Bywater is the new Lakeview

If I had asked you 20 years ago what neighborhood these upstanding and extremely not racist people were residents of, which would you have picked?

After a brief presentation, Nicole Webre, the consultant running the meeting, read comment cards submitted by those attending, after many in the audience had muttered, hissed, or yelled their opposition to the project throughout the presentation. Most of the cards were unilaterally opposed to the project—many mentioned storm-water management, the loss of green space, the high density of the building, and disliking the design (which among other sins, features a large parking lot). One card absurdly asked whether the building might block “airflow from the Mississippi”. Another asked what would happen to the 11 trees on the lot, while yet another, signed by the same participant, said that when a 2 story building had stood on the lot, she was robbed by two men that ran into the building. “I’m worried that crime will go up.” The card concluded.

Four of the live oaks on the property merited multiple mentions, as they are registered with the Live Oak Society. Then Webre read this card:

"Majority white neighborhoods have consistently opposed affordable housing developments in New Orleans. Everyone says that it’s about parking or density but the result is the same. NIMBYism is how you maintain segregation and exclusive white communities. It would be nice if a neighborhood took a different path.”

At this, the room erupted with screaming.

“Freaking assholes!” yelled one man, who was seated behind me.

“Freaking bitch,” snarled another man (for those wondering, the author of the comment had a traditionally masculine name).

“People wouldn’t say, it’s racist if they had better information!” exclaimed a man who’d been muttering at the developer under his breath.

“We want to maintain quality of life,” responded an elderly white woman to my left.