Inequality and poverty in Adams County
In many ways, Adams County consists of two separate economies. One economy is made up of relatively affluent entrepreneurs; professionals employed by the college, Wellspan, legal and financial firms, and employers outside the county; and growing numbers of retirees from higher cost areas. Then there is a second, consisting of people employed in low wage jobs whose life is a daily struggle to get by. Poverty was a serious problem in Adams County even before the Corona virus arrived. Almost a third of local residents (most of them employed) lived below the level of a living wage, even in a time of full employment.
These inequalities worsened significantly when the Corona virus hit. For many in the first economy, “work from home,” Zoom, Netflix, and carryout made the pandemic a minor inconvenience, while for those in the second economy the pandemic threatened financial ruin. The Adams County unemployment rate shot up from less than 5% to nearly 15% and signs of economic hardship were visible immediately. Tourism was reduced to nearly zero for several months and bars and restaurants were forced to close. Since the area began to partially reopen in May, there has been a modest improvement. But it is likely that the worst impacts of the pandemic haven’t been felt yet. Special unemployment assistance and assistance to businesses have run out, eviction protections are subject to termination, the recovery of tourism has been weak, and the vast achievement gap in local schools has undoubtedly grown more severe.
As the pandemic hit, the nation’s long ignored racial problems also moved to the front burner, immediately triggered by the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. Locally, the black community is demanding an end to abusive policing and other discriminatory practices in housing, lending, and employment. These have been longstanding issues in the minority community but this time some white people are listening. Unfortunately, their concerns have been met with indifference. A thousand armed “militias” who roamed the town on July 4, intimidating black residents, were welcomed as “partners.” But town officials complained that entirely peaceful protests in sympathy to BLM might be interfering with tourists wanting to eat on the square.
State and local governments were hard hit and the budget crisis affecting them will result in layoffs and service cuts. These cuts will complicate the job of recovery as schools, transportation, nutrition, and housing programs may suffer cuts just when the need Is greatest..
The area has many strengths, including strong community groups such as Adams County Community Foundation, SCCAP, Main Street Gettysburg, the Adams Economic Alliance, the Chamber, United Way, and the @Home Coalition, who worked to develop business reopening programs, nutrition initiatives, and a variety of programs to alleviate the affordable housing crisis. But their ability to raise funds has been constrained by the crisis and many are seeing private or public funding sources dry up.
A major community rebuilding effort will be needed to restore our damaged educational system, tourism, and some businesses. Unfortunately, political divisions have affected our response to the Covid. We can’t agree on what caused the economic downturn – was it the virus or was it the “shutdown”? – or how to recover. One side argues that the solution to unemployment, business failures, the threat of foreclosure and eviction, and the decline of tax receipts is “just open up.” This ignores the fact that the tourist sector has “opened up” and the tourists haven’t returned and that people who got in the habit of online shopping or not eating out aren’t returning to the stores and restaurants. The Apple Harvest Festival and Remembrance Day weren’t cancelled because restaurants are limited to 25% occupancy; they were cancelled because the sponsors couldn’t figure out how to operate safely and weren’t convinced that people would come. Gettysburg College didn’t send ¾ of its students home because of seating restrictions at the Blue and Gray; they went home because of an outbreak.
Our division is so pronounced that even the most basic safety measure (wearing a mask) has become a partisan issue. Lawsuits are being filed to prevent governors from taking rudimentary steps to halt the pandemic’s spread. Requirements to wear masks are absurdly compared to slavery.
The partisan divide has led to a situation where both sides expect the worst about the other. Both sides accuse the other of undermining the Constitution and of planning violence on or around election day. We will not solve the poverty problem until we address the pandemic and we will not address the pandemic as long as one side undermines effective actions and we have no hope of coming together as long as the president and many local leaders promote stupidity and selfishness.
Leon Reed is a former congressional aide and history teacher and is an author of several books on military history. He is the chair of Gettysburg DFA.