Revitalization without gentrification in Southside Fort Worth: Hemphill No Se Vende

There are three words that can describe the mission of Hemphill No Se Vende: "Revitalization without gentrification."

Hemphill No Se Vende is the Spanish saying for Hemphill is not for sale. It's a "coalition of community members working to defend the Southside from gentrification and displacement."

Hemphill Street runs from West Lancaster Ave to SW Loop 820 in the Southside of Fort Worth. Community advocates are working to ensure that residents who have lived there for decades know their rights and have their voices heard by the city amid proposed developments in the area. You can see the saying in the windows of many local businesses and even on a mural as you pass through the area.

"You can't take over our community without our say," community advocate Ricardo Avitia said. "Neighbors and businesses who know each other are coming together as a community to defend ourselves against unwanted development that is not made for us. And it's also a stance that we're not going to be overrun, just because we're from a minority community."

History lost to development

Avitia considers the Near Southside and Fairmount areas to be "prime examples and case studies of gentrification in Fort Worth." Most of the people who lived there for decades are no longer in the area.

"Although our property market values have gone up, the people who were once there are not able to enjoy the benefits of those who are, you know, generating market values, for themselves and their families. Because they were unaware of what revitalization reunions for minority communities are," said Avitia.

Avitia and fellow community advocate Angie Blochowicz say that the point of reaching out and educating residents is that the new growth and changes are created for the current population to enjoy and not just be pushed out.

"It's beautiful what they've done. But we want that to come without pushing our community out," said Blochowicz. "A lot of us grew up here. Our parents still live in these homes. We live in homes on the same street, up the street, in the same neighborhood as our parents. You know, multiple kids, multiple houses. And we want to be sure that our kids might have that opportunity to live there as well when they get older."

"I have memories from the Berry Theater, although it was vacant for many years. Decades," said Avitia. "You know, I had a story there... But those spaces, you know, our history is gone. It's erased."

Community conversations and education

Avitia and Blochowicz engage in community conversations and build relationships. This includes workshops, meetings and connecting with people where they are.

"Along with being informed about the zoning, there's so many things that are involved that usually, as working-class communities, we don't have time to invest in those other things because it doesn't have to do with me feeding my family or putting gas in my car, putting food on the table, you know," said Avitia.

That's why Hemphill No Se Vende does their outreach on social media platforms, where they stream and post information that their community needs to know at the time that they do have.

"A lot of these meetings are during the day, during times that our communities are driving home, are still at work," said Blochowicz. "And so we're really working with... the media movement... we can post, we can live it." 

Blochowicz also hosts programs at The Forkyard. A space for education, conversation and sharing culture.  

When it comes to conversations with the younger generations, Avitia believes that reframing the mindset of "leaving the hood" is an important distinction.

"It's okay to be proud of where you come from," he said. "A lot of times we grew up wanting to leave the hood, not understanding that the hood is where it's at. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't want to be here, right? And I think that's important to, communicate that we can have nice things here in the hood."

No Se Vende

One of the first efforts Hemphill No Se Vende is known for, is stopping rezoning on Hemphill Street.

Blochowicz said, "A lot of people got a bad taste in their mouth and, not understanding why it was stopped, only thinking and seeing it as, 'Oh, they stopped progress.' And that's not how we see it, and that's not how the community saw it."

"We give information, whether it's what we personally agree with or not. We are big on making sure that they have all the facts so that they can decide for themselves," she said in regards to the criticism.

"We're growing, and we're learning, and we just want everyone on the Hemphill corridor to work together towards the same goal. And that's the point we're at with the Hemp Corridor Development Collaborative," she said.

"Because we're not anti-development by no means," said Avitia. "We're pro community, pro positive development. Things are going to help our community feel safer."

"We don't want to have to come back to visit. We want to be like, 'hey, this is how it happened. This is how it's done," he said. "We want to know our history, and we want to live that legacy so that everybody always knows, hey, no se vende."