Right, this guy is really taking things out of context. I never said most people at neighborhood meetings are racist, but that
some of the people who oppose any change espouse antiquated and racist views. Not all, not most. In fact, I explicitly commented on how heartening it is to see most people being reasonable at recent meetings. But all it takes is a look at the Jersey Journal comment sections to see what
certain people say about non-homeowners in the Square - you'll see comments calling renters in the area "lowlifes" and opaque references to "the demographics" and other coded words. Same thing on JCList...
And you can't deny that neighborhood associations in general tend to be disproportionately composed of older, whiter, English-speaking residents who are more likely to own homes, compared to the average population of the area. This isn't a phenomenon restricted to JC by any stretch. You see it all over the country:
https://nextcity.org/features/view/s...ning-decisions
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...4-trump-corona
In any event, everyone is entitled to voice their opinions. But too often the bias is in favor of people who resist any and all change, whether or not they represent a true cross-section of the community. It's hard to get renters and younger people to come out.