The very latest on the arson in Charles County MD. You won't hear on the

[Sara Beverley]

news:

Went to work today (unmentionable govern't agency) just outside Wash. DC.

Took my homemade sandwich to lunch room and was eating and reading the paper when the security guard who is usually at the front door came in with his lunch. We locked eyes and I nodded to have him come over and joing me. We exchanged a few conversational remarks about the Redskins, the Wizards, the holidays etc. He then noticed that I had been reading about the rash of homes that had been set on fire in Charles County, MD just outside of Wash. DC. He shook his head in disgust (BTW, he is African-American, I am not). He said that he had grown up in that area and that his father, had owned a barber shop in DC came from a family that owned lots of property in Charles County. We talked about a lot but to get to the bottom line: He explained that quiet as is it kept, that area was home to a number of blacks whose families had been farmers and whose families now owned a lot of water-front properties. A number of the families who had homes built in the area where the arson took place were off-spring of some of the long-time residents there. It appears that the water-front property that is owned by these blacks is prime realestate. Many of the families have been hounded by developers and whites who want to buy the properties. Well, needless to say, most of the families do not want to sell, choosing to leave the property to their heirs. There seems to be an influx of whites into this area and the county and the developers have been trying to buy out or hound out the black owners. The security guard said that these people had worked hard as farmers, the next generation had worked hard as government workers, and now this generation had started their own business in the DC area and were pretty successful and were living pretty good now. Thus, they were and had been under attack for a long time before thses fires were set. All kinds of delaying tactics for the building of the homes were used, sewer rights, licences, building codes, etc. He said he had felt for a long time the someone might eventually end up getting hurt. I felt really bad about the situation and even worse knowing that the hate would probably win out in the end. He thinks Bush is the worse President that he has seen in his lifetime and hopes that his 16-year old son will not have to be drafted in the future. Wonder if the news will carry any of these details?

[mattclearing]

1. Jesus.

Unbelievable. Actually, I take that back, but it's sad that we still have stuff like this going on now. But I do believe it.

[Disturbed]

5. No, it has to be those...

horrible environmentalist terrorists. Environmentalists are anti-Amerikan probably funded by Communists.

[babylonsister]

2. Makes me sick. I would have much

rather believed the eco-terrorists were responsible than to think such racism still exists. Thanks for the story.

[sbj405]

3. Race was mentioned in today's WaPo article

. . .
"Many of the home buyers attracted to Hunters Brooke are black, and law enforcement officials met yesterday with leaders of the county's African American community to quell concern that the fires may have been a hate crime.

"There's been no evidence, no suggestion, just nothing at all to support a racially motivated crime here," Montminy said. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56152-2004Dec10.html

[Swamp Rat]

8. Interesting... a possible red herring?

Maybe it was entirely racially motivated and they just said that to deflect truth-seekers. Maybe it is not, but certainly the historically black community in question is under attack by land developers.

[sbj405]

9. The article implies that black families were the would be owners

of the homes. Is that reality? I'm in MD, but not terribly familiar with that area.

[oneighty]

4. Indian Head

Home of Navy Powder Factory and Rocket Propellant and long ago slot machines (one armed bandits in every bar and store and of course the Gateway Inn?. Also home of US Navy Schools Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

Is that where you work?

Water front property would be on the Potomac River and possibly Stump Neck toward La Platta?

180

[Swamp Rat]

6. Oh I believe it is possible

Developers here in New Orleans have fucked over the black community time and time again. More recently, poor folks were displaced when Wal-Mart got permission to tear down the St. Thomas housing project in order to build (prime property near the waterfront of the Mississippi River). New Orleans residents were overwhelmingly against this, so Wal-Mart funded the election of a new city council that did whatever they wanted.

[G_j]

15. do you have a link for that story?

the same thing happened here when WM developers 'bought' a new city council after the old one had rejected them twice.
I would like to share the story with some of my fellow Walmart fighters.

[Swamp Rat]

17. No, but I was a protester on the street and my friends were involved

in a lot of the city council meetings. New Orleans has a long history of this type of development. For instance, The I-10 overpass was placed right in the middle of the oldest black neighborhood in the city, disregarding the incredible history and culture of the people, including Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, Second-line culture, etc.

We were defeated by Wal-Mart. Their billion dollar empire waged a successful campaign against the majority of the local residents that had only dignity yet no money to fight. Wal-Mart bought off the powerful people working within our ranks. Money wins over integrity and humanism, apparently.

[G_j]

18. yes we were defeated too

It had a pretty profound impact on me, after thousands of hours of hard work by fellow citizens (and myself), what we ended up with was a new City Council much more RW than before.

