Announcement of Community Benefits Agreement Premature and in Bad Faith

Residents Marched to Turner Filed and set up a tent city on April 1st

Press conference with community leaders and elected officials supporting a real, binding Community Benefits agreement to be held Wednesday April 26th at #TentCityATL, 755 Hank Aaron drive at 10:30am.

GSU and Carter, doing business as Panther Holdings LLC prematurely and in bad faith released the terms of a deal it crafted with a selected group of community members and organizations to the exclusion of the Turner Field Benefits Coalition.  It highlights the heart of Atlanta’s gentrification problem.

In December of 2016 the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority released an RFP for the sale of Turner Field and surrounding parking lots. Panther Holdings was created and awarded a sweetheart deal - for $30 million they got $300 million worth of real estate and tax abatements, too.

From the time of the sale of the Braves the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition - a democratically elected body of residents, community organizations, small businesses and churches - have been actively engaged in developing a community driven Community Benefits Agreement to counter gentrification and prevent displacement of residents.

Nearly two years ago a politically connected faction of the coalition led by Suzanne Mitchell broke away and began private negotiations with Panthers Holding. Mitchell is the sister-in-law of council president Ceasar Mitchell, who curries the favor of the developers Carter and GSU repeatedly stating she "could just pick up the phone and call them." Access denied to the democratically empowered Coalition representing broad stakeholders across five impacted neighborhoods.

Day 12 of #TentCityATL

Just an hour or so before news began to spread that a deal had been reached, Carla Smith, GSU, Oakwood and Carter presented a plan it developed with the selected group of individuals and organizations and without input from the community at-large. Council president Cesar Mitchell along with Council members Felicia Moore, Michael Julian Bond, and Deborah Scott with Partnership for Working Families Founding member & VP National CBA Network participated in the meeting.

The Coalition and its advisor, Maya Dillard Smith, former Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia, were allowed to see documents memorializing this "deal" for the first time. There are actually two deals - one with GSU and one with Cater.

The Coalition requested time to review these documents and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 1, 2017. The conversation centered on the importance of transparency, accountability, inclusion and honesty, which has been missing from the negotiations to date.

Sherise Brown, a long term resident of Peoplestown and core member of the coalition attended yesterday's meeting today and stated, “Although I think our meeting today with panthers holding LLC was productive and moving in the right direction, we have not received a commitment from them for a Community Benefits Agreement. We are looking forward to our follow up meeting with GSU and the developers. At this point we are beginning to build a partnership with Panthers holding LLC. We have not, I repeat we have not, reached any agreement. We are still in discussions.”

GSU student leader Asma Elhuni, who also attended the meeting stated, “Our meeting with Scott Taylor from Carter Developers, Bharath Parthasarathy from Georgia State University, Council members, and the Turner Field Benefits Coalition was productive with promises that the Developers will meet with the Turner field Benefits Coalition. It was made clear to GSU that the University foundation is allowed to sign a CBA. As a student, I am eager to see this happen in the near future so that we hold not only my University accountable to its promises, but also the developers.”

One might imagine The Coalitions surprise upon reading the AJC headline, “GSU-Turner Field Neighborhoods Strike Community Benefits Agreement”.

Tremendous misinformation has been miscommunicated by GSU and Carter in an already confusing environment of alternative facts.

Here are the facts:

1.         The Coalition was funded by the Casey Foundation, the Coalition worked with consultants and legal counsel paid for by Casey with a grant it provided of $90,000. Most of the money received went to consultants. Coalition members did not receive any money, and they participated in good faith to draft CBA defining investments, outcomes and protocols benefiting Peoplestown, Summerhill, Mechanicsville, and Pittsburgh. These neighborhoods were selected given the immediate and surrounding impact of the project in alignment with the Living Centers Initiative.

2.         As soon as the deal was inked (Purchase/”Closing” took place), Casey pulled its funding. Unbeknownst to the Coalition at the time, Casey provided its $90,000 in services to the coalition, it was simultaneously funding hundreds of thousands in donations to Georgia State University. A clear conflict of interest for an organization which says it's dedicated to neighborhood change. Change, the Casey foundation will benefit from as it owns 14 acres in the affected area of the Turner field project.

