"Home is Here"

 Golden Gate Barrio's Sacred Heart Church  was once a community center built for and around people, however, today the Church remains confined in a business center surrounded by expansive corporate warehouses.  Satellite images from 1930s - 2008  display the drastic changes in landscape brought forth by bulldozing almost six thousand families only to make room for corporate and airport development.

This story map offers a critical analysis on why the displacement surrounding Golden Gate Barrio took place and how a variety of forces continue to gentrify the communities of South Phoenix

Unlike other cities of the Southwestern United States like El Paso, Los Angeles, and Tucson that began with Spanish and Mexican settlements, Phoenix was settled by Anglos for Anglos. Since its establishment in the 1860s as an agricultural center, it grew to develop racial/ethnic discriminatory land and place practices towards Latinos and Blacks.

"Even at its early stages of development, the dividing line between north Anglo Phoenix and non-white southern subaltern district was demarcated by an east-west rail corridor first established in 1887" (Bob Bolin, Sara Grineski and Timothy Collins 2005)

Due to the lack of investment behalf of the city of Phoenix, South Phoenix grew to be known for its barrios and ghettoes situated between factories, fields, poverty, and isolated from public resources. For instance, Public expenditures such as "water lines, sewage, paved roads, and urban services were directed toward neighborhoods north of the downtown, while those south of the rail corridor did without, in some areas well into the 1960s (Bolin 2005). South Phoenix residents built and relied on their own cesspools or septic system to serve as sewage while Sky Harbor Airport was well connected to the city of Phoenix sewage system.

Without choice of their own, Latinos and Blacks were forced into southern parts of the city but once their land and homes became valuable, Golden Gate Barrio residents would be forced to leave their homes through eminent domain to make room for Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport in the name of the common good.

Golden Gate Barrio had cultivated a community although it had low resources. Most of the residents of Golden Gate Barrio would have opted not to relocate if the city of Phoenix had supported them with a noise abatement program. However, due to low property values, investing in helping residents with obtaining home improvement loans and move to improve city services was not favorable for airport and business expansion.

Newspaper articles from the Arizona Republic at the time depict the perspectives of residents like Ms. Hernandez who mention how hard it was to leave her home after living there for 40 years. She states "I feel so bad. My kids were raised there. If you're in your own house, you feel secure"

Furthermore, 30 year Golden Gate Barrio resident named Lupe Huerta mentions how the most difficult thing about moving was leaving Sacred Heart Church. She mentions how "We had parties at the church at the drop of a hat. We always had dances, bazaars, and fund-raisers. My social life is built around the church, and when they take that from you, they really take something".

Corporate America has always been greedy and profit driven! Since the beginning, the U.S. has always sought out the cheapest labor, materials, energy to reduce overhead cost and increase shareholder value.

Prevailing interests to maximize airport federal funding was the preeminent symbol of growth and progress for Phoenix. The pressures for growth were irresistible.

Phoenix Chamber of Commerce - Business Influence

As airport expansion grew in the 1950s, Golden Gate Barrio began to be described by Phoenix business leaders as “the best industrial property in the state” because of accessibility to the airport, freeway, and railroad.

What was once a forced departure is now a voluntarily pressured incentive. The disestablishment of Golden Gate Barrio in the 70s and 80s is attributed to the airport expansion. Displacement continues to happen today with the  Voluntary Acquisition & Relocation Services (VARS) program.  

VARS is a "voluntary buy-out" program for homeowners that live in noise-impacted areas by the airport in order to sell their property and relocate. Just like the Golden Gate Barrio of the past, the present communities around the airport are slowly being eradicated to make room for future airport, business, and industry development.

With the implementation of the VARS program, it has disintegrated the sense of a neighborhood within the 14, 15, and 16 points illustrated in the graphic above. Photos below illustrate the vacant lots which the city of Phoenix currently occupies until further development is initiated.

As individual families give in to the program, entire communities are eventually swallowed by the city. The present communities around the airport are slowly being eradicated to make room for airport expansion projects.

To end, below is a visual of the landscape changes that have happened over the years, especially as it pertains to Golden Gate Barrio.

It was not an accident that Sky Harbor’s expansion was at the expense of the Mexican community. The use of eminent domain revealed a racial and economic component that exacerbated the trauma on those that had to move by the acquisition of their homes. In order to protect economic interests, investments, facilities at Sky Harbor, the demolition of Golden Gate Barrio reflects the little respect and concern for the needs and cultural values of its Latino residents.

Barrios of the Southwest were faced with a siege of their lands once they were perceived of greater value for commercial or public use. The conflict of cultures is masked as a conflict between backwardness and progress.

Dimas, Pete Rey. Progress and a Mexican-American community’s struggle for existence: Phoenix’s Golden Gate barrio. Arizona State University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1991.

Rodriguez, Allison.  Community works to save historic Sacred Heart Church in Phoenix . ABC 15. Feb 10, 2021. 

“ Move to Expand City Airport is Speeded ” Arizona Republic. Thursday Morning, October 3, 1940

Mazurek, Neil. “ City blamed in denial of airport funds ” Arizona Republic. Saturday, January 18, 1975

“ Airport Growth Forcing 6,000 Out of Close-knit Community ” Arizona Republic. Wednesday, April 8th, 1981 

“ Airport Portion of Phoenix Bond Proposal Draws Business Support ” Arizona Republic. May 6, 1979

Vega, Santos C.  Recuerdos: Memories of life in the Barrios Unidos Phoenix, Arizona . Arizona State University Hispanic Research Center. 2003.

“ Relocation will aid Phoenix, not residents, opponent says ” Arizona Republic. Wednesday, April 8th, 1981

“ Relocation forces difficult uprooting ” Arizona Republic. Wednesday, April 8, 1981

" Barrio Residents In South Phoenix Being Uprooted By City’s Growth ” Arizona Republic. April 28 1982

Bolin, Bob. Grineski, Sara. Collins, Timothy.  The Geography of Despair: Environmental Racism and the Making of South Phoenix, Arizona, USA . Human Ecology Review Vol. 12, No. 2, Special Issue on 'Nature, Science, and Social Movements' (Winter 2005), pp. 156-168

Martín Moreno hails from beautiful Phoenix, Arizona and is a rising senior at Georgetown University majoring in Government, Class of 2022.

Growing up in the Phoenix Metro area, he feels a deep sense of connection and responsibility to strengthen the place he calls home and aspires serve in local municipal government.

As a first generation, son of immigrants, low-income college student, he believes his diverse identity and background will meaningfully influence how local governments' direct impact and community accessibility.