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University of Houston
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working poor & life chances
Residents of Houston’s Third Ward say they fear unsympathetic urban developers will succeed in taking over a community that holds a legacy of history and fond memories for them.
Signs that read “Third Ward Is Our Home and It Is Not For Sale” have been erected in many yards as a sign of residents’ opposition to selling their property. Developers have made unsolicited phone calls to Third Ward residents offering to buy their homes. Residents say the townhomes developers want to build will cause their taxes to go up, forcing the elderly and the poor out of the neighborhood.
Katherine Bearman, a 71-year-old resident, is proud of living in her community. Mother of nine and grandmother of 22, Bearman says she loves the location of her home because it is on the bus line and it is close to downtown. Bearman attends a church located approximately 100 feet from her front door.
Bearman’s 37-year-old grandson also fears being moved from the neighborhood, but says he prefers to look at things differently. He says the developers are not doing anything illegal by buying property in the Third Ward and that anyone with money can do the same thing. The problem, he says, is that many Third Ward residents don’t have money. To him, redevelopment is good because it means police will begin patrolling the area more, resulting in a more secure environment where his children will be able to play outside.
Cleveland Turner, known to his neighbors as “The Flower Man,” has lived in Third Ward since 1962. His house, which he says tells his life story, has become one of Third Ward’s landmarks. With a canary yellow base coat of paint, Turner’s house is decorated with trinkets and refurbished garbage, such as a steering wheel plastered to the side of his house and Teddy Bears perched atop a tree.
Project Row Houses, located at 2501 Holman, is another landmark in the community. Once dilapidated and abandoned, this row of shotgun houses used to be a haven for drug dealers. But today, the art installations at Project Row Houses are testimony to the community’s rich history and culture. Residents are now proud of what they see here.
To a passerby, Third Ward may appear to be a run down community inhabited by people who have nowhere else to go, but to those who live in Third Ward, it’s not just a neighborhood, it’s their home.
© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07
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