"We see this as a human rights issue. To evict people by June 30th is a crime against humanity. We’re calling for no evictions," Terence Courtney, Director of Jobs with Justice, said. "If you have $10 million to tear [public housing] down with, you have $10 million to improve the communities."
Willie Mae Jones--who was featured in a previous article by APN because she can’t meet the work requirements because she needs to take care of her daughter who is autistic–spoke about her situation.
"Let me assure you, you or your daughter won’t be put out," Simms said.
"What I hear out of your mouth is a lot of denial, you have pushed poor people into a corner," Troy Harris, Task Force resident, volunteer, and advocate, said. "The people will eventually come out of that corner. What you see today is the tip of the iceberg."
"It’s a beautiful day when you build $250 million buildings, spend [millions] on an Aquarium, put down [millions] on the King Papers overnight," former City Council Member, Derrick Boazman, said.
"I’m a product of public housing. Something’s wrong when a 60 year old grandma has to go to school. At 61, she’s got a PhD in common sense. If you think for one minute folks like us are gonna sit down, we’re gonna tear this City up. Before I let one eviction happen, we’ll take over the (AHA) Office. I’ve got my tent, my boots, my food to eat, and I’m ready to go."
AHA’S PRESENTATION
Previously, the AHA had completed most of its lengthy presentation, which was supposed to explain what was happening, why, what options residents had, and what options were available for the public land.
Unfortunately, the presentation was filled with jargon and Orwellian phrases like "Move to Work," "Hope VI," and "Quality of Life" to describe the planned evictions and demolitions.
"We are about to embark on the Catalyst Plan, also called the Move to Work plan," Renee Glover, director of AHA, said, of the upcoming evictions, adding the goal of the demolitions is "healthy mixed-income communities."
"Concentrated poverty has not worked well in America," Glover said. "[We are] moving away from that model towards mixed-income communities."
One of AHA’s goals, Glover said, was "Creating a market-rate community with a seamless affordable component."
Glover even said that the affordability of the new units, which would replace current public housing communitiesm, "is guaranteed for a fifty year period."
It is unclear, however, how affordability can be guaranteed in a "market-rate community."
Moreover, Glover seems to have an unrealistic notion of what affordable means for working people.
Private houses to replace public housing would be affordable to families earning 80% to 110% of Area Median Income, the AHA said; AMI is about $50,000/year in Atlanta.
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