Profits Over People: Housing Zine
After decades of underfunding and structural neglect, investors have turned their eyes and pocket books to Paterson. While promising revitalization and growth, who really are these changes for?
From slumlords, who exploit the need for housing, to gentrification (economic displacement), housing has long been a struggle for Paterson’s most vulnerable community. As the government of Paterson continues to rebrand itself to attract more and more investment, it leaves its residents behind, selling property to the highest bidders.
Nearly 3/4 of Paterson’s residents are renters, leaving them at the whim of absentee property owners and slumlords profiting off misery and desperation. Today, Limited Liability Companies continue to buy properties in Paterson, keeping them out of reach of residents. Collusion with city officials has exacerbated the problem of housing, where developers are granted tax abatements for their so-called “affordable apartments,” clearing the way for developers to advance their projects of displacement and eviction as they deprive the city of millions of taxes.
Profits Over People: Housing Zine
After decades of underfunding and structural neglect, investors have turned their eyes and pocket books to Paterson. While promising revitalization and growth, who really are these changes for?
The Folly of “Community Development in Paterson:” How Investors and Speculation is Driving Gentrification
One thing is clear as Paterson enters its next phase of “community development” and “revitalization”: Patersonians are not the priority.
Whose City?: Examining the Correlation Between Development and Policing in the City of Paterson
As politicians work with corporate and business partners to reinvent Paterson’s economy, increased policing is raising concerns for Patersonians trying to reclaim their right to the city