Incipient black home sales triggered cascading white panic driven by rumor
Evidence
To dispel rumors, the WSMDC polled homeowners. According to that survey, eighty property owners were “not desiring to sell” and three were “desiring to sell to whites only.” With the exception of the three Hope Street homes already listed, no one else noted they were “willing to sell to Negroes.” With this evidence in hand, the Adair Park Civic Club tried to stop the panic. “Negroes are not trying to force you out of the area,” the homeowner’s group advised. “Do not let your own neighbors force you out with unfounded rumors.” — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 216
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to ‘blockbusting’ mechanics in the white-flight historiography and to the psychology-of-panic literature elsewhere in this book’s reading. — connects to: Early white sellers triggered a domino flight effect on the block — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 151; White homeowners saw each black move-in causing massive white flight citywide — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 21; One black purchase across a racial boundary triggered mass white selling. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 233 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- One black purchase across a racial boundary triggered mass white selling.
#expands(0.95) — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 233 - White homeowners saw each black move-in causing massive white flight citywide
#expands(0.90) — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 21 - Blockbusting turned racial fear into profit for real estate speculators
#expands(0.88) — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 917 - Blockbusting panic drove white homeowners and civic institutions to mobilize for neighborhood stabilization
#expands(0.85) — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight, 196