City and federal officials are concerned that gentrification and its associated rising rents will price out longtime Shaw residents.

In the ZIP code that encompasses Shaw, the percentage of households earning less than $40k year ($20k for individuals) dropped to 30% in 2013 from 47% in 2002, according to DC’s Office of Revenue Analysis. Rather than reflecting residents earning more, this shift demonstrates the loss of those no longer able to afford the area.

Out of the ashes of the '68 and '69 riots rose an urban renewal district bounded by North Capitol Street, 15th Street, M Street North and Florida Avenue. It was named Shaw, after Col. Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded an all-black infantry unit in the Civil War.

There was little demand for the thousands of rowhouses the District bought and attempted to resell in 1969. The area was characterized by charred buildings without electricity. The economic decay had engendered a wave of crime. Initiatives to renovate the rowhouses were derided for their potential to displace poor black residents.

There have been substantial efforts to preserve and develop affordable housing: Dantes Partners and Roadside Development are bringing affordable housing to the City Market At O project and Ditto Residential is leading a team to build more than 30 affordable apartments at a DC-owned undeveloped parcel. But displacement remains a deep concern.