Connecticut is one of the most segregated places in the country. Despite widespread protests over racial inequities, Gov. Ned Lamont and other leaders are resisting calls to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.
This article was produced in partnership with the Connecticut Mirror, which was a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network in 2019.
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, The Connecticut Mirror June 29, 5 a.m. EDT
On a recent Sunday, protesters marched through the center of Weston, a small, wealthy town in southwest Connecticut. They chanted “no justice, no peace” and raised handwritten signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Silence is Violence.”
Somewhere in the crowd, Brian Murray hoisted his own message.
“Fact check: Weston, CT. No Black teachers. No Black police officers. No Black board members. No Black town of Weston government office members.”
Eight days after that protest, at which elected officials urged the overwhelmingly white crowd to fight racism, Weston officials turned their attention to housing. With a unanimous vote, they adopted the town’s strategic plan, which recommends keeping most development to single-family homes on lots of at least two acres, a requirement that has resulted in a typical sale price of $660,000 — and a lack of diversity. Just 1.4% of residents are Black. Local officials rejected a suggestion to convert a vacant property into affordable housing for seniors. Instead, they carved out a small area of land surrounding the town green for potential development.
Read article HERE and the series HERE.
Segregation is one of the roots of the evil in our society, and it’s perpetuated by exclusionary zoning. Let’s just call it what it is, it’s Jim Crow Zoning.
richard feldman