Redlining and Its Impact on the Modern Day

Redlining and Its Impact on the Modern Day

Over the last four decades, people of color have lost about $212,000 in personal wealth, just because their residences were redlined. The civil right movement led to a ban on redlining and has been fighting to end it; however, its impact prevails in modern society. In the past several decades, banks and private lenders denied mortgages to people of color. They were not allowed to buy properties in certain neighborhoods across the US, for example, in Chicago, Tampa, Detroit, Atlanta, and other large cities. The most shocking thing is that the government supported the practice. Do you know where the term redlining came from? Moneylenders and real estate agents used red ink to outline areas occupied by people who were most likely to default on their loans. These were mostly Blacks and Latinos. The marked maps were stored in archives and made available to the public. Redlining is not legal today, however, its impact continues. Redlining contributes to issues such as income disparities, long-term segregation and violence, and police brutality. 

Long-Term Segregation

Redlining has impacted long-term regional segregation. Even after about 80 years, the isolation index is still used in some areas. The index concerns the region’s demographics. It focuses on the potential for black or white people in the neighborhood to interact with each other. For example, the grade for the neighborhood in the redlining area of Indianapolis reflects 85% segregation. As a result, there emerged areas where most of the residents were either Black or White. For example, most of the areas with low Home Owner Loan Corporation (HOLC) in has a high percentage of black people. On the other hand, areas with high HOLC are mostly occupied by white people. It means, HOLC grade determines your settlement area to date. Long-term segregation meant the redlined areas were mostly occupied by people from low income. These residences were segregated for a long time. In the long run, it brought about income disparities in different neighborhoods (Brooks, 2022). 

Income Disparities

The past HOLC grades determine the current income and poverty levels in various regions. This explains poverty variation which is about 25%, economic inequality amounting to 23% and 38% of SNAP usage between the two redlined groups. Moreover, redlining is a strong determinant of income levels. Redlining and segregation predict about 53 percent of the disparities in average household income in various areas. The highest graded district as graded as ‘A’ has a high average household income of over $130,000, Districts with grade B have an average income of over $50,000. Grade C districts have an average income of under   $40,000. The differences in average income pushed people to settle in different areas. Income disparities mean a lot-for example, the areas with high average income are more developed than areas with low incomes. Moreover, areas with high averages have adequate resources and basic services are not a problem. Income disparities in different areas spike a difference in people’s lifestyles. There are fewer crime cases in neighborhoods with a high average income than those with a low income. Also, police officers use more force in areas with more criminal cases and which turns to be the redlined areas due to low income (Townsley et al., 2022). 

Violent Crime and Police Violence

There is a high correlation between redlining, crime, and police brutality. For example, in Marion County, HOLC explains the 29% difference in police brutality. There is a significant difference between regions graded A and D. Grade A regions have crime 10.7 crime incidents per 1000 residents while grade D has 20.1% crime cases per 1000 residents. This clearly shows that redlining and segregation contribute to violence and crime. It, therefore, explains the 62% differences in crime rate between localities. It translates to redlined areas having more crime and violence. Also, police are more brutal in areas graded D than those graded A. There is a huge difference in how the police handle people living in areas that were redlined and those in neighborhoods that were regarded as normal (Townsley et al., 2022).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the impact of redlining continues today. This goes beyond loan denial for certain families based on their neighborhood races. Most of the areas which were redlined are still undeveloped. People in these areas still face long-term segregation, their income is low and they face violence and police brutality. As a result, the areas lack adequate basic services. Even though the civil rights movement continues to fight redlining and segregation, the impacts continue to be felt. Redlining is not legal anymore but it was so influential that its effects prevail. The worst thing about redlining is that not everyone who was denied a mortgage or loan had no potential to repay. Imagine a world where redlining never existed. All neighborhoods would be equal, there would be equal development projects, basic services would be even and all residences would have adequate basic resources. We should join hands with the government to improve areas where redlining effects still felt. 

References

BROOKS, K. (2022). Redlining's legacy: Maps are gone, but the problem hasn't disappeared. Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 14 March 2022, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/redlining-what-is-history-mike-bloomberg-comments/

Townsley, J., Miguel Andres, U., & Nowlin, M. (2022). The Lasting Impacts of Segregation and Redlining - SAVI. SAVI. Retrieved 14 March 2022, from https://www.savi.org/2021/06/24/lasting-impacts-of-segregation/.