"We have the money to bring our sports teams back, but not to take care of our citizens." Ep 6 of Shack & Mu heads to Southeast DC, near the old RFK site, to ask who a city gets rebuilt for. As RFK 2.0 and the Commanders' return move forward, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali and Dr. Sacoby Wilson dig into gentrification, displacement, and how to build without pushing people out.

First up is Dr. Rhonda Hamilton, a native Washingtonian and 2026 mayoral candidate, who breaks down the bittersweet reality of a beloved team coming home while residents spend 50 to 60 percent of their income on housing. She questions the stadium deal, the thin community benefit agreement, and the backroom handshakes that leave residents out. Then equitable development expert Carlton Eley explains what gentrification really is, why social impact assessments matter, and how a community benefits agreement should work. Drawing on the North Charleston port model and faith based development wins nationwide, he lays out a path where residents guide change instead of reacting to it. Justice belongs at the heart of planning.

• (00:00) Welcome, and the gentrification question
• (03:36) Meet Dr. Rhonda Hamilton, DC mayoral candidate
• (04:16) Why RFK 2.0 feels bittersweet
• (05:44) Billionaires, a parking garage, and a raw deal
• (07:10) The community benefit agreement problem
• (07:53) How everyday people get engaged
• (08:55) Did we learn from the DC United stadium?
• (10:33) Meet Carlton Eley on equitable development
• (12:09) What gentrification actually means
• (13:27) From residential to sports complex gentrification
• (14:04) Social impact assessments and why they matter
• (16:10) The North Charleston model that worked
• (18:10) Real examples of getting it right
• (21:04) Justice at the heart of planning

• Stadiums over shelter. A city that funds arenas while residents spend 60 percent of income on housing has its priorities backward.
• Gentrification is a process. It unfolds over decades through market driven development that goes unregulated and unmitigated.
• Community benefits done right. Base them on that assessment and let residents drive them, as North Charleston did with its port expansion.
• Residents are the experts. Real engagement means the people who carry the burden help steer the plan.

Dr. Rhonda Hamilton is a native Washingtonian, longtime mental health advocate, former real estate broker, and 2026 candidate for DC mayor. Learn more at rhondahamilton4dc.com.

Carlton Eley is a nationally recognized equitable development expert and urban planner, formerly of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice. Learn more at eleygroup.com.

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