http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2oCaRXLdg
The link above is to a video clip about Sapelo Island, which the state of Georgia owns 97% of. The remaining 3% of the island is owned by slave descendants called Geechees. The island was originally a rice plantation, and is currently home to about 50 people. The residents of Sapelo are currently facing a increase in property taxes, which most of the people cannot afford. The big concern is that the preservation of the Geechee culture is at risk. Many on the island may have to sell off land or other drastic measures to pay this increase in tax. These residents are the largest community of Geechees and may "go under" from this tax.
I agree that is quite a jump to increase property taxes 500x-600x more. On top of that, they are not even receiving the same services as the rest of McIntosh County on the mainland. From the governments stand point, it is not easy to just let Sapelo slide on their property taxes while others in McIntosh county get no slack. I think if the appeals do not go through in regards to the property taxes, it would only be fair to at least invest in services for Sapelo: garbage collection, roads, street lights, fire station, etc.
I found this article really interesting,because it is exactly like the film watched in class about the Gullah culture.The one thing I simply do not understand though is why they do not get the same care as the rest of the county. It would be a sad thing if that culture was lost, I especially like that all the inhabitants of the island are descended from the slaves that used to work there.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a form of reverse redlining in the form of taxation where a particular group is targeted. The Gullah Geechee community has been in that are for years and now the state of Georgia says that their property values are artificially undervalued. It seems fishy that their community is the only privately-held land left in the island and now they are threatened of being kicked out of it. Cultural genocide is in the midst on this one.
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