3.         Council member Carla Smith received the maximum political contribution of $2500 from Scott Taylor of Carter the day after the deal closed for the sale of Turner Field.  She also received donations from Carter development.

4.         Suzanne Mitchell is negotiating with GSU and Carter in her individual capacity and as a relative of the City Council President, Caesar Mitchell.  She is no longer the president of (ONS) Organized Neighbors of Summerhill.

5.         Mayoral candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms served on the City Council while also serving as the chairperson of the Fulton County Recreation Authority.  This represented a clear conflict of interest and the closing documents directed Bottoms to receive 5% of the sale price of Turner Field ($600,000).

The deal and its participants are ripe with conflicts and yet the Coalition continues to show up and engage in good faith. We ask only that the other people at the table do the same.

Faith Leaders to Unite at #TentCityATL

On Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm, faith leaders from different communities in Atlanta will hold a prayer session  for Georgia State University and Carter Development at #TentCityATL (755 Hank Aaron drive). On the days following Easter, faith leaders will pray that GSU and Carter respect the NPU-V community members and include them in development of Turner Field and the surrounding parking lots. They will pray that development projects not drive-out longtime residents as they have before. They will pray that Carter and GSU include community voices in a binding social contract that will ensure development benefits everyone in the community. On April 1st residents of the area marched to the site formally known as Turner Field and set up a tent city. Residents have been staying there in an act of civil disobedience for 18 days through extreme weather and police intimidation. Our ask is simple; include longterm resident voices in the development of the area and so far Carter and GSU has refused to respond to numerous requests for a meeting. “For years, we have met with residents across Peoplestown, Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh to develop a Community Benefits Agreement to ensure that any development on the 80-acre turner field property benefits the community and our future generations,” explains Deborah Arnold of Mechanicsville who has been camped out since April 1. “More than 1700 of us have participated in community meetings to develop this CBA since the Braves announced they were leaving, but Carter Development and GSU have refused to meet with us, and instead have slandered us and pushed forward plans for development that doesn’t meet community needs.” “We’re drawing a line in the sand. We won’t allow GSU, Carter of any other developer to extract wealth from our community. After suffering through multiple mega developments that promised economic development and delivered broken promises this is our last stand for a community we want to be able to stay in,” says long-term resident and Housing Justice League member Alison Johnson and an organizer of the #TentCityATL. “We no longer have anything to lose. If they aren’t developing with us, they aren’t developing for us.” Since the #TentCityATL began thousands have signed an online petition to bring Carter and GSU to the table and the story has been covered nationally. Online petition: https://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/support-a-community-benefits-agreement-for-the-turner-field-communities

#TentCityATL Continues; Day 11

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- More than 40 residents of four of Atlanta’s historically black neighborhoods surrounding Turner Field (Peoplestown, Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh) are now in day 10 of a tent city occupation at the site of the former Atlanta Braves stadium in their fight for an accountable community benefits agreement. The fight is quickly becoming a national battleground between community-led organizing for equitable and fair development versus publicly supported luxury development taking place across the nation.

“For years, we have met with residents across Peoplestown, Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh to develop a Community Benefits Agreement to ensure that any development on the 80-acre turner field property benefits the community and our future generations,” explains Deborah Arnold of Mechanicsville who has been camped out since April 1. “More than 1700 of us have participated in community meetings to develop this CBA since the Braves announced they were leaving, but Carter Development and GSU have refused to meet with us, and instead have slandered us and pushed forward plans for development that doesn’t meet community needs.” 

  

Last year the City of Atlanta sold the public stadium site to Carter Development and Georgia State University. Despite countless asks they have refused to meet with residents and resorted to spreading lies through the media about residents intentions, including implying that all residents want is a cash payout. Such a request has never happened.

“We didn’t make this decision to pitch tents lightly,” says Columbus Ward of Peoplestown. “We have families, we have jobs, we have responsibilities. But at the end of the day, Carter, GSU & the city are threatening the very existence of our neighborhoods. This is a fight for our future. For our right to remain and thrive. We refuse to be seen as commodities. We are real people.” 

On Monday residents will get a lift from students of Georgia State University who are organizing an action to call on GSU President Mark Becker to support local residents demands and urge Carter to negotiate a CBA.

