Why Umoja Village Burned

            During our adventure to special collections this past Wednesday, I connected with one particular item. This section was one subject we discussed in our class last semester, but was not touched on this time.

            The Take Back the Land campaign was a response made to the increasing gentrification problem occurring in downtown Miami. A newly self-governed shantytown labeled Umoja Village consisted of around 50 people living in a vacant lot. The issue for the campaign was not necessarily issue of gentrification, but more for control of the land. About six months into this new project, government officials took action and burnt Umoja down. The area 50 homeless people once called home is now a shopping strip for the wealthy.

            The specific detail of this escapade that really pricked me was the response enacted by the city government. The actions of “taking land” are not knew actions, especially in my hometown of Houston. Gentrification is a serious problem that needs to be addressed both on the social and economic level. The retaliation to this new communal identity grabs my attention. The lot on the corner of 62^nd St. and NW 17^th Ave. in Liberty City was burned to the ground. Fifty impoverished African Americans without jobs or homes were thrown back onto the street overnight because the city government.

            The burning of Umoja pricks me because it embodies a false sense of entitlement. Entitlement, such as ownership of land that is not yours, is an issue that agitates me because of my unique upbringing. The same entitlement can be found in the extremely racist article we read at the beginning of the year, Trouble in Paradise. Issues found here are key social and character issues I want to tackle in my final essay.