Sunday, October 30, 2011
News Occupy Atlanta sets up camp at Peachtree-Pine shelter
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 11:28 AM
The fourth floor of the shelter was unused until recently, said Sara Amis, a spokeswoman for Occupy Atlanta. On Saturday night, a number of occupiers stayed on that floor. Now, more could move in, she said."It's a little rough but we've been cleaning it and getting it ready," she said Sunday. "Our primary goal is to have somewhere for people to sleep."
This is gonna get interesting. Task force officials are currently engaged in a bitter lawsuit with City Hall and downtown boosters — one which could result in the group's eviction from the massive shelter.
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Haha... somebody is going to get a huge dose of reality staying there. Bet they're begging the city to shut off the water so they can be "forced out" and save face.
people have been occupying peachtree-pine for years to no effect. This seems like a pretty big tactical misstep for #OA.
I like the Occupy movement. Really, I do. But I think they might have begun endorsing this dump without really knowing the detrimental effect it has had on the surrounding environs, and, coming to terms with the justly earned reputation Peachtree-Pine has in this town, perhaps Occupy's leadership is too proud to admit they screw up.
Perhaps they will discover that the city, CAP, and other's strenuous efforts to defame and defund Peachtree Pine has had a material effect (the one they wanted, the one you decry) -- but perhaps they will also discover a vibrant, loving community engaged in mutual support and survival, placing people in assisted living, with jobs, housing and hope for a better life on a regular basis for over a decade.
Perhaps they will also have something to contribute. Perhaps they will, from the inside, be able to see through the willful lies and misrepresentations of the press. The opponents of Peachtree Pine worked hard for over a decade to make PtP a disaster and then mocked and abused them for their troubles, and lobbied for them to be stripped of funding (funding used to improve the building and the program, btw).
Still they have survived and in a way thrived. Perhaps Occupy Atlanta is composed of people with actual critical consciousness and can see through the crap that is constantly purveyed as "knowledge" about this remarkable place.
Pretty sure "other's" in your baseless rant includes 99% of the city. Strange how 1% (or really, 0.0001%) thinks they are entitled to their own version of reality. Anita's personality cult is well documented and huffing and puffing and saying "nuh-uh" over and over again isn't going to make the rest of the city who have all seen Anitaworld with their own eyes forget what they've seen and experienced.
Strange how none of the other shelters in town have this problem. They must be in on the conspiracy too along with all of the people they help. Guess those people must be actors pretending to be homeless and pretend to move on to better lives.
It's ok to admit that you don't know much of anything about Peachtree-Pine. Just like OA getting lost on MARTA because even though they claim to be left wingers, most of them had never used MARTA themselves, the supporters of Peachtree-Pine consists of people who either haven't been there or have a thing for using the homeless as pawns in their blind rage against the world.
The men at Peachtree-Pine will go on to live much better lives once they're out from under Anita's thumb. Too bad none of the advocates for the shelter care about that.
People in the least bit curious about Peachtree Pine know that hundreds of residents move into permanent housing, jobs, treatment, and assisted living every year. I think this is the part of my rant that you missed. If not, you must be under the impression that there are only 800 poor people in Atlanta. I will let others, or perhaps reality itself, correct you.
"Strange how none of the other shelters in town have this problem. They must be in on the conspiracy..."
It was a joke in the 90's that the best way for a non-profit to raise 5mil was to announce a partnership with the Task Force. Almost immediately, sometimes preemptively, they would get a huge grant to NOT work with them. Conspiracy? Or the acts of fund-starved non profits who just learned a new trick?
All the city ever had to do was something that was real and not bullshit. This, they have proven incapable of achieving. All they and others (see the lawsuits for a short list) have accomplished is harrassment and deprivation of a project that shows durability despite their schemes. At one point the Homeless Action Group (unfortunate acronym) -- the city's alternative coalition effort, even suggested, seriously, that incarceration become part of the continuum of care. They even passed laws to make it so.
