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Luv Does Rise!

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In the early hours of Friday, June 13th, two vacant homes in the Blue Hills neighborhood were set ablaze. That criminal act presents an enormous setback to the community’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the 55th street corridor.

Since last spring, Linda Brown, a long-time Blue Hills resident and business owner, has been working in conjunction with the Blue Hills Neighborhood Association and Legal Aid of Western Missouri to acquire and renovate three vacant and blighted properties adjacent to Ms. Brown’s business. Their aim is to provide safe, clean, and affordable housing to the families of children enrolled at Ms. Brown’s Luv Does Matter daycare center.

The coalition gained control of two vacant houses nearest to the daycare and had begun major renovations and repairs on one of them. Because the houses were vacant for so long rehabilitation was a major undertaking, costing tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of labor. Within a few hours on June 13th that investment went up in smoke. A third house, owned by the Kansas City Land Bank, had been awarded to Ms. Brown just days before Friday’s arson put the community’s vision on hold.

In response to the arson, Ms. Brown commented, “What happened within our community is a tragedy. Spirits broken and hope stolen. This is about community. We will rally back with a powerful force of unity; to come together in hearts, in minds, in building, so that we can restore not only the look, but the hope and love that this project is about.”

Since the fire, the Land Bank has agreed to demolish the structure and sell the vacant lot to Ms. Brown to maintain and develop plans for future redevelopment of the site. As to the other properties, Spark Bookhart of Harambee Builders Cooperative, Ms. Brown’s contractor, is confident the homes are salvageable. Together with Blue Hills Neighborhood Association and Blue Hills Community Services, stakeholders of the Blue Hills community are rallying and renewing their commitment to the project.

Residents are encouraged to contact the TIPS hotline with any leads on who set the fires. The KC Crime Commission has additionally partnered with Blue Hills to offer a reward of up to $2000 for any tips that result in any arrests.

We are asking everyone, everywhere to assist this community to RISE above this setback and restore the LUV back to neighborhood and city by helping us repurpose the land where one of the properties sat and completing the renovations on the other damaged property…Together, we can send a resounding message that Luv Does Rise!

Organizer

Linda Brown
Organizer
Kansas City, MO

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