To The People who left both black and white from the ones left behind

I was reading my time line in a group I belong to about my community.

One of the people posted about how she loved North Braddock but she was glad she didn't live here. 

Another commenter said She wouldn't drive through Braddock during the day.

A third referred to the the thugs who live in North Braddock now.

None of these women could understand was they were offending people simply for not being able or not wanting to leave our neighbors.

I get tired of hearing how perfect the community was in the past before the community died.

Back in the day US Steel required it's employees to live in 15104. The black folks had to stay because of segregation. 15104 always had poor people but also had middle class and wealthy people.

In the 70s things changed the mill workers no longer had to live here and black folks didn't have to live here.  They moved out in droves then wonder what happened to their old town.  Somehow it must be our fault despite the fact that the town no longer had their tax dollars.

We survived without you and now we don't want you back.  We remember you were racist and classist.

Then a black middle class woman talking about whites who were gentrifying East Liberty but she ignored the fact that it was middle class black people who were gentrifying poor black people from the Hill and Homewood. 

Guess what black middle class do you really think the black people YOU forced out of their homes and whose lives you ruined.  How very privileged of you to assume because you are black that they love you moving into our neighborhoods.  We do not.  You are no different than the whites who did it.

To the middle class people who left the ghettos and to the ones who are moving in.

We don't want you here.  You don't belong here.  You want to move here fine but be respectful.