WILLIE BRADFORD
Allendale has become a hot topic in the media lately because of its proximity to the route of choice for the I-49 Inner-City Connector. The 3-and-a-halfmile connector will run along the outskirts of Allendale and complete the highway through Louisiana. I honestly believe it will do much more than connect I-20 to I-220. I believe the Inner-City Connector will be the catalyst to revitalize the Allendale neighborhood and help all of Shreveport grow.
My mother and father moved to Allendale when they married in 1948 and raised seven kids in that neighborhood.During my childhood years, Allendale was flourishing; it was the hub of black Shreveport. We had good schools, shops, restaurants, grocery stores, a theater, even a bank. You could do almost everything without leaving the community.
It was a neighborhood of property owners and homes filled with kids. We played sports at our local parks. Adults took the time to coach and mentor the youth. We could stay out until dark, without the fear of violence. As the older generation passed on and the younger generation moved out of state or to other Shreveport neighborhoods, Allendale has become rundown. Over time, houses that families once called home were deserted, left in disrepair and taken over by drug dealers and users. It saddens me to now visit the area. I see a once proud neighborhood that has been reduced to hopelessness, littered with abandoned and dilapidated houses.
Over the years, groups have tried to revitalize the neighborhood, but nothing has worked. Now, we have outsiders wanting to block construction of a highway that could bring new life to that community and downtown Shreveport. Why would anyone want to stop this lifeline for that neighborhood? They say they want a “business boulevard” built, but businesses have left and are not rushing to move there in its current condition. The Inner-City Connector is the needed first step to begin revitalizing the rebuilding process. Look at what I-49 did for Bert Kouns. Shops, restaurants, car dealerships, medical offices have grown in once empty fields. This kind of development could be the future of Ford Street, North Hearne Avenue and North Shreveport.
My parents lived in my childhood home until 2017 when my mother passed. Our family property will not be impacted by the construction. Many of the people who still live in Allendale are elderly and are worried about what will happen to their home. If there was even the slightest chance any-one in that neighborhood would be left out in the cold, I could not support this project. There are federal programs to help people who are displaced by projects like this, and there is a local commitment to ensure that any impacted residents are treated fairly and properly compensated.
I want to see Allendale flourish again. I know we can make that happen. Doing nothing or pushing for half measures like a business boulevard will not restore the neighborhood to its past glory. It is going to take something bigger. The Inner-City Connector will bring investment, attention and energy to Allendale. Completing it is our best bet
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE April 2 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.