Though the ongoing public health crisis has prompted pandemonium aplenty, the novel coronavirus also provides abundant learning opportunities for community leaders.
Category: Atlanta Civic Circle
Posted inLatest News
$900,000 gift paves way for affordable housing in Atlanta’s minority neighborhoods
A nearly $900,000 gift to the Atlanta Land Trust (ALT) is expected to help produce up to 50 new permanently affordable housing units in the city’s “black and brown neighborhoods,” according to a press release from the organization.
Posted inLatest News
Fund to develop up to 1,500 affordable housing units now holds $5 million
An effort to inject $25 million of affordable housing units into Atlanta is a quarter of the way toward success.
Posted inColumns
Democrats scramble to name the successor to a legend
John Lewis was so widely regarded as a saint during his life that it might seem a sacrilege to remember him as a politician now that he’s gone. But not to do so would miss something about this great man. He was a saint by calling, but he was a politician when he had to be, and a good one, too.
Posted inMaggie Lee
North Georgia candidates testify to conservative credentials in congressional runoffs
Trump, COVID-19 and conservative credentials got the most attention.
Posted inSean Keenan
Sandy Springs mayor urges landlords to nix late fees during pandemic
The mayor of Sandy Springs has joined the chorus of metro Atlanta leaders calling for help in the fight against a wave of impending evictions that’s sure to send a shockwave through communities near and far.
Posted inColumns
Racial differences in Atlanta’s median household income widespread, deeply rooted
By Guest Columnist DAVID L. SJOQUIST, professor of economics at Georgia State University
The death of George Floyd and others at the hands of the police led to widespread demonstrations demanding police reform. But, more generally, there is a loud, pervasive, and persistent call for true equal rights and equal treatment of people of color. The scope of the treatment is multi-dimensional. But if we are to create a more just society we need to address economic inequality across races. This is an enormous challenge, and to see how large it is, consider the city of Atlanta.
Posted inLatest News
East Lake developer sent back to drawing board for more affordable apartments
$1,600 not affordable enough, say board members.
Posted inLatest News
Fulton County court bumps in-person eviction proceedings until November
The Magistrate Court of Fulton County has granted more peace of mind for residents on the cusp of eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inLatest News
Lawsuit alleges Georgia dilutes Black voting power for utility commission
The five-member utility regulation board doesn’t reflect Georgia’s diversity.
Posted inLatest News
More apartments sought by program that matches renters with landlords of affordable units
An Atlanta non-profit that helps individuals who are a wisp short of finding affordable housing is seeking to expand its pool of residences before the next round of residents are displaced.
Posted inColumns
Equitable development: Master plan at Hulsey Yard a successful example for Murphy Crossing, elsewhere in Atlanta
By Guest Columnist BRANDON SUTTON, a member of the Hulsey Yard Study Committee
2020 will no doubt be remembered as a time of unprecedented disruption to the lives and businesses of countless people throughout the country, including right here in Atlanta. In a macro sense, the world has changed dramatically. In a micro sense, the lives and daily choices of people everywhere are in a state of suspended animation.
Posted inLatest News
As wave of evictions looms, Atlanta mayor aims to put kibosh on displacement — for now
While a tidal wave of evictions looms large over metro Atlantans in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who recently announced she’s contracted the virus herself, is shooting to curb the number of people who are uprooted from their homes.
Posted inLatest News
A closer look at the “Blue Flu”: More than half of Atlanta’s beat cops missed work after ex-officer charged with murder of Rayshard Brooks
Soon after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced felony murder charges would be brought against former Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe, the man who shot and killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks outside an intown Wendy’s restaurant, most of the mobile troops on the city’s police force didn’t show up for their shifts.
Posted inSean Keenan
A veteran of war and affordable housing advocacy, AH commissioner James Allen dies at 89
A passionate advocate for affordable housing and a staple of the city’s Westside communities, Atlanta Housing commissioner James Allen passed away Tuesday night at 89 years old, AH officials said during Wednesday’s board meeting.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta won’t be Wakanda, but a new version of Atlanta Way may be emerging
The 2.0 version of the Atlanta Way won’t retool the city into Wakanda. The efforts emerging from Atlanta City Hall do represent the start of a response to calls for justice issued by protestors following the death of George Floyd. The operative words in that last sentence are: Start of a response.
Posted inSean Keenan
Police don’t need to join hands with protesters; they need to snitch on “bad apples”
On June 1, I penned an essay outlining my perspective on the first night of recent Black Lives Matter protests in Atlanta. Titled Atlanta missed the mark during the protests, but police and demonstrators can learn from the turmoil, the column appealed for unity between law enforcement and the people demanding accountability and justice for cops.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta officials direct millions of COVID-19 relief funds toward helping homeless, preventing evictions
Nearly $90 million is bound for the City of Atlanta’s coffers to help officials combat the public health and economic side effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inColumns
Georgia’s new voting machines, ‘fragile and error prone,’ get their first test
The good news last week was that in spite of an election system that failed them miserably, with a pandemic lurking and unrest in the streets, large numbers of Georgians came out to vote. Equipped sometimes with lawn chairs and umbrellas, they were determined, no matter the inconvenience, to make their voices heard. The bad news is they may have to make the same effort and more this fall.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta’s experiment in participatory budgeting: Nearly 3,500 votes cast, 17 projects chosen
Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi’s experiment with participatory budgeting garnered almost 3,500 online votes. That means nearly 3,500 individuals responded to an offer to play a direct role in deciding how to spend $1 million in public funds for transportation.
