The Neighborhood Movement in Omaha, Nebraska

The Neighborhood Movement in Omaha, Nebraska is significant in a number of ways. What takes place in a mid-sized city that seeks to expand its scope and influence can be related to the approaches taken and the amount of desperation employed to get the job done. Omaha's "movement" is owed to African-Americans, but majority population members, through revisionist history and resources, have co-opted the movement, an act that is probably taking place in other cities across America. In this book a brief history and background of "neighborhood relations," mainly rooted in the segregated status of the city, is provided. The creation and exploitation of token groups that do the city's bidding thereby providing a buffer zone between the segregated black community and the white-dominated city administration, can be effectively achieved. A critique of a cursory "One Omaha Report" will show how hastily and half-assed such documents can be put together to stave off community concern and input. Important insights that differentiate and clarify the difference between a "neighborhood association" and a "homeowners association" will also be shared. Another report by this writer dealing with the neighborhood groups with the most "longevity" is included, as is an analysis of an article titled, "Blacks and Whites Favor "Same Race" Neighborhoods." A review of a fancy brochure by those who work to co-opt the neighborhood "movement" is provided as are descriptions of several city-sponsored projects that divided and sought to re-define the black community: the North Omaha Village Revitalization Plan and the creation of a "Fair Deal Urban District." The mass evacuation of an apartment complex in the heart of Omaha's African-American community, one that housed refugees, was spearheaded by the city and a slumlord, will be analyzed as will a slumlord group, Landmark Management, which continues to exploit the segregation that permeates the River City. To establish that said segregation truly represents a "collective vocation" by the majority, its vaunted "Omaha Business Ethics Alliance" is critiqued and corrected with the establishment of the truth rather than hastily assembled "facts." The "movement" should be led by those who have the best interests of the neighborhoods at heart. In that way, future examples of co-optation, external control and the ceasing of community-oriented functions can be warded off and replaced with progressive and visionary realities.