Church leaders framed neighborhood defense as protecting church property values.

Evidence

To underscore the scope of previous white losses and black gains, the aldermen were instructed to note that “the (conceded) Moreland [Heights] area contains 7 churches, the Whitefoord school and over 600 houses.” The churchmen also wanted the aldermen to stress the current “plight” of their own churches, “with their white congregations moving out of the area” and “the financial losses due to so many religious type buildings going on the market practically at the same time in a relatively small area.” — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 213

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s trees-as-infrastructure and sacrifice articles — how institutions (churches) become territorial stake-holders whose economic losses justify exclusion. — connects to: Segregationists framed racial exclusion as defense of churches, schools, and lodges. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 204; Segregationist homeowners mobilized church congregations whose members also led the defense corporations. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 212; Whites anchored neighborhood defense to public amenities like parks and schools — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 165 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The Religious Right’s religious-freedom framing masked its defense of segregation #exemplifies (0.80) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 112
• Black homeowners deployed property-values rhetoric to win zoning protection #expands (0.74) — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 177
• Whites anchored neighborhood defense to public amenities like parks and schools #expands (0.72) — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 165