Talk

Monica Thomas

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Monica is first and foremost a storyteller. As a poet, musician, activist, and tech enthusiast based in Seattle, she works to illustrate the power of the arts as a vehicle for social change. In the daytime Monica is a marketing communications professional in the nonprofit sector. She has also been largely active in the local Black Lives Matter movement, organizing events, hosting workshops, and creating platforms for young people to share their stories.

Seattle, WA May 30, 2015
Tech Money, Gentrification, and the Policing of Blackness in Capitol Hill

What does the tech industry have to do with police brutality? This talk will explore the effects that the tech industry has had on gentrification in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in the past several years, as well as the connection between gentrification and the policing of Black communities. As the industry booms and the neighborhood floods with new residents and new money, rent increases have pushed marginalized queer and POC communities out of the neighborhood that was once considered a safe haven. As crime rates increased during the recession, a wave of police activity has swept in to protect the interests of the neighborhood’s newfound wealth. I’ll discuss how police and businesses in Capitol Hill have collaborated to create an increasingly oppressive climate of brutality against people of color, particularly those of African descent.