Residents of the Skinker-De Baliviere area have met four times since March 18th to discuss their concern about the real estate problems of the area. On March 18th, the main interest centered on the U.S. Government proceeding against four real estate firms in St. Louis, Dolan, Jerome Howe, Armbruster, and Cornet & Zeibeg.
The attorney for the Justice DEpartment, Mr. Francis Kennedy, attended that meeting and received testimony on behalf of residents who felt they had experienced discrimination by any real estate companies over the past 6 years regarding this neighborhood.
Mrs. Wm. Kohn volunteered to gather any further example of discrimination in rental or sales and forward it to the Justice Department. The case will open in July.
Two other meetings, on March 24th and March 31, dealt with the specific problems of FHA 235, 237.
A citizen’s committee under the chairmanship of Virgil Wright was formed to gather community support for a letter to FHA asking that agency to temporarily halt loans under these programs in the Skinker DeBaliviere area until an investigation of the distributional pattern of loan recipents, and the real estate company’s method in promoting 235-237 can be completed.
A comprehensive Residential Service has emerged to work with Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council in exploring all channels for the promotion and stabilization of the neighborhood. Seven residents volunteered to staff the Services and Pat Kohn and Sue Roach to co-chair it.
The Residential Service organized a panel for the Rosedale Skinker, Washington Heights meeting on April 14th, which brought together representatives of the real estate companies, landlords, and FHA for a discussion of Skinker-DeBaliviere area
Future plans of the residential Service include extensive beautification activity utilizing the City resources as well as the block units in a vest pocket park program, house painting tree planting projects; work on the formation of a landlord’s association for the area, and a joint landlord-tenant contract: a strong code violation enforcement program; printing a promotional pamphlet for potential residents and investors maintaining an up-to-date-listing of all available rental and sale properties, and a property owner’s list. Anyone interested in working in any of these areas may contact Betty Newsham at 726-5915.
Originally published in The Paper, May 1970.
