Nashville is now the "It City," according to the NY Times. With this vaulted status has come a rush of rapacious developers looking to make a pile. This has led to an affordable housing crisis as gentrification sweeps into formerly working class neighborhoods especially around the city's urban core. I wrote the song Displacement Blues about my block in East Nashville. All I did was look out the window and report on what has taken place here. My band Shelby Bottom String Band received Metro Arts Commission THRIVE funding to produce this music video. But things are changing. Nashvillians are getting organized. This video was shown in front of 1500 people at the recent Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) meeting. The Tennessean has dubbed the song "Nashville's latest social justice anthem."
Here's the link to the YouTube video. Is gentrification running amok in your city? Pass the video along. It's relevant in cities all over the USA, not just Nashville!