“We’re drawing a line in the sand. We won’t allow GSU, Carter of any other developer to extract wealth from our community. After suffering through multiple mega developments that promised economic development and delivered broken promises this is our last stand for a community we want to be able to stay in,” says long-term resident and Housing Justice League member Alison Johnson and an organizer of the #TentCityATL.  “We no longer have anything to lose. If they aren’t developing with us, they aren’t developing for us.”

#TentCityATL is the latest in what are becoming increasingly regular and escalated fights led by working class communities and communities of color to push back against privately funded, publicly supported luxury development across the nation. In March, teenagers from Boston’s Egleston Neighborhood led a 3-night sit-in at the Mayor’s office to demand increased affordable housing and community engagement for development projects in their neighborhood. On March 31, Pittsburgh residents announced a major victory in their campaign to stop the the replacement of 300 units of affordable housing in the historically black East Liberty neighborhood when they got Whole Foods to back out of the development.

  

Some Atlanta residents aren’t waiting on the city, and are taking the fight to the ballot box. Tanya Washington -- a Peoplestown resident currently under threat of eminent domain related to the Turner Field development -- announced Thursday, she will run for city council after discovering that the city council member that represents her neighborhood has received campaign support from Carter Development.

“We’re not going anywhere,” says #TentCityATL and Housing Justice League organizer Alison Johnson. “Come down and join us. We’re planning actions for May Day, hosting movie nights and building community.”

There has been push back. One needs to look no further than the Peoplestown Next Door website to see all kinds of wild accusations about the #TentCityATL efforts. Although the draft Community Benefits Agreement has zero asks for pay out to individuals or organizations, newer white neighbors continue to claim the effort is about a cash grab. The reality is the Carter and GSU stand to extract billions of dollars from the up and coming neighborhoods and while this might excite already affluent homeowners it has produced a palpable anxiety amongst long term residents that have called these communities home for generations.

 

Last night a number of students and long term residents held a sit-in at GSU president Mark Becker’s office hoping to facilitate a meeting between Becker and longterm residents. Becker refused and instead had folks in the group, including former state house rep Douglas Dean , who has lived in the Pittsburgh neighborhood for over 50 years. As this blog post is being published, they have yet to be released.

One of the things we often hear is that gentrification is inevitable but around the country regular everyday people are fighting back and winning. #TentCityATL is a line in the sand around the issue of gentrification and mass displacement. At its core is the notion that those that live in a community should have a voice in what happens in it, that residents are not disposable, that there can be room for everyone to survive and thrive.

What can people do to support #TentCityATL?

1.       Sign and share the online petition byclicking here

2.       Donate to the #TentCityATL effort

3.       More than anything there is a need to have folks there. there are regular events organized at #TentCityATL like this one. Donate an hour, donate a day, pop a tent and stand in solidarity with one of the most important fights in the city! 

Tent City at Turner Field!

 After the Braves announced that they would be leaving Turner Field residents of Summerhill, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, and Mechanicsville began meeting to discuss what would become of the almost 80 acres.

 Over the course of almost three years over 1700 residents and countless experts gave input on a Community Benefits Agreement that would ensure that the voice of the community would be included in any development and that whatever ended up at Turner Field wouldn't end up displacing long term residents that are loved and needed in their community.

 Since Carter Development and GSU has purchased the land they have not only refused to meet with residents, they have resorted to spreading lies through the media about residents intentions, including implying that all residents want is a cash payout, such a request has never happened.

 Residents have drawn a line in the sand and simply will not allow GSU, Carter, or any other developer to extract wealth from a community that has suffered through so many bad developments over the years without allowing residents to have a voice and a binding agreement about how their community is developed.

 

The Neighborhoods surrounding Turner Field have been plagued with mega developments that have brought countless broken promises of economic development. 50 years ago Mechanicsville, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and Pittsburgh were thriving communities. It was a place where one could buy fresh food, go to the doctor, enjoy the theatre, attend a decent school, and enjoy a walkable community. Interstate 75/85, the Fulton County Stadium, the Olympic stadium, and Turner Field have all had detrimental effects on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Each of these developments ended up displacing residents by the thousands and destroying small business in the area.

