Today, the Logan Barrio’s boundaries include railroad tracks, a freeway, rows of new loft homes, and the train station. But in the late 1970s, the city built an actual concrete barrier around the neighborhood, part of a plan to bulldoze the residential homes and limit Logan’s zoning to commercial use. The story of this wall, related to us by Mr. Romano, owner of a nearby Catholic gift shop, contains seeds of the community’s current tensions with City Hall.
After the wall went up, a priest at St Joseph started advocating for its removal. Josephina “Chepa” Anderate soon joined him in empowering the community to persuade the city to tear down the wall. The city conceded to a vote – but only homeowners and landlords were given a single vote per property. Renters – whose families often include several adults and children in a single unit – were not permitted to participate. Residents took the battle to court and were granted the right to vote on the issue too. That’s when the city finally had to tear down the wall. Mr. Romano keeps a piece of Logan’s own “Berlin Wall” in his shop, as a reminder of what members of the community can accomplish together. Now, more than 20 years after this victory, Logan residents still have to work to ensure that the commercial and industrial businesses that share their neighborhood don’t overpower them.
