Home | Resident Voices | History | Media | Our Demands

Resident voices:

"The Rich Want Our Neighborhood"
- by a resident of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg

More resident stories

I came in August of last year. I used to work for the military. I applied for housing while I was there. I waited about a year before my name came up. I had an apartment in Maryland. I'm HIV positive, things started a long time ago. I've been positive for ten years. My son is also HIV positive. My boss was very meticulous at the Pentagon. My job was very stressful, and with me being Positive, that is the last thing you need. I lost my job and couldn't afford to keep my apartment. Luckily, I was able to move into my boyfriend's place for a couple of months until I was able to move into Carrollsburg.

I've worked different positions since I moved to Carrollsburg. Right now I'm working part-time. Right now a less stressful position with all the doctor's appointments for me and my son… But I went from making $15 an hour to making $7 an hour. Things got pretty rough for awhile. I'm still looking for better work. but my health is "up and down." You know I have my good days and my bad days. I pretty much try to do on my own.

I think the HOPE VI plan is bullshit. The rich want this area, they don't care where we go, it's not their problem. They want this property because it is in a good area. Why have public housing if they are going to take it away? Even when I worked for the government I was living pay check to pay check. At least I'm one of the lucky ones because I have a place to go back to down south to my mom's house. I'm 39 years old, I don't want to go live with my parents! Right now I don't know. Everyone wants a home but I have bad credit and don't make enough money to buy a home. Once the housing authority spreads us out and splits us up it is going to be worse. Because we are not going to be able to communicate with each other, so we can't organize. So decisions will be made without us because we will be spread out. For those that do care, that want to provide for our families the Housing Authority won't even support that.

The best case scenario, if they are going to relocate us, then only for a short period of time. And let us decide whether we move out or come back in. I don't mind paying rent but base it on my income.

Home | F&R Youth | Resident Voices | History | Media | Our Demands

Web Resources

United Workers
Low-wage workers leading the way to poverty's end.

Read about the United Workers Human Rights Zone Campaign at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Liberation Learning
Early childhood education centred on the human rights values of respect, dignity and sacred life.

'Capers the Play
'Capers is a one-woman show based on the stories of families at the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg public housing projects - also known as 'Capers - in southeast DC who protested the government-funded relocation and demolition of their neighborhood.

Poverty Initiative
Union Theological Seminary

Human Rights Tech
Provided technology training that helped get this site started.

 

All content, unless otherwise credited, is either ©2003 Friends & Residents of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg or in the public domain.
Clip art and stock photos are from clipart.com and are used according to terms of license agreement.
Content may be reproduced for non-commercial educational uses by other poor people's organizations working to end poverty.
All other uses require written permission by Friends & Residents of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg.

Web development training provided by humanrightstech.org.

created: 05/29/03 (tk) | modified: 05/29/03 (tk)