by Stephen Whitney
Stephen Curry is quite the guy. Professional athlete, philanthropist, and social justice advocate—is there anything he can’t do? Apparently there is, seeing as how the NBA player has difficulty practicing what he preaches.
Curry came under fire this week after it was revealed that he and his wife oppose the construction of multifamily housing near their $31 million Atherton mansion. Yet this shouldn’t surprise us. Hypocrisy is a defining trait for many wealthy liberals.
Much debate has taken place regarding a 1.5 acre single family lot. Its owner wants to build townhouses there, but Atherton City Council was on the fence. Last month, however, it decided to permit the construction of the townhouses, citing state requirements “to plan for 348 new units, across various income levels, in town over the next eight years.”
On paper, Curry is a staunch defender of progressive causes. In 2021, he joined the nonprofit NinetyToZero, which aims to close the black-white wealth gap in America. “Uncovering solutions and creating opportunities is something I’m profoundly committed to,” said Curry. “Bridging the racial wealth gap is one of the biggest challenges of our generation. We are setting a concrete approach that every organization can take to initiate meaningful progress now.”
It appears that unless you’re able to afford a mansion, the Curry family does not want you as a neighbor.
In a Jan. 18 letter to the city, Curry and his wife wrote, “Safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home.” The couple appeared self-conscious in the letter, writing, “We hesitate to add to the ‘not in our backyard’ (literally) rhetoric, but we wanted to send a note before today’s meeting.”
The term NIMBY (not in my backyard) is indeed applicable to the Curry family. They claim to promote social justice, but when it comes time for lower-income housing in their neighborhood, they aren’t interested.
And I don’t blame them. Why should Americans have to deal with the government stepping into their lives to alter the nature of their communities?
The problem with Stephen Curry is that he is a hypocrite. He doesn’t practice what he preaches. As an avowed Democrat, who claims to be in support of social justice, he should have to face the consequences of the policies he supports.
After all, the Democrats have all but declared war on the suburbs. In 2015, Obama implemented a rule known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), which sought to require cities and counties to construct low-income housing in areas geared toward single-family homes—all in the name of racial justice. Those that failed to comply would find themselves cut off from federal funds, which many communities rely upon.
The Trump administration cracked down on this unfair policy. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson delayed the deadlines for this Obama-era regulation in 2018. And Trump was later able to officially repeal AFFH. Regrettably, however, this policy has been revived by the Biden administration.
Given that Curry participated in a racial equality town hall with Barack Obama in 2019 and officially and publicly endorsed Joe Biden for president during the 2020 Democratic National Convention, one would think Curry would support the construction of lower-income housing in his community.
One would think wrong.
Amusingly, Curry isn’t alone in his hypocrisy. Atherton is overwhelmingly liberal, yet many residents came out in opposition to the townhome proposal. And it isn’t the most diverse community either. That 73 percent of its residents are white and only 1.2 percent African American lends more credence to speculation that the Currys are more concerned with virtue signaling than living in accordance with their professed values.
A similar situation played out in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where Dave Chapelle spoke out against an affordable housing proposal. The liberal comedian threatened to cancel his plans to open a restaurant and a comedy club in Yellow Springs unless the proposal was shut down.
“I cannot believe you would make me audition for you,” said Chapelle. “You look like clowns. I am not bluffing. I will take it all off the table.” Unsurprisingly, the city rejected the affordable housing portion of the upcoming development.
At the end of the day, successful people should have the right to enjoy a quiet, safe life in the suburbs without the government interfering. Do away with that and you’ve removed a key part of American life. Those who support low-income housing until it comes knocking on their front door would do well to be a little less selfish and hypocritical.
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Stephen Whitney is a contributor to Intellectual Takeout.
Photo “Stephen Curry” by Stephen Curry. Background Photo “Apartments” by Lina Kivaka.
