Tonight, #BrooklineTownMeeting will be voting on a resolution calling for an affordable housing overlay district study committee (this is good!)
The Advisory Committee is proposing an amendment, in which they remove a single line:
"WHEREAS exclusionary zoning disproportionately harms buyers and renters of color"
There is no logical reason to remove this clause – it's 100% true and relevant to the article. I'm extremely curious to see who ends up voting for this amendment. 👀
The amendment failed, but 79(!) TMMs voted for it.
During debate, the Advisory Committee's explanation was that it was removed because it failed to mention that "it is well-documented that exclusionary covenants existed in Brookline which prohibited sales and rentals to Jewish, Irish, and Chinese people in addition to people of color." I don't understand why that would cause them to remove the clause completely. TMM Chi Chi Wu also asked if they realize that Chinese people are people of color.
Elizabeth Schafer