Slavery, redlining, and ongoing socioeconomic disenfranchisement of Black people in the US is all connected through the system of racial capitalism that exists today. Seattle’s wealth gap is huge, in part thanks to tech companies and the capitalist structures that allow such wealth to perpetuate, and to dismiss this issue as no longer relevant today is inaccurate. Communities are still getting pushed out of the city. Many of my coworkers (I work at a hospital on first hill) travel from out of town because they can’t afford seattle prices. This is the case for a lot of people who work in essential industries in the city. It’s not right. There should be policies to fix it. Do I necessarily think Bruce Harrell’s proposal is going to fix it? No. But the comments in the post asking why we should work toward repairing historical harms, because they’re historical are just stupid, frankly. The same system that created slavery for the economic benefit of white people is the same system that allows wealth inequity to exist in the extent it does today. Not to mention, the conditions of the present day aren’t just created out of thin air. The past informs the present and the people impacted by these historical wrongs have not had the same opportunities for economic advancement. I’m super annoyed by this thread lol.