Special Message to Peachtree Village Racists:

Your Fear-Filled, Future Scenario Is Not Going to Happen!

We know that one of the biggest reasons we even have an HOA in Peachtree Village is due to RACISM! It was because of the racist worries of the neighborhoods still located to the north and east of what became our community in 1984, that the builder and the City of Plano agreed to impose an HOA on Peachtree Village, specifically, to either keep blacks from moving in, or if they did, to make it easy to pressure them to leave by selectively enforcing the 100s of rules, so many of them highly subjective in nature. And, indeed, that plan has worked!

In the late 1980s, quite a number of black families bought homes in Peachtree Village because they were much more affordable than other new homes. But one Board after another managed to pressure most of them to leave by weighing them down with one allegation after another of supposedly violating this or that rule. Today, our community has only 3 black families [or 4 if we count the "morena" who married and moved in with her husband 3 years ago] out of our 97 homes. In other words, they've kept the percentage of blacks living in Peachtree Village down to about 4%.

But the average percentage of blacks in Texas is 12%, and in Plano, that number is lower--9%. So, what would happen if there were no more HOA or if the power of the Peachtree Village HOA was restricted to caring only for our common areas, but no longer could they harass and persecute minorities by dictating how homeowners maintain or decorate their homes? Would our community suddenly fill up with African Americans? NO! In all likelihood, a few more black families would, eventually, move in, and maybe a few of the white racist ones would move out. But what is very, very, very likely to occur is, within a few years, Peachtree Village's racial mix would just begin to look like the rest of Plano! According to the independent source, https://www.censusdots.com/race/plano-tx-demographics, Peachtree Village's racial, demographics would be as follows: Whites 46%, Asians 24%, Hispanic 16%, Black 9%, and Multiracial 4% and the rest at 1%. Perhaps, our neighborhood might skew more in favor of Hispanics and less whites, as it is already doing, but all the statistical projections show us it's highly unlikely we would have more than 8 of our 97 homes owned or leased by black families.

So, if you happen to be one of the racists living in Peachtree Village who just can't bear the thought of having even one more black family move into our neighborhood, then you probably already can't stand it there are 3-4 black families here already, and you're terrified that even a few more would be moving in. That said, if you're the sort of racist that is typical of the South, then you're problem is not so much that you can't stand it that blacks would be living near you, but that they would not be under your control!

Having grown up in the North, I learned at a very young age what Racism looked like up there. Up North, white racists simply didn't want blacks anywhere near them. But my mother was from the South. Whenever, we'd visit my mother's side of the family (usually every summer), I learned their form of Racism was different. In the South, racists didn't mind having blacks around them or near them. After all, for centuries, they've depended on blacks to do all their hard labor, clean their homes, prepare and cook their food, and even serve as wet-nurses for their infants! However, what Southern white racists cannot stand is when blacks "don't keep their place," and when blacks are not subject to their strict discipline!

You see, in the mind of the Southern Racist, blacks are naturally inferior, lazy, dirty, disorganized, and ignorant about things as basic as how to keep a house in order or how to "properly" decorate it. Of course, the fact that whites continue to dominate the economy and have, even until today, made sure to inhibit blacks from obtaining good jobs, a good education and good opportunities to start and grow businesses, many of them are still struggling financially and, as a result, sometimes find themselves living poorer neighborhoods where they are deprived of home enfranchisement. In Texas, most blacks (only 41%) still don't have their own homes, meaning, they have to rent and the longer any group of people are deprived of home ownership, the less likely it is they're to develop the expectation of home sovereignty, and the sense of pride, dignity and control that goes with it.

In other words, racism leads directly to a self-fulfilling prophesy! While white racists do all they can to prevent blacks from moving up the economic ladder, resulting in less cognizanse of home pride and care, when you are, generationally, deprived of home ownership, the racist then points their finger at economically-deprived, black communities and declares, "You see! This is what happens when you let "THOSE PEOPLE" move in, unless you keep them under strict control and make sure you can always tell them what they can and cannot do!"

No wonder, then, the first thing the latest Peachtree Village Board did, in their first "news" letter, was to issue condescending remarks that conveyed, "Now, now little children, be sure to keep up your house and lawns or else you're gonna get a whipping!" Along with, "And don't you dare make any changes without first getting OUR PERMSISSION, because we know you are inferior beings who can't possibly make any such decisions on your own"!

But here's the thing racists of every brand need to understand--YOU'RE WRONG! Your bigoted views of others, especially our fellow neighbors of African descent are equal in ever respect to any other racial grouping, all other things being equal. When the financial opportunities are on the same, level playing field, no group is any better, nor worse than any other.

Are there differences, like cultural, religious, decorative style, manner of speaking, and so on? To be sure! But it's that diversity that gives a community it's strength! You [racists] would do very well to GROW and LEARN about others, and if you did, you would become far better people as a result! But if you insist on retreating into your small world of long-dead, irrational prejudices and bigotries, that place of fear an paranoia which has, for far too long, manifested in the hideous mistreatment of our neighbors by the HOA, you're just going to become ever more miserable in the depth of your souls!

Here at the Peachtree Village Neighborhood Union, we'd like to help you. We'd like to help you open your eyes and be set free from your hatred and bigotry. If you do, you might even begin to know the joy of accepting and respecting others!

We know, of course, we can only offer to help, so it's up to you. But know this--no matter how much you resist doing what would be best for yourselves by letting go of your attitude of superiority toward others, if you keep trying to impose your dictatorial ways on others, we are going to, firmly, oppose you at every turn! Your days of oligarchical control are numbered, and the sooner you realize this, the better, not just for the rest of us, but for you as well.

Rick Lannoye, Founder of Peachtree Village Neighborhood Union