Today residents say no more. No longer can we allow mega developers to extract wealth from our community without any accountability. If you aren’t developing with us, you aren’t developing for us.

Those that live in the community should have a voice in how it’s developed!

That’s why residents and GSU students are taking a stand by organizing a Tent City, and we invite you to join! Follow the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition and the Housing Justice League on Facebook for updates!

You can support the tent city in several ways!

1. Sign the olnine petition here!

2. Come down and spend time at the Tent City, 755 Hank Aaron drive, it's a 24 hour occupation and the more people present the more powerful we are!

3. There are a lot of expenses and you can help by making a donation and spreading the word! Click here to donate!

Turner Field Neighbors Disrespected and Threatened With Arrest Today

Today residents with the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition delivered apetition to Carter Development urging the developer to sit with long term residents to negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement. The petition delivery was organized as a result of Carter’s CEO, Scott Taylor’s refusal to meet with the coalition. The coalition, which is comprised over 30 organizations in the community has been trying to have open communication with Carter and GSU ever since the sales process begun. To date the only residents Carter and GSU have been willing to meet with are homeowners in Summerhill more interested in their own property values.

“We want development in our community, we just ask to be included as there’s a history of broken promises in our communities. We want to know that development in our community works for both new and long-term residents, a binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is a huge step in that direction.” Stated long term resident and coalition member Alison Johnson.

Once residents showed up to Cater Development's office to deliver the petition they were met with extremely aggressive building representatives that threatened to have them arrested immediately. Some staff even put hands on residents who simply intended to deliver a petition to Scott Taylor.  Residents decided to kneel down and pray for their community but building staff seemed set on yelling over clergy’s prayer, yelling, “Get out now!”, as Imam Furqan A Muhammad with the Masjid Al Muminun Mosque, which is in Peoplestown, led the group in prayer.

 

Today what could have been a simple petition delivery urging a conversation with residents ended up highlighting the extreme disrespect and disdain that both Carter Development, GSU, and some city officials have demonstrated through the whole Turner Field sale process. If Atlanta is going to be a city that works for everyone then this unsustainable, backroom deal approach to mega developments must change.

Carter and GSU along with our city officials did not plan with the communities. This was a backdoor deal which as stated above, is full of conflicts of interest.  They disrespected the democratic process used to create the CBA and they ignored the communities and refused to allow them a seat at table. They took the alternate route and bypassed the people, because they decided the people don’t matter. 

 Many residents are disappointed and scared of what this may mean for their community. “This is a hostile takeover of our communities for profit. This is ethnic cleansing.” These back door deals happen because low-income, minority communities and long-term residents are not valued as stakeholders and partners. “Instead we are looked upon as outsiders by insiders.” 

For fifty years, the communities surrounding Turner Field have been neglected, an almost forgotten footnote in Atlanta’s race to prove it is the “city too busy to hate.”

Once thriving neighborhoods fell victim to the economic priorities of others: busy interstates divided communities and families; stadiums rose and fell, flooding communities with crime and raw sewage; local schools were neglected and underfunded; and promises for positive development were as empty as the scores of parking lots that litter the area.

Now, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change all this.

It’s called the Turner Field Community Benefit Agreement (CBA). A Community Benefits Agreement is a legally-binding contract with the developer that describes mutually-agreed and enforceable goals for the development project. This agreement is driven by local residents and the over 40 community organizations that make up the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition.

What would a CBA mean for our communities? A world of difference–for everyone. A well implemented CBA could alleviate flooding; improve transportation and create new public space; provide jobs for residents and create opportunities for training, education and services for people of all ages; create housing for people of all incomes and prevent displacement of existing residents; and make our streets and communities safer and cleaner, while providing places to shop for people in the neighborhood.

