Redlining in Bridgeport, 1937 and Now

A map shows how the Park City was divided into safe, questionable, and no-go zones. The presence of African Americans -- even a few -- brought out the red lines.

I just posted the following on Facebook.

While searching for something else, I came across this column from January by Hugh Bailey, editorial page editor of The Connecticut Post and The New Haven Register.

This is an important piece about the actual practice of redlining in Bridgeport.

Writes Bailey:

"When experts talk about the lasting effects of racism, even as publicly acceptable attitudes have changed, this what they’re talking about.

"The Homeowners Loan Corp. map of 1937, when laid over a present-day map of Bridgeport and Stratford, is striking. Areas in red include what is now Steel Point, which was demolished decades ago in favor of redevelopment that is only now taking shape, along with other neighborhoods on the East Side. The area northwest of downtown, long one of the highest-crime parts in the city, is in red, as is the site of the present-day P.T. Barnum housing complex and parts of the East End.

"All were set on a long-ago path of neglect, and nearly a century later not enough has changed."

Hugh's column may be found at: https://www.ctpost.com/.../Hugh-Bailey-The-map-that-made...