Sacramento Community Land Trust prevents displacement and builds historically discriminated neighborhood power to combat deterioration and market speculation by fostering equitable development for generations to come.
Statement on Racial Injustice
The Sacramento Community Land Trust condemns the recent killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Riah Milton, Dominique "Rem'Mie" Fells, Rayshard Brooks and too many senseless deaths that came before. We also cannot forget those who were murdered right here in Sacramento, including Stephon Clark, Mikel McIntyre, and Joseph Mann. We stand with the Black community and add our voice to those demanding accountability and reforms to our system. Black Lives Matter.
When the Sacramento Community Land Trust was formed we made a point to include and lift up voices that were historically discriminated against. We used the word historical, but it is clear that the discrimination is still happening.
Housing has played a crucial role in continuing housing discrimination through redlining, covenants that excluded non-white families and access to loans.
For example, a longstanding branch of a major national bank that used to serve Oak Park (located at the end of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, no less) originated just one home loan from within the community. It has since closed without a replacement, and there remains now just one bank in Oak Park, the city's largest and most diverse neighborhood.
In 2015-2016, one of the last fiscal years with comprehensive data, the nation's largest bank approved 3,200 home loans in Sacramento. Only 375 recipients were Latinx. 62 went to Black applicants--less than 2%*. Black Sacramentans make up a whole lot more of our community than this paltry rate implies...remember, we are supposedly the most diverse city in the nation**. Sacramento CLT's foundational values are confronting systemic issues that have prevented home and land ownership.
We cannot say we're honoring our values if we cannot say Black Lives Matter, and are committed to continuing to support transformational work in our community to make that a reality.
(*Source: Center for Investigative Reporting /**Source: Time Magazine)
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