Op-Ed: Gentrification

Notice: This op-ed was written by a member of the public.
Op-Eds are contributed to Weazel News by members of the public and/or political figures and do not represent the opinions of our editorial board.

I am Kate the Collector – I am the Wizard of the City. Part of my duties is to ensure the city stays in balanced motion. Most of you will think that’s dumb, but it’s a responsibility I take very seriously. Los Santos has something for everyone, and everything has its place. I know many people think the new canal renovations are pretty, and I suppose they are – but they throw the balance of this city off in a way that is disturbing to me, and should be disturbing to you. Southside Residents especially.

A long time ago, I was a bridge dweller. Those camps by the old RCC were a frequent safe spot for me and a few others. Was it dirty? Did police chases send us scrambling up the slopes of the canals? Of course. And we’d have it no other way. We lived free to roam from Hayes throughout the Hobo Kingdom and back again. No one came to bother us unless they were doing canal races, and then we got some entertainment. My experiences behind the railyard and mechanic shop helped me become an integral part of the social services programs we have here in the City. It shaped my magic and I developed the foundations of my wizardry practice down there.

The horror when I was on my walks through the neighborhood, doing my patrols for the Department of Human Services, only to find pool chemical-filled pretty water and pink cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. No sign of the guys who lived there. No signs of the life that the City expects there. Everything has its place here in Los Santos; everyone has a place to call home somewhere. Damming up the canal and making it a place for romantic nights and wealthy folk parties with blasting music just… the imbalance of it all! You have no idea! The City is wounded, and most people are cheering it on.

Don’t turn a blind eye because it’s shiny and new, Los Santos. Scarlet Valkyries, your island is nice but what happens when they come for the railyard? Animalz, don’t allow the cherry blossoms to drift too close to your home. Shoguns, you have pretty trees too but don’t forget where you come from. We ain’t Vinewood or Rockford. Southsiders, we may have clutter and broken windows, but we are resilient. Fight against this imbalance, and restore the rough and tumble to its rightful place.