Economics

Opinion: Economic Recovery Zones; Boom or Bust?

Published

7 years ago

April 29, 2019

Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

God on Wall Street

Rev. Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

When Pres. Trump signed into law the overreaching tax cut in 2017, what was suspected was true in that wealthy American elites received another break.

According to an article in Time magazine, “The biggest benefits, though, go to the top 1 percent, who are projected to receive an average tax break of $62,000 in 2018, while the middle one-fifth of income earners got an average tax cut of $1,090 — about $20 per biweekly paycheck.”

So, once more, the wealthiest Americans received help that they really didn’t need.

It is true that the economic recovery has been strong since the great recession of 2007-2009. But when we see the level of homelessness in major urban settings, it doesn’t look like a recovery at all. It looks more like people continuing to fall through the cracks of the richest country in the world.

Unemployment is low in most of America, but in places like Stockton, Oakland, and Youngstown, OH, unemployment is still quite high. I have heard that unemployment in East Oakland is close to 8%, while the state of California lists unemployment at 4.2%, and the rest of the national average is 3.5% to 3.8%.

Somewhere cradled in the Trump tax cut is a piece of legislation called the Economic Opportunity Fund. This fund is designed to reach into economically deprived areas and allow investors to roll over their capital gains from the stock market.

Typically, when investors sell their stocks or bonds, the gains from the principal investment get taxed as capital gains. However, because of a Republican Congress, the rich get a chance to get richer.

Instead of selling and being taxed on profits, investors can now put that money to work into places in the U.S. to help rebuild these neglected communities. East and West Oakland are prime examples of an Economic Recovery Zone.

The potential could be tremendous, as this pot of gold is said to contain more than $1 trillion in it. The wealthy get an opportunity to make tax-free investments once more if they leave their investment in tact for five to 10 years.

At 10 years, there is no tax at all. We can only hope that this will help because poor people continue to hurt, while rich folk continue to have “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.”

Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

Posts by Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

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Activism

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft Speaks at National Probate Reform Coalition Meeting

Evangeline Byars and Carmella Carrington lead the STOPDEEDTHEFT.org movement, fighting rising deed and title fraud, which disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities nationwide.

Published

1 hour ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Left to right: Evangeline Byars and Carmella Carrington are gaining nationwide attention with their STOPDEEDTHEFT.org movement.

Caption:

By Tanya Dennis

The National Probate Reform Coalition (NPRC) has learned that aside from rampant theft of properties occurring through probate court, deed theft extends even further with the support of banks, police, judges, attorneys and “the system” to steal Black and Brown properties.

Deed and title fraud are rising, with FBI data showing over 9,300 complaints and $173.6 million in losses in 2024 alone.

To that end, NPRC invited Evangeline Byars of The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft as their keynote speaker on May 7.

Deed theft victims reach out to Byars because she has a reputation of getting things done. Introduced to community organizing at Medgar Evers College in 2011, Byars was mentored by Harry Belafonte and gained further movement training in 2012-13 through his “Gathering for Justice.” Byars also trained with the Youth Brigade 32BJ, Union in 2012 where she learned to map, target, and execute actions.

With that knowledge as an advocacy worker, Byars ran for president of TWU Local 100 for transit workers. During challenges of the union and political changes in New York when unions no longer had friends in government, they organized.

In 2025, deed theft victims approached Byars and told their stories. Byars investigated, and discovered rampant, unrelenting theft of properties, primarily from Black and brown families, got involved and helped them with their fight, teaching them how to sustain their fight at the grassroots level while remaining politically independent. This independence gave them the ability to move without co promise.

Deed theft is the taking of someone’s deed through fraudulent mortgages or a stranger that accesses property records, prepares paperwork and files for an owner’s property. New York is a’ first notice’ state, which means whoever appears first on record is the designated deed holder.

Deed theft escalated between 2013-23, the outcome of the subprime market, when people faced mass foreclosure and short sales. By 2014 people, primary Black and Brown, were fighting for their property.

In California, title theft (deed fraud) is a fast-growing threat often targeting high-equity homes, vacant land, and rentals. As of 2024, California leads the nation in real estate fraud with over 1,583 cases costing roughly $24.8 million in losses in a single year, reflecting the state’s prime position for scammers due to high property values, the FBI reports.

Byars says, “Deed theft affects Black and Brown people: it is by design, leading to the erasure of people of color homeownership that is happening nationwide. In every big city across the United States, towns and municipalities, we are witnessing a mass exodus of Black and brown people. This theft cannot occur without judges, notaries and law enforcement, it is a syndicate of players working together for the removal of people by illegal ejectment or eviction.

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft does court watch and constantly highlight the inequities in the court system.

Byars says, “This is a human rights crisis. Because of Wall Street and what New York signifies to the nation, know that no state is safe. Any person can come and create paper terrorism, slap forgery notes on homes; engage in illegal guardian procedures; initiate foreclosures; apply for fraudulent loan modifications; then there’s outright theft and forgery, just taking people’s homes. Believe me, it’s happening nationally and on the daily, These predators also target seniors over the age of 60 and women.”

The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft take direct actions against perpetrators and are working with the New York District Attorney to create an office dedicated to gighting deed theft.

“Two ways to protect your deed is to keep a note, never satisfy your mortgage, because the bank is the biggest gangster, but if you’re making a payment, it keeps them in check. Or put your home in a living trust, once you have a trust, it hides the owner’s name and protects the person from predators.”