By Anita Beaty and Lynne Griever
Outraged citizens of Atlanta raised their voices and their signs to protest the Atlanta Housing Authority’s plans for massive displacement of 9,600 people from 3,000 units of public housing.
Rene Glover, Executive Director of Atlanta’s Public Housing Authority, is recognized as the executioner of the plan to remove poor African American and other residents from valuable land and displace them into whatever housing they can find.
The demolition of twelve large rental communities and massive evictions began early this year as the age-old methods employed since before the Olympics reduces the size of the resident population as quickly and quietly as possible.
This is not the first time Atlanta’s public housing has been under siege... Residents remember the communities that were “gentrified” to prepare for the 1996 Olympics. Over 30,000 people were displaced, followed by demolitions of more than 12,000 units. 5,000 additional units disappeared between 1997 and 2004.
Promises of vouchers, responsible relocation and a new start have been made and broken, time and again. This time, the people aren’t buying it.
Between 48,000 and 68,000 people in Atlanta will experience homelessness over a year’s period, and Atlanta is already 200,000 affordable housing units short of being able to “house” its working poor residents. The housing “wage” in Atlanta for an efficiency apartment is $13.00 an hour. We cannot sacrifice one more public housing unit!
Appeal to Federal Oversight: In a meeting on Friday, May 4, residents and advocates appealed to regional and local HUD officials to employ existing oversight regulations and impose at least a moratorium on the evictions while grievances and eviction appeals can be heard.
The Atlanta Housing Authority, for many years on HUD’s “troubled list,” is now leading the nation in the gentrification of public housing. The same institution given the responsibility for housing poor people, in Atlanta, is the voluntary agent for their displacement and removal.
Plans that replace publicly subsidized, low- and no-income family units with housing for higher income tenants is called “gentrification.” Communities that are replacing public housing now require a percentage of residents with incomes from $33,413 to $59,143 a year.
Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Texas, California – are just a few examples of locations fighting the same battles. In New Orleans, hundreds protested planned demolition of the four largest public housing complexes and other smaller sites. Federal Legislation was necessary to protect public housing projects damaged by Katrina from demolition until a replacement plan is in place granting tenants who lived in public housing before the storm the right to return to subsidized homes and apartments.
Atlantans are taking action to stop the evictions and the demolitions… “Let the people speak!” The crowd of 200 public housing residents shouted. “Where are the children going to live? Are they going to live under a bridge?” asked Shirley Hightower, president of Bowen Homes.
Addressing AHA Staff and Executive Director, Laura Lawson, Herndon Homes president cried, “How do you sleep at night?”
Matthew Cardinale, editor and publisher of Atlanta Progressive News announced to the AHA Board:
“You’ve all lost your minds! What you're proposing is the difference between a safety net and a spider web.” Cardinale continued. “Isn't this supposed to be a Housing First City? Not private developers first. This is an atrocity, a calamity.”
The battle has only begun… Residents and activists have begun to organize, and mass protest actions and civil disobedience are in the works. The fight for Atlanta’s Public Housing has ignited a fire in the hearts of the masses that will not be easily extinguished. NO ONE should be expected to lie down until EVERYBODY has a place to sleep!
Anita Beaty is the executive director and Lynne Griever is the statewide coordinator for the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless
Individuals or organizations interested in collaborating in our efforts please contact us:
anitalawbeaty@aol.com or gahomelesstaskforce@yahoo.com
Additional articles @ http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com
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