Westchester, NY Struggles with Desegregation, Federal Government

23 September 2009 - 5:00am

Westchester's County Legislature left its Monday meeting with no decision made on how it would move forward with a settlement requiring it to build affordable housing with the goal of desegregation. Or go to trial.

"If the Board of Legislators does not approve the agreement by Thursday, the opposing parties will go to trial, with the county forced to grapple with the vast resources of the United States government.

The settlement, if approved, would require Westchester to spend $50 million over seven years to build 750 homes, the bulk of them in villages and towns that are overwhelmingly white and affluent... While it sets no racial quotas, the settlement would require the county to market the homes aggressively to black and Hispanic residents of the New York City area."

Source: The New York Times, September 22, 2009
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Short of erasing existing political and jurisdictional boundaries, citizens and officials need to develop the capacity to work across boundaries according to the "problem-sheds" of the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.