Turner Field Neighbors and Students Unite to Fight GSU/Carter Development Sponsored Gentrification

Press conference before council meeting

On Tuesday, Jan.17^th, one day after Atlanta celebrated MLK day, Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition (TFCBC) residents and students packed City Hall to speak out against Turner Field stadium purchasers. On Dec.31^st, 2016, Georgia State University and its development partners closed a purchase deal to acquire Turner Field stadium and its surrounding lots. This deal, however, did not include the detailed Community Benefits Agreement TFCBC has researched and arranged over the past two years. GSU and Carter Development have taken a stance of non-negotiation, and no-CBA, despite active outreach by Turner Field residents to the contrary. The refusal to include a Community Benefits Agreement in the purchase deal, first through the sale by the City, and later in the purchase by GSU, has created a climate of non-negotiation. Without a CBA, there is no guarantee that development in and around Turner Field will not displace families, nor economically benefit residents who remain. The welfare of the Turner Field Neighborhoods, and especially its most low-income residents, has been dramatically de-prioritized by the City of Atlanta, and their future neighbor, Georgia State University.

Students join residents at the MLK march the day before

In response to these actions of disregard, on Tuesday, residents and students spoke out. Protest began when Mayor Kasim Reed took the podium at City Hall. Dozens turned their backs in silence to Reed, who has overseen the stadium’s sale and its subsequent (mis)allocation of purchase funds. They remained standing throughout Reed’s speech, physically filling most of the audience space. Reed exited the council, but not TFCBC’s protest. 

Community members turn their back as Mayor Reed speaks

Residents and students again took the floor during public comment. For nearly four hours, Morehouse and Spellman College students, Peoplestown residents, GSU students, NPU-V district chairs, and Housing Justice League organizers spoke out against the CBA’s absence in the Turner Field purchase deal. Senator Vincent Fort detailed the history of the Turner Field neighborhoods, and how the purchasers’ refusal to sign a CBA was only the latest in a string of unfriendly developments. “The residents of Peoplestown and beyond have been put under the thumb of developers for far too long. Their priorities for their community need to be raised up. The Turner Field Neighborhoods demand a Community Benefits Agreement that acknowledges their humanity. No CBA, No Deal!”

“Without the CBA in the sale of Turner Field, the community was not promised safety, not promised job security, not promised the right to stay in their homes. It is violent that the City of Atlanta would undertake such a sale, in complete disregard of residents’ welfare,” noted Agnes Scott activist Idil Hussein.

Throughout the comment session, speakers gave statements of high intensity that directly addressed the City and GSU’s failure to negotiate with residents. Spellman activist Eva Dickerson indicted City Council representatives as unsatisfying black female role models, and highlighted the need for non-official black woman activists to take on leadership and direct political change. GSU activist Sam Hogan recorded dissatisfaction with Georgia State University and Carter Development for continuing to undercut residents. HJL staff member and tenant organizer Sherise Brown demanded greater transparency from the City in its development negotiations. “The City only met with a few residents from Summerhill during the purchase negotiation…and the same with GSU and Carter. This hand-picking of residents does not give other neighbors the opportunity to voice their concerns…and it leads to purchase deals like this one, with no CBA.”

Morehouse activist and ATL is Ready organizer Avery Jackson noted during public comment, “This loud, clear-spoken collection of students standing alongside black communities against city-wrought gentrification…this is the new unchained, unregulated politics of 2017. We are not here to ask questions or demand change. We are here to re-set the negotiation table so that community voices can never not be heard.”

Public officials and development stakeholders have often argued that any Community Benefits Agreement negotiation is cost-prohibitive. But, they fail to acknowledge that the investments and priorities addressed by the CBA could be funded entirely from the sale proceeds of Turner Field.

“The sale has thus far generated at least $30 million in revenue, but has been invested into another corporate-sponsored stadium rather than the Turner Field Neighborhood communities. Eminent domain law has been used as a tool of urban gentrification, allowing the City to land-grab from the Turner Field neighborhoods,” noted Housing Justice coordinator Tim Franzen and PRC president Columbus Ward. Short of revising the eminent domain ruling and regaining land, TFCBC members seek to orient the development process in ways that would benefit the community. Repaved streets, better insulated schools, and more fresh produce-carrying grocery stores would all be small examples of such a process, and indeed, are the objectives of a CBA.  

Students sit-in during City Council meeting

After the speakout ended, students took to the chamber floors for a sit-in. They broadcast a Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King speech as councilmembers conducted their affairs, twirled car keys, drew silent attention to Councilwoman Carla Smith, and altogether unsettled business as usual. This creative resistance will amplify if and as the Turner Field purchase deal moves forward without a Community Benefits Agreement. TFCBC activists are redoubling their commitment to stop inequitable development in their community.    

