Reply #63: I think you're right on with that.

[zanne]

With all these people dispersed across the country, it will be impossible for them to unite and speak with one voice about the whole thing, too. And, being poor people, they don't have the resources to unite and speak about the future of their hometown, or whether they will ever be able to go back home. Gentrification is the name of the game in this country; if we don't see poor people, we don't have to admit they exist.