Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-28
More Than q Dream

suggest you take a second
look at the premises leading
you to add your blessing to
Mr.. Zeckendorf's dream. Edi-
torial responsibility should cut
deeper than the high-powered
salesmanship purveying the
dream. Reference is had to
your editorial, More Than a
Dream"
First, the impending dislo-
cation of 10000 people (to say
nothing of the Inconvenience
many who do not live but earn
their living in the area nat
urally arouseS wholesale OPP
position on their part. Why
was this multitude not heard?
Attending a public hearing or
hiring a proxy requires time,
money. some belief in the
outcome; and the case for the
plan. armored by wealth and
propaganda, obviously would be
and was-a tank to the OPP
POSITIONS go-cart. Yet, for you
to brush off this opposition,
though mute, as nonexistent,
reveals little touch with the
reality of the situation. / sub
init that even a lazy reporter
canvaSsing a single Southwest
block would run into more pro-
test. however resigned. than
he could handle.
Second, your statement that
e. the benefits of redevelop-
ment for the whole community
clearly outweigh the diSad-
vantageS :" suggests a GER
tain innocence. A couple years
ago Area C only barely de-
deserved the epithets so freely
heaped upon it - "Slum,"
''blighted area" and the like.
Now. however, with the demo-
lition Of Area B. Area c has
itself become a Ball neglect
and restitution lacking paint
and planting. 1t may fairly be
said that the Redevelopment
Land Agency has created its
own slum to raze. Redevelop-
ment may indeed make the
Southwest the Capitals pride.
but whether that will be an
unmiXed blessing to the COM
munity at large remains to be
seen. Migrant poverty creates
slumS where none existed be-
fore. And the dream may we'll
be endless. surviving condem-
nation after condemnation.
ogress? Perhaps. But
the character-giving past de-
serves better than the pro-
moter's plough.
For my own part I have been
scouting for property having
the advantages / enjoy here:
Washington Channel and the
Potomac; a free view of the
hills of Virginia and their
monuments, and 5-10-minute
ride to the heart of the city.
Finding such is impossible; a
makeshift would run into sew
eral times the present invest
ment. Yes. I quite agree with
the plans proponents: For
openness and sky, for con-
venience, the Southwest is the
citys choicest living space.
Why some 1000 families
should be punished for having
found this out is one of those
paradoXes over which a phil
osopher might spend a lifetime.
w. Nj. Halter.
\
In contrast with you, dear
dream editor, I live in the
Southwest; l have attended
RIA meetings and the public
hearing. Though my annual
earnings are probably as sub
stantial as yours, / live among
the lower-income group and
the impoverished. These facts
lead me to believe that you
gave no great depth of thought
or investigation to the subject
before indorsing THE ctiy's
most important improvement
enterprise"
I've seen that blight and
poverty are synonymous. and
when the impoverished are
moved like checkers, blight in
evitably follows. This / know
from watching the effects on
Area c of the razing of Area
B. II those who, at the hear
ing, favored the plan as a
means of removing slums had
suggested a plan for the re-
moval Of poverty. l. too. would
be in the affirmative. Yet since
no such dreamful construc-
tive program was brought
forth, l imagine the only thing
thing left is to exterminate the
impoverished.
l chose the Southwest for
the beauty. privacy and con-
venience it offered. These
same attributes anywhere else
in the city would cost a
fortune. Now. Mr.. Zeckendorf
sees these same values and
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