Damien Goodmon, a prominent community organizer in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, emphasized self-reliance, stating that community members should take initiative rather than wait for external help. His organization, Downtown Crenshaw Rising, sought to acquire a historic shopping center to foster locally owned businesses and housing. Despite raising substantial funds and making a competitive offer, the property was sold to another developer. This setback did not deter Goodmon and his team, who are now focused on establishing a community land trust to promote sustainable development in their area.
Help is not on the way. We are the ones we've been waiting for," observed Damien Goodmon in an interview with NPQ. For two decades, Goodmon has been a leading community organizer in Los Angeles's Crenshaw neighborhood.
Despite lacking site control, Downtown Crenshaw Rising raised $34.6 million from philanthropy and nearly as much in letters of intent from impact investors. In July 2021, the group leveraged its cash and commitment letters to submit an offer of $115 million to acquire the property.
Regardless of how that lawsuit turns out, Goodmon and the Crenshaw activists aren't deterred, and they are not waiting for help. Instead, they are building a community land trust.
We endeavor to be, by the end of the decade, the largest CLT in America," Goodmon said. Instead of developing a 40-acre lot, the goal now, he says, is to develop.
#community-organizing #crenshaw-neighborhood #community-land-trust #solidarity-economy #local-development
Collection
[
|
...
]