The East-West racial divide is a legacy of redlining and blockbusting in Cleveland. In the 1950s, real estate agents and speculators employed blockbusting to turn a profit. Over the next decade, real estate agents and speculators employed blockbusting to make quick profits. One area that the committee oversaw was the practice of [[blockbusting]]. White flight was driven in part by the process of blockbusting. Blockbusting was very common and very profitable. Both black and white realtors practiced blockbusting. It was predominantly white (99%) until segregation ended and blockbusting began in the 1960s. By 1970, despite the aggressive blockbusting efforts of realtors, the Austin community was 32% black. White flight and blockbusting drastically changed the demographics of the West Side by the 1950s.