In turn, a "D," or "red," neighborhood was occupied by black residents who were systematically prevented from receiving a loan. An "A," or "green," was practically guaranteed a loan, largely due to the fact that these areas were homogeneously white and affluent. They identified areas that were "safe" for banks to issue loans to by giving each neighborhood a rating: A, B, C, or D. Local policies allowed for the prevention of black "infiltration" into white neighborhoods due in part to the HOLC members serving as federal appraisers. The primary concern of white Detroit residents was maintaining racial homogeneity. Sugrue, a Detroit scholar and historian, black residents did not benefit from the New Deal era of legislation because "local governments had the final say over the expenditure over the federal funds, the location of projects, and the type constructed." As a result of local government bodies being composed of white politicians, white residents received federal funding, while black residents were left to seek housing with no aid. These policies significantly improved home-ownership accessibility for working-class white Detroit residents and promoted single-family units. In short, these programs reduced barriers to housing by offering discounted payment plans spread out over 20-30 years. The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) was created in 1933, followed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The New Deal legislation implemented under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt intended to make private housing more accessible to citizens. The Great Depression furthered the scarcity of housing as the population continued to soar. White residents took over most private-sector housing, pushing black residents to less desirable areas of the city. But as white men were returning from war and more black citizens entered the city, competition for scarce housing increased tensions between the two groups. In light of more job opportunities, the city experienced an increase in the population of black people seeking economic and social mobility. This allowed black citizens to fill empty job positions, causing a large demographic shift in the makeup of the Detroit workforce. A large percentage of white men were drafted to fight in the war, leaving many of their jobs vacant and needing to be filled. The World War I industrial economy of Detroit afforded opportunities for women and black men to become more active participants in the labor force of the city. The Detroit Wall shortly after construction in 1941 Paintings have depicted, for example, neighborhood children blowing bubbles, a group of a cappella singers, Rosa Parks's boarding the bus signifying her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, and citizens protesting for equitable housing policy. Community activists and Detroit residents collaborated in 2006 to turn this portion of the wall into a mural. An exposed stretch of the wall with no homes to the east runs through Alfonso Wells Memorial Playground, between Chippewa Avenue and Norfolk Street. It extends north until just south of 8 Mile Road. The wall begins across the street from the northern boundary of Van Antwerp Park, on Pembroke Avenue between Birwood and Mendota streets. The wall no longer serves to racially segregate homeowners and, as of 1971, both sides of the barrier have been predominantly black. It was constructed in 1941 to physically separate black and white homeowners on the sole basis of race. 1 foot (0.30 m) is buried in the ground and the remaining 5 feet (1.5 m) is visible to the community. The Detroit Eight Mile Wall, also referred to as Detroit's Wailing Wall, Berlin Wall or The Birwood Wall, is a one-foot-thick (0.30 m), six-foot-high (1.8 m) separation wall that stretches about 1⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) in length. The Civil Rights Movement and the African American Experience in 20th Century Detroit MPS The Detroit Wall as seen from Alfonso Wells Playground in August 2011Īlong the alleyway between Birwood Ave.