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| Photo by Amy Mei Willis |
On Saturday, March 19th people sprang into action to prevent displacement in Peoplestown. The day began with a bus tour of neighborhoods that will be affected by the Turner Field development deal and ended with the Peoplestown Rally and March Against Displacement. The Bus Tour was made possible by support from the Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America and Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation. We are also grateful we had students and professors from Georgia State and Georgia Tech with us on the Tour.
We started the day off with introductions to the work that is happening around Housing Justice in the Peoplestown, Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Columbus Ward (pictured to the left) discussed his work in Peoplestown with the Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation throughout the years. There were discussions around previous development deals in the neighborhoods and how that has affected the neighborhoods today. The presentations gave insight into what people would be seeing on the tour. After presentations, we embarked on the Bus Tour.
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| Photo by Bryan Vana |
The first stop was Stanton Oaks, which was formerly Boynton Village, in Peoplestown. Sherise Brown (pictured to the right) spoke about her experience with Stanton Oaks/ Boynton Village. Mrs. Brown spoke about how tenants organized to make sure that Boynton Village remained affordable even after being bought by a different company. She discussed her experiences with renovations of the complex, ensuring that Stanton Oaks got a new 20 year HUD contract, and the tenant association at Stanton Oaks. Folks had the opportunity to ask questions about her experience and what it is like at Stanton Oaks.
The next stop on the Tour was City Views at Rosa Burney in Mechanicsville. Deborah Arnold shared her experience organizing tenants to ensure that City Views remained and remains affordable and that everyone living at City Views has a good, quality standard of living.
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| Photo by Bryan Vana |
The Peace by Piece House in Pittsburgh was the third stop on the Bus Tour. Peace by Piece is an AFSC program thats mission is to support and mobilize Black youth and young adults through political education and organizing in order to realize sustainable, sovereign and equitable communities rooted in Black love. Joel Dickerson, and Khadijah Austin, both from Atlanta, spoke about their experience with renovating a house and community garden in Pittsburgh. The house and the garden are going to act as Peace by Piece Atlanta's hub. Farajii Muhammad spoke about the Peace by Piece and his experience organizing in Baltimore, Maryland. Khadijah gave a tour of the house and showed recent renovations. Joel gave a tour of the garden next door. By the end of the day 17 people signed up to help volunteer with renovations at the house.
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| photo by Amy Mei Willis |
The final stop on the Bus Tour was Tanya Washington's House 148 Atlanta Ave SE in Peoplestown. Once everyone got off the bus we joined Tanya Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Darden, and Miss Mattie Jackson on Tanya's yard. We stood in Tanya's yard and listened to spoken word and resident's stories. Mr. Darden Mrs. Mattie Jackson, Senator Fort, and Tanya Washington spoke about Peoplestown, gentrification, and this block fight. After Tanya spoke, we started the March around the block.
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| Photo taken by Amy Mei Willis |
As we marched around the block, we stopped and placed "rezoned for gentrification" signs in lots where houses used to stand. All of the houses between Tanya's House and the Darden's house have been bulldozed. Throughout the march we chanted and sang to let our voices be know to the neighborhood that "we shall not be moved."
There are storms predicted this week, possibly up to half a foot of rain. I will be praying that my home does not flood with sewage due to the flooding issues in Peoplestown. If you feel that the flooding in Peoplestown is not severe and is a gentrification issue and not a health and safety issue- I invite you all to come camp out at the epi-center of the flooding next door to Ms. Washington's house on Atlanta Ave.. Please bring your family and all of your most precious possessions, and when the rain is too much for the sewage system and the raw sewage starts to fill an area that at least 10 houses used to be- then you can have an educated opinion on what the problem in Peoplestown really is about. After the flooding, please feel free to play in the dirt filled with bacteria, e-coli, and mold spores and tell me this is about displacement. Most of people who have moved were the actual gentrifiers. They jumped at the city's offer to get them out of their houses that weren't insurable and unsellable. They recognized that is wasn't safe, and it was very expensive to repeatedly have to clean and disinfect their houses, have to replace multiple cars that were ruined in the storms, and replace all furniture and personal items that were ruined. Please, come on down to Peoplestown and let me know if you still think this is an issue of gentrification and displacement after you live in a sewage filled sea for a few days!!!
ReplyDeleteTanya Washington's home did not Flood and hasn't flooded in the 92 years since it's been built. The sad reality is is that there were many plans proposed which were better and did not require displacement. They did however require use of land that the city would like to sell 2 Carter development.
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