Sign and share the online petition!      

Residents and GSU Students Threaten to Block Turner Field Development if Binding CBA Not Agreed Upon

Outside Atlnta City Hall

As the final sale agreement for Turner Field is set to be completed by the end of the year, the surrounding communities of Summerhill, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, and Pittsburgh still have no binding CommunityBenefits Agreement.

Today Turner Field area resident and GSU students meet at the capitol to send a clear message to the city and the developers of the Turner Field property.

“As residents, we simply can't afford another development project that further displaces our community members and has no real community engagement, and no real accountability to our neighborhoods”, stated longtime Peoplestown resident Alison Johnson.

Public officials and development stakeholders have argued that any Community Benefits Agreement negotiation is cost-prohibitive, but fail to acknowledge that the investments and priorities addressed by the CBA could be funded by proceeds from the sale of Turner Field. The sale is expected to generate at least $30 million in revenue, but instead of investing in our communities, our public officials are investing in yet another stadium. That land was stolen from our community through eminent domain and urban renewal, and we demand that it be returned to the neighborhoods that have lost so much across so many decades.

“Students of GSU stand in solidarity with the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition. We will do everything in our power to ensure that President Becker sits and negotiates a Community Benefits agreement with the coalition. President Becker should expect a good fight from students on this. It is our responsibility to ensure our tuition does not go to a purchase that will not benefit the communities it will affect”, stated the United Students Against Sweatshops, a TFCBC ally.

 “If we must set up a tent city, we will; if we must chain ourselves to construction equipment, we will; if we must fill the jails over and over, we will. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to stop yet another questionable and inequitable development project in our community, and we call on everyone to stand with us in our time of need!” Stated longtime Peoplestown resident Columbus Ward.

Sign and share the onlibe petition!

Read the Turner Filed Community Benefits Coalitions platform here.

Atlanta Residents and GSU Students Demand Input in the Turner Field purchase

On noon, Tuesday, October 4th at Hurt Park, GSU students and NPU-V residents joined the Housing Justice League to deliver a petition to GSU President Mark Becker’s office. The direct action was geared towards securing a legally-binding Community-Benefits Agreement (CBA) that ensures residents of Turner Field neighborhoods benefit from positive development around their homes.

The rally began in a sunlit Hurt Park at noon, with joint cadres of Georgia State University students and NPU-V residents. Many held signs that read, “Stop displacement on our dime,” “Students and residents march together,” and “Gentrification State University.” Half-past the hour, student organizer Patricio Cambias Rojas rallied students and gave an overview of the action. Co-organizer Christopher Hollis took lead in giving chants, and marching students and residents towards Becker’s office.

Students and Residence deliver petition to President Becker

In the building of Centennial Hall, marchers learned that President Becker was “out” for the day-- his absence has not been confirmed by independent sources-- and that they would not be allowed into his office. Housing Justice League organizer Sherise Brown and GSU organizer Asma Elhuni delivered a petition to Becker’s secretary in lieu of Becker, and restated the demand that Becker meet with marchers to discuss a CBA clause within GSU’s purchase package. Brown noted, “We are following up on our last march to your office, and we wish to meet with President Becker. Please let him know that we are sincere, and want to discuss the mutual benefits of a CBA.” As of now, Becker’s office has given no response.

Students and residents initiated a sit-in during which many shared personal stories, ranging from oral histories of the Turner Field neighborhoods to student activism at GSU. Longtime resident May Helen Johnson recounted how Turner Field neighborhoods have long fell victim to the economic priorities of others. “Churches have been demolished in place of contaminated housing units, and empty parking lots have replaced long-time houses.”  Johnson, along with other residents, expressed hope that the combined efforts of students and residents would impress urgency behind the call for a CBA. This new wave of action, Johnson noted, “can bring positive development back to an area once filled with it.”   

Students and residents hold a sit-in

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The Turner Field Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a valuable opportunity to reorganize administrative priorities and change the neglect of Turner Field. This legally-binding agreement has driven by local residents and the over 40 community organizations that make up the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition.

