To the Editor:
In recent weeks, you’ve seen a growing number of signs in one part of town that read: “Defend Historic Princeton.” Not Save, not Sustain, not Protect, not Preserve, but “Defend?!”
Pay attention to the language and let that word “defend” settle in.
“Defend” implies attack. It implies there’s something coming to harm you. It evokes protection from an invader. But who, exactly, is attacking? What, and from whom, are we defending against?
The signs are a response to a proposed inclusionary development — a plan that would provide a range of affordable housing options for families, seniors, and working people who contribute to the life and labor of this town every single day. But rather than have a genuine conversation, the reaction has been letters signed by individuals who don’t even live here, and a campaign fueled by fear, misinformation, and coded language.
These arguments — about PILOT agreements, density, traffic, walkability, stormwater management, and architectural design — are not arguments at all. They are part of the oldest bait-and-switch scheme in America. The surface looks polite and technical; the core is about power, privilege, and a refusal to share space.
This is a plantation mentality in progressive clothing.
The language has evolved — but the intent remains. Keep those who “don’t belong” outside the gate, off the land, away from opportunity. “Defend” Princeton from what? From being equitable? From becoming accessible? From reflecting the true diversity of this country? The history they claim to protect becomes selective memory — sanitized and stripped of the very people who shaped Princeton with their labor, culture, and resilience.
This is how exclusion works now.
Let me be clear: Princeton’s Black population once made up close to 20 percent. Today it is about 6 percent. The Latino population is about 7 percent. If that doesn’t alarm you, you’re not paying attention. The town that claims to be for all has quietly pushed many to the margins — or out entirely.
So, when people say they want to “defend” Princeton’s history, ask them: what version of history? Because “historic” isn’t just colonial architecture and manicured lawns. It’s Witherspoon-Jackson, the Tree Streets, Jugtown, Grover, Moore/Jefferson, Littlebrook, Valley Road, it’s working-class roots. It’s Black churches, Dorothea’s House, immigrant stories, laborers, teachers, cooks, dishwashers, landscapers, and seniors who made this town livable long before it was lucrative.
What’s happening here isn’t unique to Princeton. It’s a national pattern. Exclusion disguised as process. Elitism hiding behind lawsuits. Privilege weaponized as “concern.” And always, always — the assertion that they know what’s best.
To the people fighting inclusion under the banner of history: What you’re really defending is a version of Princeton that never had to include anyone but you.
It starts with a sign. A word like “defend.” A zoning appeal. A delay tactic. A lawsuit. A whisper that grows into a wail.
The real threat to Princeton isn’t affordable housing. It’s the fear of sharing. A zero-sum mentality.
It’s the belief that “community” stops at the end of “your” driveway.
Let Princeton be a community of courage, not cowardice. Of welcome, not warnings. Of inclusion — not “defense.”