Comments

1
Hey Charles, since Sean is so anti-comments perhaps you could encourage him to install some browser plug-in that would hide all comments from all Slog postings. That way he could still turn on comments for his posts yet not be bothered by the comments that are left on his posts.
2
this is not a deliberate state of affairs.

what is the situation for other minorities? specifically, what are the homeownership rate trends for Asians?
3
I challenge the idea that red and blue states are supposed to function differently. Corporate rule dictates policy and it's no different in a state where Democrats have the majority. Corporations gravitate toward the party in charge and the Dems serve their higher power, their corporate donors and the wealthiest of our population. To expect any different is naive and to bypass voting... well, that's how this happened. I can't imagine that the black struggle has enough energy to expend on the politcal battlefield, I can barely show up for half of the fights myself, head to toe in white privilege, but we are ruled by the corporate machine and not like Boeing in the good ol'days... things have changed. For the worse. We have to fight with everything we have. Mail-in ballots are one weapon if you vote policy over party.
5
Good stuff, Charles, and more proof of how Seattle is not a racially diverse city, at all. And #3, respectfully, instead of the assertion that all is lost to the Mighty Corporation" and that you "can't imagine that the black struggle has enough energy to expend on the political battlefield," try looking into Black Lives Matter; they're expending some energy, albeit against some mighty headwinds. Also,#3, uh, Boeing, even back then, IS a Mighty Corporation...oh well, 57 a day moving in---be interesting to statistically profile just what type of city we're building,,,
6
For this to change, since this issue greatly impacts the poor of all races, it would be useful if the poor of all races stood together to confront our oppressors. Unfortunately the ham-fisted way we progressives have wielded political correctness and the concept of privilege has driven a wedge between the races. Were I prone to conspiracy theories, I would suspect that they were a conspiracy by the rich one percent to keep us fighting each other and not them. The tactics were so successful that that orange thing ended up being elected president.
7
#6 DING DING we have a winner, great and I believe true analysis,,,maybe not a conspriacy, but a loose affiliation with common interests,,,
8
I would imagine if you put class on there it would very similar. In general the graph looks a lot like a typical chart of American progress (or lack thereof). Put "income" or "wealth" along the bottom (instead of home ownership). Then substitute "Middle Class" or "Union Worker" for "Black" or "Latino" and it looks about the same. A strong, steady downturn in the 80s, a brief stabilization and uptick in the 90s, then a downtown in 2000 all the way through to the great recession.

For "White" and "Asian", substitute "highly educated" (there isn't enough of an uptick to use "wealthy"). Basically, since Reagan got elected, the key to being successful is to be born wealthy, although you might be able to tread water if you go to school and do really well.

Since then, class stratification has gotten worse and racially disadvantages groups have not climbed the economic latter as quickly as previous generations. (Of course social advancement and economic advancement usually go hand in hand). Nothing too surprising there -- welcome to America.

The big reason that income or wealth is so closely tied to home ownership in Seattle is that home prices have gone up. To own a house in Seattle is to be much wealthier than before. The reasons for this are relatively complicated, but an artificially constrained supply with demand well above average explains most (if not all) of it. We just aren't building many new places to live, despite the demand. We aren't Tokyo.

To say that folks are being pushed out though, is a bit of an oversimplification. As the chart showed, roughly have the folks owned houses back in the day. Many of them simply sold them. They weren't pushed out, they sold out, and moved somewhere else. Yes, it sucks when the kids can't afford to live in the old neighborhood, but the parents cashed out, and are enjoying life somewhere cheaper.
9
I am going to keep it EXTREMELY real right now. Seattle DOES NOT like to hire Black people in tech. It does not matter how educated you are. The other aspect is if you DO get in, you never leave your position. You never advance... Seattle has some underlying bias in the corporate sector for sure.
10
Tech is a funnel. You start by being in the top 3% of your high school class, then onto a STEM degree in an upper tier department. Next comes the grind of internships or otherwise getting your foot in the door and finally you get some experience, land and move to Seattle like an M1 Abrams battle tank ready to squash out everything in your way. Unfortunately as a nation we do a horrible job of supporting those who live in predominantly minority and under served communities to participate an excel with the possible exception of the military. (Statistics has taught me not to lay this on color, but racial stereotypes and prejudice can certainly play a role.)
12
Re: #8, "We just aren't building many new places to live, despite the demand. We aren't Tokyo."

Here is a complete list of metro areas that permitted more new buildings with 5 or more units last year than Seattle Metro (per census.gov):
Dallas, Ft. Worth metro - Area: 9,286 sq mi, Population: ~6m
L.A. metro - Area: 4,850.3 sq mi, Population: ~12m
New York metro - Area: 13,318 sq mi, Population: ~23m
for comparison - Seattle metro - Area: 5,872.35, Population: 3.7m

In total housing permits we are only beat by those and:
Washington DC - population ~6m
Atlanta - population ~6m
Houston ~ 6m

We are building as fast as any place in the US can be expected to build. It is just a fantasy to think construction can keep up with Gold Rush level population booms. It never has, and it never will, unless you want a level of central planning that nearly all Americans are uncomfortable with (including self-described "liberals"). That is why the existing population needs protections during these periods, so you don't destroy longstanding neighborhoods just because of the length of time it takes for construction to catch up.

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