A CBA would mean tremendous change for all involved in the Turner Field neighborhoods. A well implemented CBA could alleviate flooding, improve transportation, provide jobs for residents, and include educational training for people of all ages. It could prevent displacement of existing residents, create housing for people of all incomes, provide the neighborhood with places to shop, and make streets and communities safer and cleaner.

Long term residents hold a banner iutside President Beckers office

The Housing Justice League, NPU-V residents, and GSU students are committed to demonstrating the power of a Community Benefits Agreement for our communities. On Tuesday, October 4th, we showed this commitment by rallying to Mark Becker’s office and delivering our petition. And we will continue pushing, and escalating, to create a more affordable, better serviced Atlanta.


Please SIGN and SHARE the online petition.

Residents and Students Unite to Ensure GSU Does Right by Community

               

 On Wednesday, September 7^th at noon on Georgia State University’s Library Plaza, the Housing Justice League joined forces with the Turner FieldCommunity Benefits Coalition(TFCBC) and Georgia State University students to demand conversation about the University’s purchase of Turner Field stadium. Current action has engaged thousands of Turner Field residents in developing a draft Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that ensures new development benefits long-time residents. The Wednesday noon action advanced local talks to GSU’s doorstep, and initiated conversation with Pres. Becker and power brokers on campus. 

                The Library Plaza March included a large, intergenerational crowd of GSU students and local Turner Field residents. Solidarity and community was strong between the two groups. As part of the opening statements, Turner Field resident Jane Ridley noted that conversation with GSU was necessary to ensure the NPU-V community did not face further gentrification. “We’ve faced problems with the Braves Stadium, and it looks like we might have more with this one… we need conversation to protect ourselves. The neighborhood can’t face further evictions.” Her words echoed the Liveable Centers Initiative, that any future development in Turner Field remain transparent and inclusive to the community.

                Students and residents marched together to President Becker’s office, chanting songs like “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around.” The crowd swelled along the way as more students and school staffers joining the rally. Marchers congregated in front of Centennial Hall to determine appropriate steps forward. Movement eventually continued peacefully into the building, and to the Administrative Office on the fifth floor.  

At President Becker’s Office, State Senator Vincent Fort, joined demands that the GSU president make time for community members and students, and meet residents face-to-face. “He’s not too busy for us,” Fort retorted, “and if he is, then he isn’t doing his job.” Organizer and resident Sherise Brown headed conversation with President Becker’s secretary, passing along the letter demanding conversation with the president. The crowd of students and residents stood firm to rejection and backed Sherise’s negotiation. Though no meeting was confirmed, Sherise exchanged information with Becker’s secretary and pressured for more communication. The delivered gave president Becker 7 days to respond to the request.


The CBA Proposal the resident led TFCBC wishes to discuss with President Becker keeps the community’s needs front and center, and offers a sure path to accountability and development without displacement. The Coalition consulted a wide range of experts, community members, and both local and national institutions to develop a comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement Proposal. The CBA provides opportunities for GSU to both fulfill its general Strategic Plan and incorporate recommendations from the LCI Study which was completed last month. The Housing Justice League stands ready to work with TFCBC and GSU to turn the CBA Proposal into a full-fledged agreement that ensures success and does not leave impacted communities behind.


We encourage folks to sign andshare the online petition encouraging president Becker to meet with community members who will be impacted by the purchase of Turner Field and to insure they have a seat at the table as plans are being made that are sure to have a deep impact on their community and their lives.

Residents Fight for Turner Field Development that Works for Everybody

Today we were excited to join the the Turner Field CommunityBenefits Coalition, which represents the neighborhoods of Summerhill, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and others nearby Turner Field, has spent the last several weeks collecting more than 2,000 petition signatures in support of community benefits across the communities affected by the redevelopment of Turner Field. 

 This morning Coalition we converged at Atlanta City Hall to deliver thousands of petition signatures to Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority director and Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms in support of negotiated community benefits between the developer and impacted Turner Field communities.

“These petition signatures affirm that Atlantans in the impacted neighborhoods and across the metro area want a new model for major redevelopment projects in this city,” said Jason Dozier, Mechanicsville resident. “We need the Recreation Authority, City and County to know that we don’t want community benefits decided for us – we want to be at the table and part of the decisions.” The petition asks the Recreation Authority to require the developer to meet with and come to an agreement with the neighborhood groups in the impacted areas to determine what the specific community benefits will be. The communities have conducted an extensive community planning process to identify specific recommendations, which are set to be completed in the next two weeks. 

