Film Razing Liberty Square shows how climate change affected one poor neighborhood

Whether disasters come in the form of howling wildfires or creeping sea-level rise, the crux of climate change is the displacement of people from homes where they once thought themselves safe.

The 2023 documentary Razing Liberty Square showcases how climate change supercharges the firestorm of eviction already fueled by existing problems such as structural racism and the affordable housing crisis. The film will screen at Esperanza Peace & Justice Center as a part of the ongoing citywide event series DreamWeek San Antonio.

In the Katja Wesson-directed doc, a low-income, high-elevation, historically Black neighborhood in Miami is targeted for gentrification by rich developers who have shifted their focus away from swanky beachfront properties now endangered by rising seas.

It’s a story made all the more relevant with the present-day targeting of San Antonio’s public-housing complexes by rich developers looking to further their own interests. A plática featuring residents and housing activists from Miami and San Antonio moderated by Councilwoman Teri Castillo will follow the film.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave., (210) 228-0201, esperanzacenter.org.

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This article appears in Jan 22 – Feb 4, 2025.