Homegrown Controversy: Alabama county's zoning efforts allegedly
disenfranchise Black property owners

[link removed]

Dwayne Fatherree, SPLC Investigative Reporter | Read the full piece
here

[link removed]

Friend,

Willie Williams' roots run deep in the sandy soil of Point
Clear, Alabama.

"I'm 62, and that land was my grandmother's,"
Williams said of his property on Confederate Rest Road. "It
probably came to her from her mother. It was passed down to my daddy,
and when I am gone it will probably go to my niece."

The question facing him is what his heirs will be able to do with the
land in this small, coastal town
[link removed]

that stretches along Mobile Bay. Williams and other Black property
owners in the southwestern portion of Baldwin County are facing a
renewed attempt to apply zoning and development standards on property
that has existed, largely without any restrictions, in the
unincorporated areas of the county.

An election held in December 2020 seemingly approved those standards,
creating Zoning District 19. However, at least two lawsuits have been
filed contesting the election on a variety of grounds, from the lack
of notification about the vote, to tactics used to suppress Black
voter turnout, to gerrymandering of the zoning district to target
Black homeowners.

The result is an impending legal battle involving a mix of voting
rights and land use issues that will shape the future of the Black
community in this area - an enclave that has been spared the
high-end home construction Williams has watched spread along the
Alabama coast.

Overall, the situation in Baldwin County illustrates an important
feature of our electoral system, according to Melvina Ford, interim
chief legal officer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is not
involved in either lawsuit.

"Elections impact every facet of our lives - including how
and whether we continue to live on land we own," she said.
"All elections must be fair, equal and accessible. The December
2020 zoning election appeared calculated to deter and diminish Black
voter participation and, ultimately, to make it harder for Black
people to call Point Clear home."

READ MORE

[link removed]

In solidarity,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.

Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?

DONATE

[link removed]



--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]

Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2022