Tenant Leaders South of I-20 Come Together

This past weekend American Friends Service committee was proud to support and participate in a retreat with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and the newly formed SMP Housing Justice Movement. SMP stands for Summerhill, Mechanicsville, and Peoplestown. The retreat brought together longtime resident fighters from Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and tenant leaders from newly formed tenant associations in Peoplestown, Summerhill , and Mechanicsville.

The focus of the retreat was building a stronger structure to build power in neighborhoods surrounding Turner Field.  Tenant leaders took time to build a mission statement, organizing principles, a code of conduct, and an organizational structure.

The retreat also created space for folks to build stronger bonds with each other, sharing stories over meals and around the campfire, and sharing hopes and dreams for the future of the communities we're fighting to preserve. The communities surrounding Turner Field have the cities eye of development squarely fixed on them. Atlanta intown neighborhoods have seen massive development which has brought mass displacement in places like the Old 4th Ward, Kirkwood, and Reynaldstown.

A drive through parts of the Turner Field Communities would tell most that development could be a good thing, in fact most residents would like to see positive development in their communities but not if that means they have to leave. Atlanta needs to find a way to develop without displacing the very folks that have been holding it down for generations and we know it's possible. Gentrification isn't just racist development, it's lazy development that strips a community of its flavor and history.

We're inspired that a group of tenant leaders are stepping up to lead their fight, a fight that could change the way our city is developed in the future, a fight that could challenge the status quo of development deals that benefit a few rich folks and hurt are cities most vulnerable. AFSC is proud to be in their corner and look forward to supporting the housing justice movement soth of I-20.

The SMP Housing Justice Movement is hosting a meeting this Thursday October 15th, attendance is encouraged.

Community Day! Giving Back While Buiding Forward!

Dozens of young ones got free hair cuts

Dance Parties broke out!

What happens to Turner Field once the Braves leave has been a hot topic in Atlanta. Will that land become a Casino, will new stadiums replace Turner Field, will an Atlantic Station type development go down? One thing that’s for sure is that the communities surrounding Turner Field can’t afford another development project that benefits a few well connected folks while further cutting off and displacing long term residents that have been living here long before it was cool to move into the area.

We need strong, organized communities to make sure that development that happens in the area benefits those that have been holding down the community for years, but we also need to have time to relax and enjoy each other, to enjoy the community we love!

Building a movement takes a lot more then neighborhood meetings and strategy session. Active base building should include cultural events, house parties and other social events that bring people together.

Our giant home defender pledge!

Slip n Slide was a hit!

This past Saturday we had the opportunity to work with community partners to do just that. Community Day brought hundreds of residents together at Four Corners Park in the heart of beautiful Peoplestown. Although the event is in Peoplestown it's a celebration of all the amazing Atlanta neighborhoods south of I-20. Families came out for an afternoon filled with music, entertainment for the kids, community education, and lots of give aways!

Lots of painted faces!

With the help of the J dillaFoundation and a ton of local businesses that volunteered to put out donation boxes we were about to give out close to  300 back packs filled with school supplies and dental packs! We also had music all day, food for all, a slip and slide for the kids, free ice cream, and a whole lot more.

Bags, and more bags!

In an effort to bring more residents into the movement to protect, improve, and expand affordable housing we asked folks to sign the pledge to defend their homes and the homes of their community member, hundreds signed the pledge! We’re excited to continue to work closely with the newly formed resident led SMP Housing Justice Movement and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta as the lead the way in the fight to stop mass displacement in the Turner Field area.

This event simply wouldn’t have been possible without the support of:

Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation

Zulu Nation

Youth on the Move

Henry & June

Ebrik Coffee Room

Atlanta Friends Meeting House

Hodge Podge Coffee

Annie E Casey Foundation

Rise-up Georgia

ATLRaise Up

Atlanta DSA

Boynton Village Tenants Association

McGruders Grocery

Sam and Son Grocery Wholesale 

The Rick Mcdevitt Center

Hop Hop gave back all day!

We even had live hawks!