Democracy, Redevelopment-Style: 63 people vote in 6th Street PAC Election

As the Board of Supervisors votes Tuesday on creating a Bayview-Hunters Point Redevelopment Area, scant attention has been paid to how this action restricts the democratic rights of neighborhood residents and businesses. Redevelopment Areas transfer power over land use decisions from elected officials to mayoral appointees and Agency staff, and ultimately suppress rather than enhance public involvement. Last week on 6th Street, we saw how this Redevelopment process plays out. In the election for members of the 6th Street Project Area Committee, a whopping 63 people voted among an eligible voter pool in the thousands. Why such a low turnout? Because after ten years of experience, residents, owners and businesses know that they have no control over what the Agency does in their community. This pattern of community disempowerment is endemic to Redevelopment, and will now be repeated in the Bayview.