Turner Field neighbors marched to Georgia State University President Mark Becker’s office for the second time, on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 to protest his denial to meet with the community groups surrounding the former Braves stadium.
Dozens of students gathered in the building’s lobby demanding to see the university president but were told by faculty no one had seen him in office yet. And while protesters began their sit-in, Georgia State police officers stood around, escorting visitors past the protesters.
Steering committee member for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Turner Field Coalition Jane Ridley told The Signal she thinks the gentrification will take a total of five years. She said the community has met with Scott Taylor, the president of Carter real estate and partner of the university in the Turner Field sale.
“We have met with him before, but never with Becker,” she said. “[Taylor] told us that Georgia State is in charge of the deal, and that he won’t be able to negotiate with us until Becker does.”
And until today, President Becker has not met with any of the community groups voicing their concern on the stadium’s surrounding neighborhoods.
“He [Becker] has let us come here twice, and still hasn’t showed his face,” Ridley told the protesters.
Tim Franzen, leading member of Atlanta’s Housing Justice League, along with Aurelia Williams and Christopher Hollis, two student organizers of the protest led chants among the crowd and encouraged both students and residents of the Turner Field neighborhoods to share their stories.
“I have never seen so many community folks and students together,” Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, said in a brief speech during the protest.
Ridley also spoke out against police standing by, saying she won’t feel safe for herself or her children surrounded by university police once they take over their community.
“The thing that worries me so bad, is that Georgia State police officers will be patrolling this area,” she said. “And they’re [acting like this] towards us. Why are they standing here? Who are we going to attack? I’m a senior citizen.”
Look for an in-depth feature on the story in next week’s print issue.
