A Viral Confrontation Outside the HBCU Has Revived the Debate About Historically Black Neighborhoods and Gentrification, HT Alumnus Says the Dispute Reflects a Larger Problem With Gentrification
A dispute over public street parking near Huston-Tillotson University in East Austin has sparked protests and a larger conversation about race, gentrification and the history of one of the city’s historically Black neighborhoods.
The controversy began after a Huston-Tillotson student posted a video showing a heated exchange with a couple living along East Ninth Street, just steps from the historically Black university. The video has since attracted more than one million views on Instagram.
The student, identified as Bri, accused the couple of repeatedly confronting students who parked along the public street and leaving notes on their vehicles demanding they move…