Reverend Willie F. Ford鈥檚 church is emptier than it used to be.
It鈥檚 not that his congregation doesn鈥檛 want to come in on Sundays, he says 鈥� it鈥檚 that they can鈥檛. In the past decade he鈥檚 been ministering at St. Matthew Community Baptist Church, Ford has seen his flock dwindle as parishioners are priced out of their homes in the predominantly Black Coconut Grove Village West.
鈥淧eople who have lived here for years are displaced and can鈥檛 come back. They鈥檝e had to move to Florida City and Homestead. That鈥檚 a long way to travel for church,鈥� Ford tells WLRN.
Village West, settled largely by Bahamians who built much of Miami in the late 1800s, has been . Large-scale have driven up rents and made the community unlivable for longtime residents.
Reverend Ford and a coalition of community advocate groups believe the City of Miami is at fault for this, and they want the federal government to do something about it.
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In a new complaint to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the advocates accuse the city of a longstanding pattern of discriminatory zoning that disparately affects communities of color and contributes to the 鈥渞esegregation鈥� of Miami.
The complainants, who include the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance, the Coconut Grove Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association, and Grove Rights and Community Equity, Inc., allege the city has violated the .
鈥淭he Black Coconut Grove Village West residents 鈥� were subject to displacement by disparate degrees and measures that were not similarly experienced by White residents. These Black residents 鈥� were, moreover, displaced into communities that ended up being as much or even more segregated than before,鈥� Alexander Rundlet from University of Miami's Law School wrote in a letter supporting the advocates鈥� complaint.
Named respondents to the complaint include Miami City Commission Chairwoman Christine King and City Building Director Asael Marrero.
A HUD spokesperson told 港澳天下彩the department received the complaint, but cannot comment on investigations. The City of Miami Attorney's office said they are also in receipt of the letter.
"We received the claim, and we look forward to responding to the allegations," a spokesperson for the City Attorney's office said.
The letter outlines how 162 Black residents of Village West were evicted from 18 multifamily properties throughout the neighborhood after they were bought up by developers. The tract of properties was rezoned in 2010, and the lots bought up by investors over the next decade and a half.
The complainants allege the city incentivizes companies to buy these types of properties so they can redevelop them at a later date after the city rezones them to allow for higher density or commercial use.
鈥淭he residents 鈥� were evicted and the structures in which they resided were demolished in preparation for planned redevelopment, which contemplated more intensive and profitable uses for developers pursuant to the City of Miami鈥檚 zoning and development policies,鈥� the letter states.
Several of the properties, like 3400 Florida Ave and 3401 Grand Ave, are currently vacant lots owned by LLCs, instead of the multi-unit dwellings that once housed Village West residents. The Grand Avenue property, which is in a residential neighborhood, is now zoned for commercial use.
Anthony Alfieri, director of the UM Law Center for Ethics and Public Service, told 港澳天下彩that the city鈥檚 zoning practices threaten to have an impact on the rest of Miami-Dade County and South Florida, as low-income residents of color flee areas like Village West to more concentrated areas of poverty.
鈥淒isparate impacts and resegregation highlight the failure of the City of Miami and of Miami-Dade County to address issues of concentrated poverty and to comply with civil rights statutes during the last half century,鈥� Alfieri said.
The complaint seeks a formal investigation by HUD to determine if the city has in fact violated the federal Fair Housing Act.
Violating the Fair Housing Act would put the City of Miami at risk of not being able to get federal funding for housing projects. HUD鈥檚 , of which Miami is a recipient, requires that grantees do not participate in discriminatory housing practices.
