Turner Field Neighborhoods Agree on Redevelopment Priorities

Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition, which represents the neighborhoods of Summerhill, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and others nearby Turner Field, has approved a historic Community Benefits Platform.  

Today the coalition, which American Firends Service Committe is proud to be a part of, held a press conference to release their platform at the very site of past and future development, Turner Field. Over 50 residents from the neighborhoods surrounding the baseball staduim showed up along with allie organizations and elected officials. The mood was celebratory yet was not without a very serious sense of urgency. the urgencey surround the pending sales contract for the land that Turner Field sits on today, which could happen any day now. 

The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority(AFCRA) has the power to include a binding agreement that would require the developer to negotiate with the community on a community benefits agreement. AFCRA has a unique and historic opportunity to ensure that the development of the area benefits everyone. 

The Platform was guided by months of work and results from a survey which thousands from the community participated in.  “We are excited that we have been able to unite the neighborhoods surrounding Turner Field and the institutions, Churches, and organizations with one voice.”Said Coalition member and longtime Peoplestown resident Alison Johnson. Alison added, “My family has lived in Peoplestown for eighty years, and we don't want to be driven out by development. After decades of development projects that have hurt our communities we are excited about the opportunity to finally get it right”

“As the sale contract is set to be signed between the Atlanta Fulton County Recreational Authority(AFCRA) and the developer, we’re hopeful that AFCRA will include a binding requirement that the developer must negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement with the coalition” said Mechanicsville resident Jason Dozier adding, “They have the power to set us off on the path to building a community that works for all of us”.

The coalition plans to have three or four dozen residents out for the press conference. They will be joined by ally groups including several GSU student groups. The press conference will be short, spirited, visually striking, and press packets will be available.

Summerhill resident John Colabelli had this to say about the Community Benefits Platform, "The many voices are coming together as one.The Community Benefits Platform is the embodiment of those voices.It is the Bill of Rights through which we proclaim our wants, our needs, and our desires for what the future of the area will be.It is our Statement of Inclusion that we the people have a stake in this project. Just look around at the legacy of non-inclusive decisions where the few dictate what happens. Empty lots, empty buildings and empty promises.This however is a new day where we put that reality behind us."

Peoplestown USA Premiere!

On February 24th we held a film screening of Peoplestown USA, which was followed by a panel discussion and conversation. Peoplestown USA focuses on Tanya Washington and Bertha & Robert Darden's fight to keep their homes and prevent displacement through the broader context of gentrification and development. We encourage folks to watch and share the film!

Big thanks to Adam Patterson for putting this film together and to GSU's American Constitution Society for hosting this event.

We look forward to working with community groups to organize film screenings of Peoplestown USA!

Atlanta Seniors Fighting Displacement in the Old Fourth Ward

Wheat Street Towers is a Senior High Rise that's provided an affordable housing option for Senior Citizens in the Old 4th Ward for decades. in the last five years Old 4th Ward has gone from affordable to being the most expensive place in the city to find housing. many of the tenants of Wheat Street towers participated in the civil rights movement of the 60's. The marched, they traveled to DC, they shed blood, sweat, and tears for their freedom.

Now their fighting to remain in the community they love and live in acceptable living conditions. We have had the pleasure and privilege to work alongside Wheat Street tenants for the last few months and have experienced many of the conditions that cause them concern and the lack of communication between tenants and the owners of the complex. 

The HUD contract is set to expire this year, which means the subsidies that make Wheat Street affordable could no longer be available. The tenants demands are very simple; they want an improved quality of life, they want to remain in the community they love, and they want to know the intentions of the owners. Because of the depth of the infrastructure issue with the building it's clear that there will have to be temporary displacement in order for the building to be fixed to code and quality of life measures that our senior citizens deserve. Tenants want it in writing that their moving expenses will be covered and they will all have the right to return to their homes and enjoy renovations.

Today we delivered a petitions signed by almost every tenant to HUD southeastern HG in Atlanta. We were extremely honored to be joined by State Senator Vincent Fort as we prepared to deliver the petition.

It's our hope that the owners will soon sign a new 20 year HUD contract and make their renovations plans and temporary reelection plans clear and i writing. Our senior citizens deserve to live in quality conditions and enjoy the twilight of their lives instead of being put in a position of stress and confusion about their living situation. We will continue to work alongside tenant leaders until their demands our met. 

Today we are asking allies to send a message to the owners of the building to encourage them to do right by our seniors. You can email the owners atwheatst_foundation@yahoo.com