By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, February 3 at 6:11 AM
With the recent discussion of why "north St. Louis versus the rest of the City" is such a big deal, I thought it was a good time to link to a story I wrote back in 2002.
Quiet Conspiracy: The Team Four Plan and the Plot to Kill North St. Louis
The names have not been changed and no one is innocent.
UPDATE: A 2004 article by Randall Roberts of the Riverfront Times included the following:
The purpose of the 1975 interim, stopgap land-use measure was to stem the city's dramatic population decline. But the plan was quickly condemned as "a racist attack on the people of St. Louis" when it left the predominantly white south side intact while recommending the demolition of 70,000 north-side homes.
In an open letter to the architects of the so-called Team Four Plan, black leaders wrote: "It is a plan by which [Team Four] intend to first let the black community rot by cutting services and discouraging investments, then move the people out by condemning their homes....."
SLU's Todd Swanstrom says St. Louis' planning history has taught the black community to greet land-use plans with skepticism. "The people in the minority communities are suspicious, and rightfully so. There's not a tradition of trust that's been developed over the years in which responsible, grassroots organizations and ward leaders can work with the city to improve their areas."
Third Ward Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. agrees. "Most of those plans were devoid of community and neighborhood input," he says.
St. Louis leaders have learned from that mistake.
Oh really?
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