The descent of Ferguson into chaos, the bankruptcy of Detroit, and the arrest of yet another black mayor on corruption charges might lead one to question whether or not civilization in America can be salvaged. One commenter threw out “Rebel’s Guide to the Collapse of an American City,” which, if taken at face value would suggest that all American cities are doomed to become mega-Camdens, or worse American Port-Au-Princes. The commenters on the article largely agreed, lamenting that their city centers were stolen by mobs of rampaging blacks. From where I sit, however, the forces of civilization are fighting back in cities and neighborhoods across the country, and winning. Take one specific neighborhood, Harlem’s 28th Precinct. Just 23 years ago, the epicenter of black culture in New York City had 41 murders, 71 rapes, and 1050 robberies. The same neighborhood last year experienced 2 murders, 12 rapes, and 211 robberies, a staggering decrease in crime. Like Harlem, neighborhoods that just ten years ago were considered “no-go zones” are now attracting white settlers by the tens of thousands. America’s murder rate, once the highest in the developed world has fallen to a fifty year low.
The essay that follows is a very brief history of the conquest of many American cities by a predominantly black underclass, the nascent Reconquista, and an examination of the strategies and tactics in use. I choose to look at gentrification through the lens of total war. For gentrification to be successful, it requires mobilizing disparate elements of society: individuals, families, businesses, governments, and civic organizations. Like war, the strategy and tactics best suited to reclaim a particular neighborhood are highly context dependent. The ideal strategy for the Malaya Emergency (anti-communist counterinsurgency) is very different from the Battle of France (maneuver warfare with combined arms). Similarly, the ideal strategies for reclaiming West Oakland and Harlem may differ significantly.
Any foreign visitor to America who is not steeped in our history would likely visit a city like Chicago, St. Louis, Oakland, or Detroit, and wonder, “How is it that the wealthiest country in the history of the world has allowed some of its nicest cities to become smoking craters?” The answer is complex, but certainly the most common answer is “White Flight.” According to this narrative, once upon a time, nice blacks moved to predominantly white cities to work in the factories. Racist whites were aghast at the thought of black neighbors, so taking advantage of FHA subsidized mortgages and vast freeways, they all moved to the suburbs, taking their wealth with them. Then, starved for tax money, the now 90+% black inner cities became the hellscapes we know them as today. One question that is rarely raised is this, “How did predominantly German, Italian, Irish, Polish cities like Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis come to have enough blacks to alarm the whites in the first place?” A large part of the explanation is the “Great Migration.”
Chaim Amalek: “Interesting read. One point I would disagree with him on is the role of concealed carry in pacifying an area. Maybe in some locations it has, but not in all and not in Williamsburg (which I am personally familiar with). NY still has very tough gun laws, and has managed to radically reduce its crime rate nonetheless. Also, I think the central factor in the wrecking of America’s cities in the seventies was forced busing.”
