[Durham INC] Support Equitable Development in Braggtown/Join Public Hearing

[John Killeen]

>From our neighbors in Walltown. Feel free to share this message.

- - - - -
Dear Walltown neighbors and Durham residents,

*The convergence of events in our nation over the past week has been but
another revelation in the death and destruction that racism produces.* Over
100,000 people have now died from COVID-19 with black and brown people
bearing a disproportionate amount of the suffering
<https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/30/865413079/what-do-coronavirus-racial-disparities-look-like-state-by-state>.
In NYC's Central Park, a white woman named Amy Cooper used race and the
police to threaten the life
<https://www.vox.com/2020/5/26/21270699/amy-cooper-franklin-templeton-christian-central-park>
of
Christian Cooper, a black man, who simply wanted her to leash her dog.
Then, later on that same day, Minneapolis police killed George Floyd
<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726>.

Protests continue throughout our city to express grief and frustration and
to demand a change to our racist systems and culture. *One way to press for
the kind of structural changes that keep black, indigenous and people of
color safe, healthy and thriving is through equitable development in our
communities.* When local residents have the ability to influence how
development happens they can mitigate the stressors and negative impacts
that often come with gentrification
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6409401/>. Demanding that new
housing is affordable, that new businesses hire locally and that there is
property tax relief for existing homeowners are just a few ways to maintain
economic and residential stability. We also believe that when longtime
residents of historically POC communities are granted agency in the
development process they have a greater chance of building positive
relationships with new, often white, neighbors and business owners, which
can help eradicate incidents of racialized policing.

*As an act of solidarity, the Walltown Community Association is encouraging
you to review, sign and share a petition started by our Braggtown neighbors
related to a proposed development project in north Durham.* The petition
includes a number of recommendations related to affordable housing,
environmental protection, and quality of life issues such as sidewalks and
access to parks and public green spaces. Please consider signing before
this Wednesday, June 3rd when the project will be reviewed in a City-County
Planning Commission public hearing
<https://durhamnc.gov/3012/Public-Hearings-and-Notices>.

*Sign the Braggtown Equitable Development petition here*
https://www.change.org/p/petition-for-equitable-development-in-braggtown-
durham-nc

*Participate in the Public Hearing via ZOOM*

   - Register to speak at the hearing by 3 p.m. on the meeting date at:
   https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jRhFJIBLR0ONaJ8I2TnD_Q
   <https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jRhFJIBLR0ONaJ8I2TnD_Q> (Webinar
   ID: 973 2113 2539)
   - Register as "OPPONENT" (that means you are against the development
   proposal) and enter "Agenda Items" (Z1900009) AND (Z1900043)

*Participate in the Public Hearing via PHONE*

   - Call 1-312-626-6799 15 minutes before the meeting start time

*Instructions to participate in the virtual meeting or to watch it live are
available at:* https://durhamnc
.gov/4062/Participate-in-a-Virtual-Public-Hearing

*If you register by zoom or call in, you will have a chance to speak on
issues (related to this development) that matter to you. You will have a
maximum of 2 minutes to speak. *For example: If you are passionate about
affordable housing, you could call in and share why this issue is important
to you personally, and why you think this commitment is necessary for this
proposed development.

*Other Ways to Make an Impact*
If you have a couple of minutes in the days leading up to the hearing, *please
contact the City County Planning Commission directly.* If the city receives
a large number of messages, they are MUCH more likely to take this issue
seriously.


*What could you say to the Planning Commission? *If you agree with the
recommendations in the Braggtown Petition for Equitable Development you
could simply share that! If you have specific concerns or thoughts about
how this development may impact you, your neighbors, or the larger Durham
community let the city know!

*EMAIL:* DurhamPlanningCommission at durhamnc.gov

*PHONE:* Call and Leave a Message at 919-560-4137 (Press 3 for the Planning
Department)

To learn more, contact the group at braggtown.development.issues at gmail.com.

On behalf of the Walltown Community Association,
-- 
Brandon J. Williams (formerly Hudson)
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