Atlanta’s largest homeless encampment is scheduled to be “decommissioned” on Monday as city officials continue working to clear potentially hazardous tent cities in the wake of the January tragedy that resulted in Cornelius Taylor’s death. Up until recently, the encampment located downtown beneath Interstate 20 on Pryor Street was home to as many as 80 […]
Money
Posted inBlack Businesses, Economic Justice, Money, Politics & Policy
As Target Boycott Continues, Local Black Businesses Reap the Benefits
What began in Atlanta as a 40-day “Target fast” in March has evolved into a full-blown economic movement aimed at making corporate America pay for broken promises — and uplifting Black-owned businesses in the process. “It is time for us to stand 10 toes down about something,” said Pamela Booker, a 46-year-old Stone Mountain resident, […]
Posted inEconomic Justice, Politics & Policy
Target Boycott Phase Two: Organizers to Expand Movement
Greear Webb hasn’t set foot in a Target or spent any money there in two months — a conscious departure from what was once his go-to retailer for affordable apparel and toiletries. The 24-year-old Emory Law School student and Midtown resident is one of an estimated 10,000 members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in […]
Posted inHousing
Are Build-to-Rent Homes Exploiting Black Tenants?
The house that Tyreek Davis is renting in College Park is similar to the kind of home he’d like to buy and can afford. It has four-bedrooms, 2.5-bathrooms, a driveway, garage, washer and dryer — an upgrade from the Union City apartment where he previously lived. But it’s not for sale, and none of the […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Warnock Wants to Help Young Atlantans Buy Homes, Pay Rent
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., introduced a set of new federal housing bills on Tuesday that may be a lifeline for Atlantans struggling to pay rent and purchase their first home. The policy proposals face steep challenges to becoming law in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, but GOP leaders in other states […]
Posted inHousing, Local Politics, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Atlanta Residents’ Calls for Rent Control Ignored by Lawmakers
Atlanta Housing Justice League Executive Director Alison Johnson expressed anger and regret on Monday after bills backed by her organization failed to advance before the legislature’s Thursday Crossover Day deadline. Failure to pass related bills in the state House or the state Senate by the end of Crossover Day means it’s unlikely Georgia’s legislature will pass […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
The Rent Is Too Damn High. Will Georgia Lawmakers Do Anything About It?
Black Atlantans and housing justice advocates have spent the past few years begging state lawmakers to do more to address housing-related issues like affordable housing shortages, rising rents, and low levels of homeownership among Black families. In response, Georgia Democrats — who had difficulty turning out Black voters in November — made addressing housing issues […]
Posted inJobs, Politics & Policy
“My Back Is Against the Wall”: Atlanta’s Black Federal Workers Reeling From Layoffs
Some of the Atlanta-based federal government workers who were recently laid off due to cost-saving efforts by the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had questions for their union leader on Thursday that she couldn’t answer. IT specialist Ryan Melton was one of nearly 600 laid off Centers for Disease […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Why Affordable Housing Advocates Worry Atlanta’s Unhoused Population Is Growing
It’s been about three years since Janice Ruff reported her former landlord to the Atlanta Police Department’s housing code enforcement division for refusing to make repairs to her old apartment. That landlord received an estimated $3,500 fine, according to Ruff, who said he evicted her a short time later for having a “smart mouth.” She’s […]
Posted inEconomic Justice, History, Politics & Policy
With Inauguration Day on MLK Day, King’s Family Reflect on His Legacy
Sitting in his Atlanta home office with his wife and fellow civil rights activist Arndrea Waters King, Martin Luther King III can’t help but reflect on a deep irony: Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincides with the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. He worries about the fact that his father’s only […]