MohamedAmir VtP Annotation

This visualization provides an immediate sense of processes of erasure and the cui bono behind it. As a direct quote of Columbia's official discourse, the caption provides a firsthand glimpse into the moral economy guiding the university's plans for expansion. Dog-whistles framing certain character(istic)s and personalities to be ideal (e.g. collegiate, friendly, and sophisticated) reveal the inherent prejudices used to justify the displacement and dispersal of historically situated communities. The image shows this value system in action, providing a sense of the physical destruction that discursive erasure makes imaginable. This visualization gives a strong sense of the cold indifference of administrators and developers invested in the gentrification of West Harlem.