Smoketown Chapter History
Our
Story
In 2015, a group of current and returning Smoketown residents joined together to revitalize the Smoketown Neighborhood Association to push back on the incoming gentrification that followed the renovation of Shepperd Square Apartments.
Gentrification started in the neighborhood because the Louisville Metro Government funded it by giving public resources to non-profit developers who began to flip houses for around $150k per house. Smoketown legacy, Jessica Bellamy, and Josh Poe documented these initial years of public-funded gentrification in the story map Public Land to Private Hands: The Smoketown Hopebox Development.
By 2021, for-profit developers began to flip houses for over $200k per house. By 2023 there was a house for sale on the edge of Smoketown for over $325k.
Bellamy worked with Black tenants from across multiple Historically Black Neighborhoods to brainstorm solutions to the problems they were experiencing. Together, they partnered with Councilman Jecorey Arthur to write legislation that would begin to address these challenges.
Bellamy co-founded the Historically Black Neighborhood Assembly to begin to work on proactive responses to gentrification. This work included launching a social housing campaign to educate more people about the possibilities of collective ownership and community control over public resources (Link to 2022 Solidary Economy & Social Housing Campaign Report). During this time, Bellamy also organized with Josh Poe to co-found the Louisville Tenants Union which has its office in Smoketown.
Over the course of four years, and with the support of working-class tenants from all over Jefferson County, and over 50 allied organizations, the legislation developed in partnership with the Office of Councilman Arthur had passed and was on its way to being implemented. The legislation's jurisdiction for protections and regulation has been expanded beyond Historically Black Neighborhoods and now includes all working-class neighborhoods. Any areas in the city that are at moderate to severe risk of displacement due to sudden changes in the cost of living are now under the protection of the Anti-Displacement Ordinance. This unique law has set new precedence on a national and international scale. From the pioneering community-centered components of the legislation to the innovative Anti-Displacement Assessment Tool, which is a never-before-seen, data-driven, affordable housing development technology.
This campaign inspired core team members to focus on Social Housing and collective ownership as their primary focus in addressing the housing crisis. In 2024, People United For Social Housing Louisville (PUSH Louisville) was formed. Naturally, the inaugural chapter is the Smoketown Chapter, so it may continue to work towards the mission residents began nearly a decade ago! Randy Webber and Jessica Bellamy are still leading the fight to protect the community they both hold so dear.