[Original written in December of 2016]
So, I have some things to say about the Bell Foundry eviction and why it’s very troubling:
Gentrification is generally a slow process that takes years or even decades to change a neighborhood. But, occasionally, generally with the “help” of city collusion with developers, it can make sudden leaps in which a specific demolition or construction or change of hands can act as a pretty violent catalyst for changing the face of a neighborhood, and a pretty lucrative bit of moneymaking for the property owners – heck, it’s part of what the musical RENT is about. I’m concerned that this may be what we’re seeing with the Bell Foundry. It happened with Loads of Fun Studios (now Motor House), it almost happened to CopyCat, and I could definitely see it happening to the Bell Foundry.
The Bell Foundry is an amazing historical industrial building in the middle of what is arguably the fastest gentrifying neighborhood in Baltimore, Station North. It’s next door to the CopyCat and the Cork Factory, and just two blocks away from the Charles Theater and the in-progress Parkway Theater. The building would make for a pretty great space for offices, restaurants, all sorts of higher-end commercial purposes, all of which would assuredly net the property owners much more money than they’re currently making by renting to artists.
The current tenants don’t really complain that the building isn’t up to code, or that there are structural issues and fire hazards. And, until Station North started becoming “hip”, there wasn’t much financial incentive for the owner to fix them. However, leases are tricky things, and there’s a chance that the owner may have had dollar signs in his eyes for awhile, looking for a way to clear out the current tenants.
And then along comes the Oakland fire.
The owner of the Bell Foundry can now (and last night did, with only an hour’s notice) evict the current tenants under the guise of being concerned about their safety. He can even get the city to help him do it. Sure, the tenants can (and should) sue him for illegally and knowingly renting a space that isn’t up to code, but where are artists going to come up with the money for lawyers? Justice is, sadly, unlikely. In the meantime, quite a few artists have lost their homes and studios, the rehearsal and storage space for one of the city’s most beloved artistic institutions (The Baltimore Rock Opera Society) is imperiled, and yet another safe space for artists in the queer and POC communities bites the dust. Hopefully, it will all turn out to be an overreaction and the community there will be able to stay, but I’m doubtful.
We can’t keep doing this, folks. Gentrification, especially this aggressive, underhanded form that we’re more used to hearing about in places like NYC and San Francisco, is an unsustainable model for development. Artists cannot continue to be the shock troops of urban development, pushed aside as soon as they have tipped the scales of a neighborhood from “sketchy” to “edgy” to “hip”. We cannot stand by, hands on our hips, and sigh as we watch another artistic establishment become fodder for the meat grinder of progress. We are not helpless. If you want cities to remain vibrant, diverse, and a place for everyone from bankers to painters, you need to step up and speak up for those who likely are having to spend all their time and money trying to keep their homes and their neighborhoods.
When you see a landlord taking advantage of a disadvantaged tenant, speak up. When you hear about your city proposing to get rid of an artist run space, speak up. When a friend tells you about what’s happening in their community, speak up.
Call the Housing Authority. Call your councilman. Call the news stations. Be loud.
Organize. The internet, as the recent election has proven, can be a powerful tool. Use it.
Help. Better yet, ask those who are affected what they need. Do they need money for alternate housing? Do they need a place to sleep? Do they need a moving truck? A lawyer? Help in the ways that they need; if you can’t do it yourself, find someone who can.
Baltimore is one of the most vibrant places I’ve lived. And it has the potential to be a true center for creativity – both in entrepreneurship and the arts. But if we let greed and corruption dictate our development while we stand idly by, the only thing it will become a center for is the seizure of neighborhoods from the very people who made them great.