You have betrayed us

With recent passage of the Advance KC 2.0 housing ordinance, many communities are left reeling. Reactions range from shock to outrage. It is an appropriate time to re-read You Have Betrayed Us, a letter from a coalition of highly respected Black leaders to the mayor, published earlier this year. The letter conveys important truths now facing people who are about to be gravely harmed by Kansas City's pro-gentrification real estate tax subsidies. As we reflect upon the Mayor's new gambit to take more land and public resources from low-income communities to benefit real estate developers, it is time to re-read this statement. Our reality is harsh. Truth is what is needed.