Atlanta & Charlotte (race relations) (Sandy Springs: transplants, budget, job)

[eccentricbeethoven]

Why race relations in Atlanta so bad..................But in Charlotte it pretty good. I mean both are new south cities.

[nkjaws]

Originally Posted by eccentricbeethoven

Why race relations in Atlanta so bad..................But in Charlotte it pretty good. I mean both are new south cities.

Honestly, I don't keep up with race relations b/c I think race is not a problem except where people turn it into a problem. I don't feel any racial tension here, didn't outside of Atlanta when we visited there either. Could you be more specific. There may be something in the news that I am unaware of, please specify.

[eccentricbeethoven]

I was in Atlanta this weekend it was A story about sour race relations between some people in the city...................But I didn't notice any tension at all. I am a newbie to the south, So I wonder if anyone in the forum could enlighten me.

[Miker2069]

So you came to this conclusion in one weekend?

[eccentricbeethoven]

No, The Atlanta media say it was a problem.

[nkjaws]

Originally Posted by eccentricbeethoven

No, The Atlanta media say it was a problem.

Crime must have been slow when you were there and the media had nothing better to do then try to stir up a story. Especially if you didn't notice anything odd.

[eccentricbeethoven]

Originally Posted by nkjaws

Crime must have been slow when you were there and the media had nothing better to do then try to stir up a story. Especially if you didn't notice anything odd.

Yeah I think you are right on that one Nkjaws.

[atlantagreg30127]

It's a deep, Old South race tension. There are various reasons, but one that I've heard repeated somewhat on this forum in the past, but moreso on other (somewhat more blunt) forums:

Class System: Atlanta has a mix of poverty and "old money" wealth, so right off the bat there has been a class system here of poor black people and wealthy old South whites that goes back much longer with a longer history than Charlotte has. Each generation having passed on certain paranoias and tensions to the next. It's not as strong as it used to be, simply because of sheer numbers - there are so many transplants here now that it's hard to find multi-generational Atlantans that are white OR black anymore.

Leadership: Atlanta has had a black Mayor and majority black city government since the early 70s, and some of the long-time or native whites feel that they haven't done a great job of bringing the city up overall regarding things like crime, budget issues, etc. So blacks see this as a "black power" city that has been in control by minorities and is a symbol of minority advancement. Some whites see it as a city that was ruined in some ways by black leadership, and while you'll rarely hear any whites talk openly about it, you will hear it discussed in small circles or under the table quite often.

I have an aunt who lives in Charlotte and I once asked her if a black candidate would be well received in Charlotte if they ran for Mayor, and her reply was, "Oh no no no.. folks here have seen what happened down there in Atlanta with all that, so that's not going to happen here". It shows you the mentality of the locals up there so long as it remains majority-white I think.

On the flipside, Charlotte while an old city overall, doesn't have the racial or class history Atlanta has, and Charlotte has a multi-term white Mayor and majority white city government. While it also has a large black community, it's not a majority as it has been in Atlanta for a few decades.

How much these things contribute to reducing tensions, would be hard to measure, but they're some of the bigger less-discussed differences between the two cities that MIGHT be playing a roll in it.

[eccentricbeethoven]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's a deep, Old South race tension. There are various reasons, but one that I've heard repeated somewhat on this forum in the past, but moreso on other (somewhat more blunt) forums:

Class System: Atlanta has a mix of poverty and "old money" wealth, so right off the bat there has been a class system here of poor black people and wealthy old South whites that goes back much longer with a longer history than Charlotte has. Each generation having passed on certain paranoias and tensions to the next. It's not as strong as it used to be, simply because of sheer numbers - there are so many transplants here now that it's hard to find multi-generational Atlantans that are white OR black anymore.

Leadership: Atlanta has had a black Mayor and majority black city government since the early 70s, and some of the long-time or native whites feel that they haven't done a great job of bringing the city up overall regarding things like crime, budget issues, etc. So blacks see this as a "black power" city that has been in control by minorities and is a symbol of minority advancement. Some whites see it as a city that was ruined in some ways by black leadership, and while you'll rarely hear any whites talk openly about it, you will hear it discussed in small circles or under the table quite often.

On the flipside, Charlotte while an old city overall, doesn't have the racial or class history Atlanta has, and Charlotte has a multi-term white Mayor and majority white city government. While it also has a large black community, it's not a majority as it has been in Atlanta for a few decades.

How much these things contribute to reducing tensions, would be hard to measure, but they're some of the bigger less-discussed differences between the two cities that MIGHT be playing a roll in it.

Wow!!!! Well now I understand the root of the problem.

[eccentricbeethoven]

So did the class system factor play A role in Sandy Springs becoming A city, So it remove itself from A certain area or was because they want better services from fulton county?