Peoplestown Residents Plan to Hold "Sit-In" at Mayor Reeds Office In Their Fight to Save Their Homes

On Wednesday 11/4/15 at 10am Peoplestown residents will hold a very brief press conference on the steps of city hall (68 Mitchell st) before heading to the Mayor’s office to hold a sit-in. Residents plan to hold the space until the Mayor agrees to meet with them concerning their homes and their desire to not be displaced from a community they helped build.

"When the Mayor decided Ms. Mattie's home can stay, he acknowledged  that flooding in Peoplestown can be addressed without demolishing an entire block in Peoplestown", stated homeowner Tanya Washington, whose home is one of the homes slated to be demolished.

The remaining residents whose homes bookend the block are requesting that the Mayor direct the Department of Watershed to amend the plan so they can also stay in their homes.

Last week, the residents and their supporters held a rally and camped out all night on the steps of City Hall to emphasize the point that if Ms. Mattie stays they stay. 

After holding a 10am press conference this morning they presented a letter to the Mayor, supported by a petition with 5395 signatures, respectfully requesting that he meet with them to address their right to also stay in their homes.

Ms Mattie joined them in solidarity and told her City Council Representative, Carla Smith, that she wants her neighbors to be treated as fairly as she's been treated.

The Mayor's office refused to even schedule a meeting with the residents, who had camped out all night in anticipation of getting some word from the mayor’s office about their homes.  The residents and their supporters plan to return to the Mayor to demand the meeting which he promised.

"We've been here going on 30 years, we've raised our children and our grandchildren here. This is our home and we have no intention of leaving", state Bertha Darden who lives in one of the homes in question with her husband Robert Darden.

We are of course disappointed with Mayor Reed's continued dismissive stance towards these Peoplestown residents but we remain hopeful that he will do right by them as he did right by Mattie.

Sleeping on the Steps Of Atlanta City Hall

Peoplestown Residents and allies spent all night on the steps of Atlanta city hall to bring attention to their fight to avoid losing their homes to development project

"When the Mayor decided Ms. Mattie's home can stay, he acknowledged  that flooding in Peoplestown can be addressed without demolishing an entire block in Peoplestown", stated homeowner Tanya Washington, whose home is one of the homes slated to be demolished.

The remaining residents whose homes bookend the block are requesting that the Mayor direct the Department of Watershed to amend the plan so they can also stay in their homes.

Last night, the residents and their supporters  held a rally and camped out all night on the steps of City Hall to emphasize the point that if Ms. Mattie stays they stay.  American Friends Service Committee was excited to be the in support along with leaders from Occupy Our Homes Atlanta. Most who committed to stay though the night had never done anything like it before and what was initial nervousness about the bold tactic quickly turned into the joy that often comes with participating in collective action driven by a righteous goal; in this case, saving the homes of residents that helped build the community they love.

After holding a 10 am press conference this morning they presented a letter to the Mayor, supported by a petition with 5394 signatures, respectfully requesting that he meet with them to address their right to also stay in their homes.

Ms Mattie joined them in solidarity and told her City Council Representative, Carla Smith, that she wants her neighbors to be treated as fairly as she's been treated.

The Mayor's office refused to even schedule a meeting with the residents, who had camped out all night in anticipation of getting some word from the mayors office about their homes.  The residents and their supporters plan  to return to the Mayor to demand the meeting which he promised.

"We've been here going on 30 years, we've raised our children and our grandchildren here. This is our home and we have no intention of leaving", state Bertha Darden who lives in one of the homes in question with her husband Robert Darden.

We are of course disappointed with Mayor Reed's continued dismissive stance towards these Peoplestown residents but we remain hopeful that he will do right by them as he did right by Mattie. After last night a few things are clear. This fight will not go away, it will continue to escalate as residents make it clear they will not leave their homes. It also seems clear that these residents have already won and they know it, their supporters know it, it's just going to take city council and Mayor Reed some time and possibly more creative direct action to figure it out.

Peoplestown Residents to Rally and Sleep Out in Front of Atlanta City Hall

“She Stays, We Stay” Rally and Sleep Out, Thursday 10/22 at 6:30pm

New Campaign Video Released:

After two sit-ins at his office and over 5k signatures on a petition Mayor Reed agreed to take hands off Miss Mattie Jackson’s and allow her to stay.

While this is an exciting development other residents are still fighting to exist in the community they helped create. Miss Mattie has committed to stand with remaining residents against the displacement of her neighbors. Tanya Washington, a resident fighting for her home states, “If they can build a plan around Miss Mattie’s Home, they can build a plan around all of our homes.”

