Street Sense Media, April 28, 2021, Council advances Comprehensive Plan amid concerns of racial inequity
The D.C. Council voted on April 20 to advance the latest revision of the Comprehensive Plan amendment, amid confusion over the scope of the document’s influence and concern among councilmembers that it would reinforce racial inequity in housing in the District.
While the council voted 11-0 to advance the draft from the markup session, At-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman and Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George abstained. They cited a racial equity impact assessment published on April 19 by the newly-established Council Office of Racial Equity (CORE). The CORE assessment determined that the Comprehensive Plan amendment as written will uphold racial inequity in the District.
“We cannot afford to preserve a status quo that has been displacing thousands of Black and brown D.C. families,” Councilmember Lewis George said. At least 20,000 Black people were pushed out of the city between 2000 – 2013, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
