>>16305336
>guess it's that Wendy's one
ackshually maybe not
On a recent evening in Atlanta, a group of over 100 residents gathered in the sanctuary of a local church, spaced out and wearing masks to follow pandemic precautions. “We are dealing with a very important issue tonight that the city has not dealt with,” said Kamau Franklin of Community Movement Builders, a local Black-led collective that organizes against gentrification in the city, kicking off a town hall as the setting sun peered in through large pastel, stained-glass windows. “What we have here is a city dedicated to protecting the police while pushing out poor, working-class residents — particularly Black, poor, working-class residents — under the guise it’s helping to protect people.”
For the next two hours, residents and activists took turns commenting on the city’s latest development plans that have caused a stir among locals: a $90 million police training facility in the city’s last large remaining green space known as the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. On June 7, City Council Member Joyce Sheperd introduced legislation that would authorize a ground lease to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the full 381 acres. That ordinance is moving through City Council committees this week and is expected to come up for a vote by the full council next Monday, August 16. So far, only two members of the 16-person council, Antonio Brown and Carla Smith, have publicly said they would vote against approving the project.