Local activism pushes city to purchase two parcels for a community land trust
Local activists and neighbors in Southwest DC seek to push city to purchase two parcels for a community land trust.
Coy McKinney, one of the organizers behind SW DC Action, takes to the stage to discuss the community land trust option.Matthew Koehler
On a typical hot and sunny early June day last month, members of SW DC Action convened a rally at a lot across the street from Waterfront Metro. “Look at this group of people! I’ve always wanted to do this in front of the people. Can y’all repeat after me, ‘Power to the people!’” Coy McKinney, one of the organizers for SW DC Action, said to the gathered crowd of more than 100.
The reason for the rally? Recently, two parcels of land at 425 and 375 M Street, which had been slated for development, went up for sale. Activists and a rapidly growing number of Southwest residents have been pushing the city to purchase the parcels and put them in a community land trust (CLT). CLTs were born out of the Civil Rights Movement and were first used by Black sharecroppers after they lost their homes and jobs for registering to vote.
According to a 2019 study by Grounded Solutions, CLTs are increasingly being used by people of color…