For all our hard work we got a Super-WM right on the river in a flood zone and a worse City Council which has proceeded in making lots of other terrible decisions.
I haven't been to many CC meetings lately, they just make me feel ill. :-(

[Swamp Rat]

20. We live in parallel universes

... as do all the victims of Wal-Mart. :cry:

I hate Wal-Mart.
http://www.walmart-blows.com/

[magellan]

7. Yeah, the news report didn't sit right with me

Usually in these eco-terrorism cases the group involved leaves behind an obvious calling card, like E.L.F. or something. Also, weren't some of the houses left untouched?

I hope that man and others in the area will go to the press with their story. If there's suspicion these new homes were torched by prejudiced land-grabbers to bully black families out then it needs to be said. And loudly!

[TheDebbieDee]

11. It's sad that the fourth estate in this country is so SORRY....

that people have to go tell the media what the news is. We have to do the investigating and spoon-feed them the results.

The MSM (with few exceptions) has been reduced to being well-paid lackeys with journalism degrees.

[undergroundpanther]

13. It's colonialism in modern day

Times..

An Amurkin' tradition.Remember The poineers didn't come to an empty contenent they removed the previous residents by brutal tactics murder,rape war small pox and...firesetting...It's the greedy pig way, Kick the residents off the land they live on and and steal it to OWN it and re SELL IT as a profit...

Never trust anything any realtors and rich developers say about land,zoning,money..whatever.. Developers need to be evicted from thier"residencces for once,and be forced to live in the way the people they deprive live for themselves.Lets see if Developer pigs and politician pigs like losing thier homes and land because some other people want thier place for themselves.It's high time the rich and insulated felt the results of thier inhuman"values" they impose on others for themselves..How else will these financially bullying silver spooner pigs learn the pain they cause by thier greed HURTS lives??.
And yes it is a class war,a culture war a war of eugenics.Tyranny in any form is incompatible with freedom or democracy.Including tyranny of the rich,elitists and popular bullies and the ignorant mobs who rally behind the rich ape the powerful they will never be,and become the arms and eyes for these rich elitist bullies..

[Mist]

10. I don't say stuff like this very often, as I'm not into hyperbole, but

DEVELOPERS = SATAN

I've thought so for some time now. Is it possible to start some community awareness on this, maybe start a preservation society? Once preservation status is achieved, developers can't do much.

[Sugarbleus]

14. I completely disagree....

We need MORE housing...not just expensive homes either. I'm currently FIGHTING for MORE housing for the POOR/low income!!

Building new factories on sensitive sites is another thing however.
The impact of waste/pollution needs to be taken into consideration in that case.

It's ludicrous to beleive that man and nature cannot live together in harmony--fercrissakes, we've been doing it for millenium. It just takes some thought for the process when building near "sensitive areas"; but then aren't ALL areas "sensitive"? There's flora and fauna all over the globe. When is it ever okay to build something then? :eyes:

[Mist]

19. My point is that developers ruin perfectly fine neighborhoods for the $

A lot of developers, and their clients, seem to think scenic and charming should only be available to those with money. I happen to think folks of more modest means are entitled to charm and beauty, especially if it's a well-established neighborhood. Too often developers push deals, and nobody seems to care what happens to the people whose neighborhood it used to be.

[Sugarbleus]

12. Extremely interesting...

I don't know what happened; I hate to give any one group a bad rap.

That said, I can tell you that the "greens" in our city planning dept in my area do the same thing in terms of making it IMPOSSIBLE to build, upgrade, repair homes OR businesses. One employer I worked with went into bankruptcy trying to get the permits to modify his business ON HIS OWN PROPERTY. We were conducting business in a former chicken hatchery building. He wanted to upgrade the site to a modern building with other stores/shops. He owned a sizable lot. They charged him money for this and that until he gave up and moved away.

The only businesses or homes that get built around here are those that are either "green" minded or VERY WEALTHY...ie Costco

The burning of homes is sad no matter who did it though. I'm sorry for all the parties involved. Peace

[genieroze]

16. One color matters...GREEN.

This isn't racism, it's greed. Maybe all the families should get together and develop the land themselves and turn a HUGE profit to leave to their kids. That would fix those land grabbers who want to rip off the rightful owners.

[Sara Beverley]

21. They are not "ripping them off." Just trying to.

It's a bit more subtle than "ripping off." They are trying to just make life miserable for them, intimidating them, and now these arsons.

[babylonsister]

22. I agree about the greed, but

these homeowners have a right to live wherever they want. It's their property, and to have someone terrorize them by burning their homes down sucks.