title. Grassroots Attempt at Organizing
date. July 2018
city. Lincoln, Nebraska
details. In my local Lincoln community, encompassing the Near South and Everett neighborhoods, we are 95% rental, 43% below the poverty line speaking 13 different languages. As land purchases began to increase in the area, a group known as We Are Vital began to organize. In 2015, after the release of a large development plan by out of state consultants, We Are Vital was able to gather enough residents to halt the plan. However, two years later, it was discovered that the plan was still in effect, simply postponed until less pressure ensued, risking the displacement of hundreds of local residents. By this time, We Are Vital had already dissolved.
These materials show an individual attempt to organize residents to begin buying the remaining land plots, in light of this discovery, as a means to withhold parcels from private developers. Of the 250+ doors knocked and flyered in the neighborhood, 40 people attended the call to action. Most of the attendees admitted to being very apprehensive to unify their dollars, thus collective action did not ensue.
The consultant’s development plan is currently underway…