Turnaround at Abbey Court

By Beth Mechum, Staff Writer

Once the grounds for protests, conflicts and general distrust between residents and owners, Abbey Court Apartments in Carrboro is now home to a thriving after-school program and budding trust for a community.

In July of last year, the mostly Hispanic residents of Abbey Court were at odds with management over what they perceived as the unfair and excessive towing of cars from the premises. Residents said their cars were being towed without just cause, while the property managers, the Tar Heel Companies, contended that cars were being towed because they had no permits – permits the residents say they didn’t have access to.

The town got involved, and eventually parking regulations were eased.
But it wasn’t just the towing that had Abbey Court residents and members of the community incensed.

Judith Blau, a professor at UNC and a human rights advocate, said she was passing out pamphlets last year for the Hispanic community center El Centro when she was asked to leave by the security guard.

Blau said she explained to him that this was just a public service, and she wasn’t soliciting anybody. The guard refused to relent and the police were called. Blau was asked to leave the property by the Carrboro police.

This didn’t sit well with Blau, and she reported the incident to Mayor Mark Chilton and Chief of Police Carolyn Hutchinson.

“I explained to her that this was an oppressive environment for families, and for children,” Blau said. She said Hutchinson and the mayor were both receptive to her concerns.

Voice of a community

Alfonso Hernandez has the thoughtful voice of someone much older than his 19 years.

He is the only son in a family of immigrants, a Wake Tech student and speaks fluently in both Spanish and English. Hernandez became the voice of a community when conflicts in Abbey Court reached a boiling point.

“I just stepped in and helped with the translating,” Hernandez said. “It was kind of accidental that I helped the whole community here.”

That accident is still resounding in the community, and gave Hernandez a pivotal role as what he calls a community organizer. Hernandez said Blau had heard about his work helping his neighbors during the towing controversy and contacted him through a friend. The two joined together to foster trust and a sense of community in the Abbey Court apartments.

“Alfonso has a wisdom and compassion way beyond his years,” Blau said, “so when he says something I listen.”

Blau teaches sociology at UNC with a concentration in social and economic justice. Much of her lesson plans revolve around getting her students out into surrounding communities.

She decided to establish what is now called the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Human Rights Center.

“The reason I decided to move [the Human Rights Center] into Abbey Court was really because of my college students,” Blau said. “I thought they could learn the most if they had the opportunity of interacting with the residents of the poor community. Migrants have suffered more from this economic crisis than anybody else.”

The Human Rights Center is a converted two-bedroom apartment with computer labs and workstations where kids of all ages are invited to come for an after-school program run by volunteers, many from Blau’s class.

The property manager during the towing controversy was replaced and Blau said she has seen the new management be much more cooperative with her and the Abbey Court community in general.

Kids don’t have to be residents of Abbey Court to come to the center, and Blau and Hernandez said they’ve relied on cooperation from Scroggs Elementary School to get the word out – and, more importantly, to vouch for the program.

“We were concerned about the alienation with the Latino parents,” Blau said. “The mothers don’t speak English, and were apprehensive about working with us, so I happily agreed with the collaboration with the school.

“Now we have an after-school program that is just gorgeous, the kids are just so eager to learn, eager to be on the computer, to talk with the college students, so this has been like magic.”

Hernandez said he too sensed some mistrust from the Abbey Court community.

“The community didn’t trust us at first, because the community had a fear of what was going to happen,” he said. “We made it clear that we’re not here to do something towards them, we’re doing something for them.”

Bringing communities together

Weekends at Abbey Court are now dominated by big kid/little kid soccer games, with elementary through college students participating. Sometimes other members of the community join in too: Carrboro firefighters have been known to get out there on sunny Saturdays.

Liz Vigus is one of Blau’s students, and as part of her curriculum she volunteers on soccer weekends. She said she doesn’t speak Spanish, but that it hasn’t been a problem.

“The games are a good way to build connections with the kids and build up their trust, as well as give them mentors to let them know that we care,” Vigus said.

Other events will include celebrations of an Aztec pageant called Los Posados and Human Rights Day, both in December.

“There’s always apprehension when a charitable organization comes into the community,” Blau said. “How long will they stay? How committed are they really? What is their purpose?” These events, she said, are steps toward reinforcing trust.

Blau said she plans for the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Human Rights Center to be around for the foreseeable future, and to grow and evolve with what it can offer to the community.

Hernandez said it’s important for the kids at the center to see that Abbey Court and the entire community of Carrboro are here to support them.

“The kids feel engaged and they have a lot of encouragement here,” he said.

“I hope this benefits their future. But I can’t really tell the future, all I can do is hope, and care about the children here.”