[Albion Wilde]

I just listened to the justification about this. Long story short, it is to stop gentrification of historically minority areas.

And again, how is keeping those areas run-down going to

1) help keep blight from destroying the neighborhood completely (i.e. Baltimore), and

2) encourage "minorities" not to self-segregate?

[redgolum]

By increasing property values, many original residents can’t afford the increased taxes and are forced out of the area.

And when that happens you have a lot of political people screaming about whites (or rich) moving into historically non white (or poor, I have seen this play out in non racial ways) areas, and how that is wrong.

Some times developers use the increased property taxes as a way to scoop up more land.