Subtle Privilege
Hidden signs of exclusion
I have seen several of these signs around my community. They are signs of privilege. They say, “Stay out, this is our place”. You might think that the people who live there are just protecting their homes from strangers, serving notice that they don’t want trouble. You might reason that since they have bought homes there, they have the right to protect their investments. You might think that, considering the presence of crime, they have a legitimate fear.
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I have no problem with people protecting their homes and lives. I value the presence in our city of local police and firefighters and welcome their presence and work. I have had occasions to call on their assistance in my life. Having been a homeowner, I do not welcome strangers unannounced knocking on my door, especially at night.
But the sign bothers me for a couple of reasons. One, the streets, the sidewalks, and even the utilities that benefit the neighborhood were not financed by nor owned by the homeowners here. The roads and sidewalks are public creations just like any other walking and driving lanes, and are maintained by public services. The gas and electric connections are possible because of public utilities. The houses are private, but not the streets, and thus the neighborhood itself.
The second issue is the implication — ‘we don’t want you here’, ‘this is our safe place, and we don’t trust you’, or even ‘we are special, and you are not’. It is a message of exclusion. We have all heard about people who have been stopped by police for “being in the wrong neighborhood”. There were portions of the country where racial discriminations built into “covenants and contracts” which limited homeowners' rights to sell to certain groups. Even college students have faced discrimination in renting, due to allegedly being “too noisy”.
Discrimination isn’t always blatant; it can be very subtle, but still disturbing. We should all be aware of it and act to be inclusive ourselves, like past neighbors who had a ‘welcome’ sign on their door along with their welcome mat. And that can be much more effective at eliminating chaos and crime, IMHO.:)
