Can't get out fast enough... (Atlanta, Macon: crimes, neighborhood, private school)

[Tdiddy0027]

Your Atlanta and my Atlanta must be very different. To me, improvements made are a bigger skyline, more renown, increased walkability, etc. I'm sure you share many of those too. And yes, the Aquarium is a big imprvement. Did you know that 1.5 million tourists have come there since November and its greatly improved the Centennial Park District. Sure, your old Atlanta is disappearing but I think its making room for a new one just as good.

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

White idiots running the burbs who won't work together to make the whole metro area run more smoothly... black idiots in the city who can't see beyond a ghetto mentality.

Not politically "correct" but so true if it's anything like where I'm living now. SE Michigan - think Flint, Detroit and the surrounding sprawl. It's pretty bad, and I have lived many (ethnically diverse) places but have never experienced racial tension and mistrust like this.
Sad if the same has happened to Atlanta. I've visited there and it seems a pretty vibrant city, but as a visitor you don't get the whole picture.

[Original_GA_Peach]

...I'm afraid "mistrust" pretty much sums things up. Sadly.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027

Your Atlanta and my Atlanta must be very different. To me, improvements made are a bigger skyline, more renown, increased walkability, etc. I'm sure you share many of those too. And yes, the Aquarium is a big imprvement. Did you know that 1.5 million tourists have come there since November and its greatly improved the Centennial Park District. Sure, your old Atlanta is disappearing but I think its making room for a new one just as good.

Tdiddy0027...

I fail to see how "a bigger skyline" would be considered an "improvement" to a city. Does this reduce crime? Improve air quality? Releave traffic congestion? A skyline is an improvement (?)

Increased walkability does not help when you cannot walk without encountering groups of youths who would just as soon shoot you for your shoes than do anything else with their lives.

Why yes, they ARE improving the Centennial Park district. You are aware of WHY, aren't you? A few blocks away in the Five Points district is where for decades the "heart" of Atlanta has been. Today, on any given day (pick one), go to Five Points. You will count no less than 4-5 dozen bums laying on the grass of the small park, asleep on the grass, benches, and even on the sidewalks. The new multi-million dollar fountain that was installed across from the park for the Olympics? More bums asleep on the sitting area (one was peeing in the fountain on a day I was visiting). Walk a half block more to Underground, and see groups of youths louding using "MF" 5 times per sentence, and you guessed it - more bums. When they try to clean up the city, the homeless activists rant and rave that it's "discrimination because most of the bums are black". So, the city gave up, and decided to MOVE the central downtown area, to the Centennial Park area. That is why you see that improvement - because the REAL downtown is so bad.

Sorry - I see no improvements to this city. The Aquarium is great - are you going to spend all of your time there whenever you go downtown? ONE facility does not a city make.

[back2GA]

I have to agree with some of the negative reports on Atlanta so far. I am a black woman who relocated back to GA from VA. I'm originally from South GA, but after joining the military I ended up in VA once I got out. I've lived there for the past 10 years. For so long I had this longing for GA(what I thought was home) Virginia was nice but, I did not feel settled. I felt I needed to be in my home state. I thought that was what I missed. I didn't want to return to south GA as I am from a small town with surrounding small towns with not much job opportunity. So of course I began to consider the Atlanta area and all of its "opportunity" and "diversity". When I say "diversity" I don't neccesarily mean "assimilation". I believe we can have diversity without giving up our own individual culture. A white person does not have to "act black" or listen to hip-hop to become my friend, if you understand what I mean. That's not diversity. But anyway before I get off the subject. It seems that the Atlanta area is more segregated than what I would have assumed. Some of the white people that I have encountered seems like they have been been sucking on sour lemons for years. For example "Peaches" indicated the encounter she has had with middle age black women bent on not saying "excuse me" in the aisles at the grocery store. Well I have had the opposite experience. I am the type of person who will say excuse me with a smile and I have done that and not even been acknowledged. In a local publix store I did that and this older white woman didn't even move. On the flip side, because I am black, it is expected (by other blacks) that I should listen to hip hop and "act and talk black". Which I guess I don't. Soooo a black person like myself is an outcast on both sides. On one end I am not "black enough" and on the other end I'm just black. I still have yet to figure out where I fit in. But I won't count Atlanta out yet. I will just have to see....

