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I read about this somewhere before it popped up on the MFAH website. I thought it was here but a quick search didnt show anything so here it is.

This Is Our Home, It Is Not for Sale

Free Admission Movie at the MFAH

This Is Our Home, It Is Not for Sale Directed by Jon Schwartz

USA, 1987

Color

190 Minutes

Show Times:

Sat., Apr. 16 1:00 PM

film431.jpg

This acclaimed documentary skillfully charts the transformation of Houston

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I read about this somewhere before it popped up on the MFAH website. I thought it was here but a quick search didnt show anything so here it is.

This Is Our Home, It Is Not for Sale

LINK

I managed to get hold of a video tape of this documentary while researching the Houston Freeways book in 2002. It was difficult to find, since no libraries had it. I even contacted the filmmaker (Schwartz) and he couldn't help me find a copy.

It is a fascinating video and includes lots of prominent Houstonians. It is long but I was tuned in the entire length.

I was particularly interested in the story because Jack Caesar's house, flashpoint for the events that would unfold, was located in what is now the South Freeway. I paraphrased the full story of Jack Caesar in the South Freeway (SH 288) section of the Houston Freeways book. You can see a thumbnail of this section of the book, including a photo of Caesar and brief description of the story.

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/preview_ch4_part2.aspx

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Riverside is basically east of Hermann Park along Macgregor Way. Many of the homes were designed by architects who also did homes in River Oaks & the museum district. There are some incredible pieces of architecture in there that many people in Houston have no idea about.

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  • 1 month later...

What's interesting about Riverside is it was built for wealthy Jewish people because River Oaks didn't want "them" in their neighborhood. I don't know what happened after that, but I have always loved Riverside and hate to see any racial group doing the same thing everyone else has done. Two wrongs sure don't make a right...but that's just me. I would love to hear about this documentary if anyone saw it. I am very sorry that I missed it.

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Guest danax
What's interesting about Riverside is it was built for wealthy Jewish people because River Oaks didn't want "them" in their neighborhood.  I don't know what happened after that, but I have always loved Riverside and hate to see any racial group doing the same thing everyone else has done.  Two wrongs sure don't make a right...but that's just me.  I would love to hear about this documentary if anyone saw it.  I am very sorry that I missed it.

The story is one rich black guy moved in in the 50s, the Jews set a bomb on his porch, he stuck it out, other blacks moved in and "block busted" threatening violence against the white residents if they didn't sell to them, most of the whites left fearing the blacks would bring the neighborhood down but some tried to hold their ground and, unsuccessfully, tried to convince the rest of the whites to stay, using the slogan "This is our home and it's not for sale".

The irony is that the blacks in 3rd ward have recently adopted that same slogan to try to prevent developers from buying up their land and turning it into another townhouse heaven and erasing the existing neighborhood forever, ala 4th ward.

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Does anyone know where I can see this? I missed the The MFAH showing. Thanks.

It was about three hours long. I enjoyed it. It was very good and illuminating. Long story short, very similar class and racial worries that occured with the original neighbors from the 1930's seem to be reflected in the new neighbors from the late 1960's who are watching as their neighborhood is gentrified in the late 1980's.

According to the movie Riverside had started off as a wealthy or affluent neighborhood. While it was extensively or predominantly Jewish, there were Roman Catholics and people of other religions there.

Judging from the home movies from the 1950's blacks were welcome, as servants.

A wealthy black cattle buyer bought a house there in 1953. After about three months the neigbors realized that the people weren't servants but were actually living there.

That's when one neighbor put up his ex-prisoner lawnman to blow up a bomb at their house. The police agressively investigated and brought the perpetrators to trial. It's implied that the establishment of the city of Houston and the neighborhood were opposed to violence.

Blacks moved into the neighborhood slowly from the late 1950's to early 1960's.

The dates and details aren't clear but it seems that the blockbusting occured in the mid 1960's. Blacks were renting or buying in the area but nobody black was threatening violence against anybody white.

The allegation was made that a non-black realtor was paying poor blacks to constantly knock on people's doors to ask them if they would sell or rent their

house. There were no threats of violence. This played to the original neighbors fear of everything that comes with poverty.

In the late 1980's an extensively black, but mixed neighborhood is being flooded with people who are looking for good homes, convenient to work. Because of the new people's class and color the original neighbors speak fearfully: "They're taking over the neighborhood! They're gonna move us out!"

Please note: the filmmaker did a wonderful job. Not everyone interviewed in the movie says the same thing or comes from the same point of view. Regardless of race, class or ethnicity there's a diversity or opinion.

That's why the movie is three hours long.

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  • 2 years later...
yeah, rps said he met the director recently who said it would be on DVD soon, maybe through the MFAH...

otherwise, Rice's library has an in-house-only copy.

He is definitely got it in the works, I just don't know how soon.

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  • 2 months later...

Jon Schwartz's landmark documentary on the first 60 years of Riverside area and the flight of whites from the areas in the 60's is now on DVD and is more than 3 hours of Houston history

I just purchased my copy, it is a 2 disc set with a bonus feature on the old Almeda movie theater. It sales for $60.00

You can purchase direct from Jon Schwartz 955 2nd St. Santa Monica Ca 90403-2447

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Spikey, it would be great if you could screen the film at a civic club meeting. We have new residents who haven't seen the film, and some older residents who haven't seen the film in a while. That would be cool. Have popcorn, sodas, ok, maybe I'm thinking a little big, but you get the point. ;)

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Spikey, it would be great if you could screen the film at a civic club meeting. We have new residents who haven't seen the film, and some older residents who haven't seen the film in a while. That would be cool. Have popcorn, sodas, ok, maybe I'm thinking a little big, but you get the point. ;)

I would love to see a group of people get together and watch this.

My wife and I are on the finishing touches of our 4 month remodel. Maybe we can host a viewing at the house if someone can bring their copy.

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I would love to see a group of people get together and watch this.

My wife and I are on the finishing touches of our 4 month remodel. Maybe we can host a viewing at the house if someone can bring their copy.

That would be fun. I have only seen bits of the film on Channel 8. Everyone could bring something. I'm sure the discussion and interaction among attendees would be entertaining.

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I would love to see a group of people get together and watch this.

My wife and I are on the finishing touches of our 4 month remodel. Maybe we can host a viewing at the house if someone can bring their copy.

Give me your address (PM), and I'll send you a copy for the purpose you describe.

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And why are you calling it a "gettogether"?

I think (hope) he meant "get-together", not "ghetto-getter". :)

Have seen this documentary years ago on television; although it had some important points to make, I thought it could have been improved by more aggressive editing. How long does it run, anyway?

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