Residents, along with Miss Mattie, will lead a rally at City hall, 68 Mitchell St Sw at 7pm Thursday October 22nd. Residents, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, and allies will then stay ALL NIGHT in front of city hall with a simple demand; “Don't destroy our homes! Find a solution that doesn't displace us!”

The all-night vigil will end with a Friday 10/23 10am press conference and a letter delivery to Mayor Reed’s office requesting he meet with remaining residents.

Displacement of Residents in Historically Black Neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia

                 

By Resident Fighter Tanya Washington


The City of Atlanta, under the direction of Mayor Kasim Reed, is displacing residents to create a new park and a pond. The plan is being billed as a solution to flooding that the targeted residents don’t experience. However, the proposed park and pond will displace Peoplestown residents to make room for the development anticipated after the Atlanta Braves move out of Turner Field. The City’s plan tracks the demolition of the nearly 100-year old African-American church in 2014 to make room for the construction of the new Falcon’s stadium.

The human impact of the City’s plan, which independent engineers and environmental organizations have described as fundamentally flawed, is to displace families and to destroy a community. In fact, the City rejected a proposal submitted by an engineering firm it hired to turn parking lots in Turner Field into permeable space to absorb the water that floods the area, during intense storms. The City rejected the proposal in favor of one that would destroy a historically black community. The City’s priorities are clear: development is more important than neighborhoods and parking lots take precedence over people.


Despite the City’s promises that residents “would be made whole” and people would be “happy” with the offers they received; the City has reached out with offers to people that don’t even allow them to pay off their mortgages, let alone move into comparable homes in comparable neighborhoods. Furthermore, the settlements are communicated against the backdrop of a disturbing threat: if you don’t accept these insultingly low offers we will take your homes. Displacing people for a plan that will not work is irresponsible government. Destroying black neighborhoods is unconscionable. The City says it is taking homes to save residents from phantom flooding they don’t experience. But, who will save the people of Peoplestown from the City?


Please consider signing our petition and join more than 4,000 others opposed to the City's plans to displace Ms. Jackson, a civil rights legend who carried the Olympic torch in the 1996 games, and her neighbors!!

Residents Proclaim, "Peoplestown Will Not Go Down"

This past Tuesday  93 year old Mattie Jackson and the remaining residents on her block held a press conference declaring that they will refuse to leave their homes despite the City’s threat to demolish their homes and build a park and a Japanese style retention pond. Immediately following the press conference residents and supporters, including dozens of children marched through the community passing our yard signs and advertising a  “Save Our Block” BBQ Thursday 9/17 at7pm at 163 Ormond Ave SE.

Peoplestown residents attended an Urban Design Commission meeting last week to express outrage that their homes, which do not flood and require no flood insurance, are slated to be demolished to make way for an Old Fourth Ward style park and pond.  It has become clear that the City does not plan to budge, despite the community’s concern over mass displacement and gentrification and concerns expressed by several members of the Urban Design Commission about the efficacy of the proposed plan.

93 year old neighborhood hero Mattie Jackson stated, “I’m not leaving, if I have to sleep on the floor I will.” But it’s not just Mattie Jackson who plans to stand her ground. Tanya Washington, a law professor who lives at 148 Atlanta Ave states, “I’ve worked with engineers who say the City’s plan is flawed and reflects outdated engineering.  The City rejected a plan presented by the firm it retained that would not require displacement.  We’ve been told by the City if we don’t accept insultingly low offers they will take our homes. Displacing people with a plan that does not work is irresponsible government, and I shall not be moved!” 

On Tuesday the remaining Peoplestown residents made it it clear why they have decided not to leave their homes and presented the press with information on alternative plans to deal with flooding that wouldn’t require demolishing a block in the heart of the Peoplestown community.

Last week an online petition was launch that’s already approaching 5k signatures: http://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/stand-with-93-yr-old-mattie-jackson-community-hero 

  

The Dept of Watershed's own expert, other engineers and environmental organizations have proposed plans that will be less costly, more efficient, and more sustainable and will not call for the displacement of homeowners.

The Urban Development Commission expressed concerns about the City's plans to demolish homes in Peoplestown and about the City's failure to provide residents with any notice of the petition hearing. Despite these concerns, the City is moving forward with its plans which includes demolition of several homes that the City does not own and which do not flood.

 Residents of Peoplestown, including 93 year old civil rights activist Mattie Jackson, are opposed to these plans and refuse to give in to the City's threats to take and demolish their homes.