So far, Anita has refused to:
* put thousands of people out on the street when no other shelter would take them
* participate in the culture of incarceration that marks all "serious thinking" about homelessness in Atlanta.
* die
For these crimes she is deemed a recalcitrant bitch. People leave Peachtree Pine on a regular basis, to jobs, homes, treatment, or other shelters as space becomes available. Anita, Jim, and the Peachtree Pine staff and communal residents are dedicated to helping people and do a valiant job of dealing with actually destitute people with what resources they have. Why they have no resources but their building at present is a matter of current litigation, you may have heard.
The gentrification of the 90's had a polarizing effect. The silly theme park that is called downtown Atlanta concentrates and is a compound of relative wealth and comfort. The strategy was as i understand it to send the poor "elswhere," meaning out of town, in jail, to a farm etc. but not "here" where good people live. Can you see how that might be an ineffectual approach?
Bastard - United Way stepped up last week to take on 500 men from the shelter.
And, as you seem to have insider's knowledge, please explain the basis for the rumored contention that the reason T.Cathy pulled his support was over what happened to his previously donated $300k commercial kitchen, which then somehow mysteriously vanished.
No supporter of "Anita" has addressed these rumors - not you nor Atl Prog News.
Why does this rumor persist? It would be simple enough to dispel. Please provide building permit issuance numbers, dates of issuance and inspection by Bur. of Bldgs and the Health Dept, and current date/time stamped photographs proving the kitchin is still in place and that it was not dismantled (and then sold without Cathy's knowledge).
Ugh, OA is not doing themselves any favors. First the John Lewis snub, and now continued support of Peachtree Pine... really, I support OA's overall message, but they are really failing on local issues.
tO: rumor hunter
Are you calling me a bastard(haha) -- seriously i call myself this because i have no authority or legitimacy, just public record and some experience. out of california, meaning i am not in town. are you?
I ask because i don't have building permit info, i think you get that from the code enforcement dept.
I am not in a position to check everything, but i think you are referring to the chick fil-a guy, right? so, read the litigation, there are specific allegations there i believe that he was approached and lobbied to stop working with the task force, and this effort was coupled with the denial of certification from the city resulting in loss of public funds. the third prong was a series of efforts to buy the building and foreclose. again, i'm not with my files, but that is what i remember. this would have left them in a position where they lost matching funds, all due to interference with their relationships with various entities. this is the first i've ever heard of it, so that explains why it never persisted here!
United way houses 500 men -- well, we'll see how long that lasts. probably long enough to let them dribble out again into jail or the streets, where they will be arrested for falling asleep or some such heinous crime. even if they housed and employed all of those guys, what about the next 500? and the next? the task force places hundreds of men a year in housing, in jobs, treatment, and assisted living. of course, georgia had the wisdom and foresight to close the state mental hospitals long ago i believe, which is icing on the cake. it is a wonder that the united way did not solve homelessness long ago!
Hahahaha....this just keeps getting better. Are we sure this is part of the "movement" and not the next stop for many of the losers who thought the "occupy" movement, was actually something worthwhile?
haha, poverty and mental illness are hilarious! this is so great! that guy is crazy and homeless, what a loser!
Are you trying to show solidarity via expressing your frustration toward the "1%" (who should really just be called: Congress, the bankers, corrupt politicians and manipulative CEOs/investors)?
Are your goals (if there are any) synonymous with those of Occupy Wall street? This is essentially another way to ask the first question
Are your goals different from those of #OWS? If so, are your concerns/grievances with the city or mayor? Or maybe it is with the state/governor and state congress?
Are you upset with what seems to be injustices and deficiencies within the APD- and other departments around the state/nation- which is what may or may not have prompted y'all to [cheesily] "rename" Woodruff Park Troy Davis Park?
