Trouble brewing between black Americans and African refugees in Roanoke, VA
Posted by Ann Corcoran on April 24, 2008
Update! Thanks to reader “Bill” I had this story happening in Richmond when it really was happening in Roanoke!
Uh oh, we have heard anecdotal stories about tensions brewing but this is the first news account we’ve seen. Look at this story today in the Roanoke Times. It’s not clear where the fault lies but things seem to be out of hand.
The small barren courtyard that separates the apartment buildings of Dwan Dillard and Mohamed Adin in Northwest Roanoke might as well be an ocean, so deep is the dislike that the American-born black woman and the Somali Bantu refugee have of each other.
“That out there is a war zone,” said Dillard, whose four children live with her at Maple Grove Apartments, a blighted complex of four buildings with a total of 40 units on Pilot Street near Melrose Avenue. “The African children attack ours. They throw rocks.”
“I have a gun. If they hurt my kids, I’ll use it,” said Tricia Arrington, an American-born black woman with five children. Interviewed Monday outside her apartment, she said, “My 9-year-old daughter came in from riding the school bus with those Africans and they had spit all over her face. I ain’t about to let them keep doing that.” Further complicating the issue and this story is the reference to the cheap rundown apartments in which the Catholic agency places refugees. That part of the story is not new!
Further, the rundown apartments in which the Catholic resettlement agency is placing refugees may be a contributing factor—nothing new there.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond’s Refugee and Immigration Services office in Roanoke has been placing families from Africa and other countries in area apartments for years, with low rents being a key factor in settling them.
Maple Grove has been a favored destination for refugees from Somalia and other African nations since 2003, said Beth Lutjen, the agency’s director. “They have become a community here,” she said, walking around the complex Monday after receiving several complaints from her clients. “But now the tensions between the Africans and the American blacks have reached a crisis point.”
A contributing factor of late is the worsening physical conditions of some apartments and the public laundry room. Roanoke city code enforcement officials have cited four apartments as needing repairs since March 19, and one was condemned and ordered vacated.
I guess we have a malfunctioning melting pot situation. I wonder do all those who get warm feelings about the joys of multiculturalism ever have any doubts when they read stories like this one. By the way, can’t call this racism now can we.
Brian Mosely of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette has posted on this story today here.
12 Responses to “Trouble brewing between black Americans and African refugees in Roanoke, VA”
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An inside look at the lives of Roanoke, VA refugee volunteers « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] In April 2008 we reported on conflicts between Black Americans and the new African refugees here. Later that year we posted on jobless Iraqis in Roanoke, here. But, probably the biggest [...]
Becca Faris said
Interesting that Northern Virginia has no stress between refugees and African Americans. Perhaps it is because they all
have jobs with hope for a better future. In Roanoke, Va. their job opportunity is bleak and as the population increases with angry Iraqi immigrants arriving, we will ony see much the same.
I know personaly two of the young men who have been convicted on kidnapping charges. Both would have struggled with job opportunities but they are an example of an African American and a refugee working together just not for the common good.
Even their motive was linked to making money. They were trying
for a “better future” where there did not appear to be one.
We must start taking care of our own before we try to take care
of immigrants. Otherwise, the hard working Americans who pay the taxes and try to make a better society will live in fear.
Syracuse: Refugees march against racism (?) « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] have written about Syracuse here, and some time ago we told you the same thing was happening in Roanoke, VA and Moline, IL. Here is more on the tension between immigrants and American [...]
Refugees arrested in Roanoke, VA for plot to kidnap women for ransom « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] year ago I pointed out the growing conflict between American blacks and African refugees in Roanoke here. And, on top of that Roanoke is getting a wave of Iraqi refugees who are increasingly angry [...]
aqliley said
Rae… please tell me what power you have to speak on behalf of all Africans?
& one isolated situation can not be used to say that Africans are against African Americans.
Perhaps I’m biased, I can admit to that much. I’m in Richmond for graduate school, but I’m originally from Northern Virginia where there is no animosity between Africans/African Americans & multiculturalism brings forth warm bubbly feelings all day =)
&&& Sorry but everyone knows a Somalis weapon of choice is an AK-47 rather than spitting.
Rae said
We can call this racism…. Africans don’t like African Americans because they feel we a banned our country our culture… we never a banned our country we were brought to american unwillingly we were slaves…. our culture its hard to say i think every one who comes to america loses a little bit of there culture one way or another so idk
Iraqis jobless in Roanoke, VA « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] Posted by acorcoran on November 26, 2008 Yet another unhappy Iraqi refugee story, this one from Roanoke, VA. By the way, we have written about Roanoke before because it was the location of an American blacks conflict with Somali refugees. [...]
Puff piece on Virginia Council of Churches refugee program needs some balance « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] the implication is that the churches are doing the resettling. As for Roanoke, no mention of the BIG problems there between the black American population and the Somalis that these government contractors have [...]
Why resentment against refugees? « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] it’s no wonder that Americans living with not much, such as those we mentioned recently in Roanoke, VA or the Quad-cities area of IL, get resentful. And, no matter where the refugees are resettled [...]
Shelbyville, Emporia, Richmond, Helsinki, it’s the same story « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] Trouble brewing between black Americans and African refugees in Richmond, VA [...]
Always On Watch said
I guess that this story was too significant for Richmond to have the story entirely swept under the rug.
I haven’t been to Richmond for years. But my recollection is that Richmond has not previously had any such trouble as reported here.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the Richmond’s long-standing black population indeed resents the government- and church-assisted resettlement of refugees there. Many natives of Richmond have lived close to the poverty line for years and have managed, for the most part, to make the best of their situation. Indeed, many have managed to rise above their rough start.
acorcoran said
A reader just reported to me that spitting is a weapon of choice among Somalis.