Morning Belz, March 5

Atlanta gentrification video.

New video about gentrification in southwest Atlanta is up on Patreon. I’ll publish it to YouTube later today.

My wife watched a rough cut and about three-quarters of the way through looked at me and said, in her typical blunt way, “what am I learning that’s new here?” I didn’t have a great answer. I’m leaning on the conviction that seeing regular people talk about a big change in their lives is useful, and I think it’s striking that so few people in Oakland City, from homeowners to the near-homeless, felt that rising property values were something to decry.

I guess I spent too much time in Minneapolis writing about battles between academics on the subject, because that surprised me. The simple idea that Lil Baby’s neighborhood is gentrifying has some clickability to it, as well, and I’m not going to shy away from that.

My family is traveling next week so Morning Belz will be limited, though I may publish on one or two mornings. Have a great weekend.

— 
Uplifting to see the Pope Francis reception in Iraq — Celebs Arabic
The reluctant case for becoming a China hawk — Politico Europe
A “space hurricane” hovered over the North Pole in 2014 — USA Today
Cuomo as case-study in schizophrenic political narratives — Politico
Minnesota legislature not helping looted, burned businesses — Reformer
Thread on why schools must reopen immediately — Rory Cooper

Quotes
“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.” — Howard W. Newton, 1946 (probably)

About: I was a newspaper reporter for 14 years, most recently at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I explained why my family left Minneapolis here. Now we live just outside Chattanooga and I work on Scuffed News, a project that either succeeds by July or will have to be abandoned. This is my newsletter. Please share it with anyone you think might enjoy it. I also periodically add people to the distribution list myself. You can support this work with your money on Patreon.