing. Behavioral and other social science professionals have possessed and identified the tools necessary to research, strategize, and centralize marginalized voices in ways that can alleviate SES disparities. Martha Matsuoka of Occidental College has teamed up with the Northeast Los Angeles Alliance and local artist John Urquiza to address policy and urban planning in collaboration with community members. Locals like Eunisses Hernandez are stepping up to lead the way, too. Policymakers and the public should consider the impact of representation on a community that’s been impacted by violence and gentrification.

We know that one of America’s most costly public health crises especially affecting communities with low SES is gun violence. Federal funding and research are stifled by a 1996 law that strictly prohibits the CDC from acquiring funds available for injury prevention if they advocate gun control. One might gather that ignoring blind spots such as internal politics and imbalances of power is as American as American pie. (Not unlike the pursuit of peace in Israel and Palestine.) The result: pitting sides, increased dysfunction, and eventual destabilization. Community leaders and activists need to centralize communication, bolster their voices with stakeholders representing their values, and stay attuned to relevant laws and policies affecting their communities while holding their leaders and representatives accountable.

Defining an effective leadership strategy and specific community demands, the community of Highland Park can keep their position as a stabilizing force for community organizing and wellbeing. Community Coalition in South LA has been a stronghold to South LA since the crack cocaine epidemic. We’re not without examples. The Local Agency Formation Commission for the County is an organization that aims to discourage the urban sprawl and preserve open spaces. At present, there is a vacancy for an alternate public member. Councilmember Hernandez set the tone concerning representation – this vacant seat in public service should echo that.

Protective factors against community violence include positive social norms, social cohesion, and rewards for community involvement. Highland Park residents need to take care of each other, listen to each other, and especially if you’re newer to the community, to recognize the value that the neighborhood freely lends you. What makes a home feel like home is not that you can afford it, but that you can get a reprieve there – it’s not so much a place as it is an idea and feeling of belonging, a birthright of us all.