[backfist]

back2GA~

I, as a fellow African American, would simply encourage you to know that there are more Black folk of decency, goodwill, and moral character than "peaches" or "atlantagreg" are able to know. Let alone give credit to.

Here in Colorado, the majority of people in Denver and Colorado Springs are white. Same problem with sprawl. Same problem with shootings, robberies, bad language and rudeness in grocery stores. But how absurd would it be for me to conclude that the problem with Denver and the Springs is due to white people? That's right. Very absurd. You see, it's absurd to use meth-addicted or non-educated poor white trailer trash as an example of white Coloradans. But why isn't it just as absurd to exemplify Black Georgians the same way?

Trust me; I've lived in many states and many cities. The core problems that plague Atlanta are no different than the core problems that plague Fargo, North Dakota or Billings, Montana. People are the same where ever you go.

If we accept the ignorance and biased beliefs--that foul mouthed and poorly dressed Black youth, or rude women in grocery stores are basically who and what we all are--then, well, I guess we are doomed.

[back2GA]

Backfist, I really appreciate your response. I vow to never let someone else's thoughts, words, or actions determine who and what I am. Gone are the days where I try to prove to "certain mentality" white people that I am not this stereotypical, attitude having, black woman. And gone are the days that I try to prove my blackness to "certain mentality" black people. I don't have to break out the "hip hop" dictionary and start talking different to prove that I am black. Whether I'm living in Virginia or Georgia, I am who I am and one can either like me or not like me.

But as I said before, I have not been here long so I am not going to count Atlanta out yet. I have never lived in a metro area like Atlanta and it does take some getting used to. And after spending time in the military, living overseas and experiencing and appreciating many different cultures, my own home state is more of a culture shock than I have ever experienced. I would have never thought that.

Again, I shall see what the future holds for me in Atlanta.

[bbuch]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Tdiddy0027...

I fail to see how "a bigger skyline" would be considered an "improvement" to a city. Does this reduce crime? Improve air quality? Releave traffic congestion? A skyline is an improvement (?)

Increased walkability does not help when you cannot walk without encountering groups of youths who would just as soon shoot you for your shoes than do anything else with their lives.

Why yes, they ARE improving the Centennial Park district. You are aware of WHY, aren't you? A few blocks away in the Five Points district is where for decades the "heart" of Atlanta has been. Today, on any given day (pick one), go to Five Points. You will count no less than 4-5 dozen bums laying on the grass of the small park, asleep on the grass, benches, and even on the sidewalks. The new multi-million dollar fountain that was installed across from the park for the Olympics? More bums asleep on the sitting area (one was peeing in the fountain on a day I was visiting). Walk a half block more to Underground, and see groups of youths louding using "MF" 5 times per sentence, and you guessed it - more bums. When they try to clean up the city, the homeless activists rant and rave that it's "discrimination because most of the bums are black". So, the city gave up, and decided to MOVE the central downtown area, to the Centennial Park area. That is why you see that improvement - because the REAL downtown is so bad.

Sorry - I see no improvements to this city. The Aquarium is great - are you going to spend all of your time there whenever you go downtown? ONE facility does not a city make.

Here is something that should hopefully inprove the city--especially in the bad parts.

http://www.beltline.org/

I went to a talk about this the other day and it looks mighty impressive!!!

(If the website I posted gets moderated, just google beltline and take a look at the first site that pops up).

B

[jammocaz]

I must say that I have to agree with both "bbuch" and "back2ga" regarding how some perceive things. I must say that "peach" and "atlantagreg" the best thing to do is to move from GA. These two are truly bitter about something? I hope you both find peace wherever you decide to call home. I just think that you will fnd what you described about Atlanta anywhere else. I wish you both would not make generalizations about about one group of people.

I wonder who moderates this forum? I ask because when i express some of my views my posts are deleted? But others can come on here and spew their hateful racists remarks and not have their posts removed.

[anonymous]

wow! so when the people who live in Atlanta express their experiences, they are are "hateful racists" !

And someone makes a poor analogy about Denver vs. Atlanta..
(from www.city-data.com:)
'03 Atlanta Crime Index:1,033.5
'03 Denver Crime Index:472.4
US Avg:329.7
'03 Fargo, ND Crime Index: 147.5

..which simply deflects the discussion away from the point at hand, that Atlanta has serious problems, and turns things into a personal discussion about race. wow.