I'm not provoking any attack or mocking the movement... I'm simply confused. I have been to the campsite several times. These are some questions that I've had for many of the occupiers and none of them seem to really know OR they engage in something I like to call 'circle talking'. They seem to be allocating their frustration to anyone who holds a slightly negative view of them... oh, and happens to be in some position of authority. Yelling at Kasim Reed over matters that are out of his control does not benefit anyone.
@ Mr.Big - I think that's the frustrating point for people who actually some validity in the anger and discontent that's out there. There is actually a legitimate reason to be angry / upset with where this country is headed, but instead of putting together a meaningful assembly with a message, you have a bunch of people idly sitting around chanting after each other, with no real idea of what they're actually rallying against.
I spent time down at the "occupy" movement myself, just to see what was going on, and I talked to a few people that supported the movement. I asked what were they out there to fight against. The response, "corporate greed". I then asked, can you elaborate on that a little bit? Not one of them could articulate a thought, after their postercard answers had run out. In essence, there was no critical thought being provoked here. Just read & repeat.
It's really unfortunate that this opportunity - one which has motivated and moved a lot of people to actually act for something - is going to be squandered because there's no message. Of course, it's entirely possible that those that are participating in this "movement" are just a bunch of idiots in a herd, and therefore don't really have the capability to define, organize, and distribute an intelligent and appropriate message. If that's the case, then this isn't really any sort of opportunity at all.
A lot of what's going on with many of us is that we know something is terribly wrong and we don't quite know what to do about. All previous efforts to address the underlying problems have failed. something must be done. Let's meet together and talk about and try to articulate what to do.
In this shelter, like in other humanitarian efforts in so many places, efforts to promote and expand its services are naturally vulnerable to misrepresentation by the 1%. What OA is doing in my mind is similar to trying to get an alcoholic to talk about his drinking problem.
How is CLAtl not reporting on this? Nation of Islam?
http://midtown.patch.com/articles/occupy-a…
Why doesn't OA do something ballsy and showy, like occupying the Atlanta Botanical Garden, a public park where moneyed interests go to play?
Check out http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/159…
If OA really wanted to re-establish any amount of credibility why don't they dump Peachtree-Pine and occupy Bedford-Pine instead to protest the corporate greed that drives that hellhole? That's a perfect example of greed in action, not far away on Wall Street, but right under our noses. When it comes right down to it, the OA clowns would rather protest a $5 monthly bank fee than deplorable conditions that severely oppress the poor single women with children and others in genuine need that are stuck in a crime-ridden drug zone overrun with roaches and rats. Or are their backgrounds too sheltered to really understand the plight of the working poor?
It seems that the "occupy" movement has turned into a disorganized mess of people protesting what they don't like. "I don't like $5 fees", "I don't like that bankers make a lot of money", "I don't like the fact that I have to pay back the loans I took out to go to school", etc.
It's shameful really, that these groups would waste their time and effort to do nothing of merit. This country's legislature is extremely fucked up. Our educational system is a disaster. Our tax system needs a huge overhaul. Immigration policy needs major reform. And instead of focusing on real issues, these dipshits are focusing on someone else's - who is employed - paycheck.
That alone is why this movement will go nowhere, unless they start focusing on issues that the real 99% care about.
if you don't make an intuitive connection between out tax code, and the money bankers make, then I don't think you should bother debating your position anymore.
The Task Force for the Homeless has lost its funding and support over the years because its administration is incompetent and the organization has been egregiously mismanaged. Period. There is no conspiracy.
Hundreds of other struggling non-profits that assist the homeless in Atlanta in varying capacities somehow manage to get by in these tough economic times. The bottom line is that the Task Force wants to be funded without any accountability. That is simply unacceptable to the vast majority of funding agencies and organizations. The Task Force has nobody to blame but themselves for their demise.
@ Zeds - The connection is obvious, but I take advantage of all the available write-offs on my tax returns, so long as their legal, so I can't really criticize someone else for doing so, just because their income is larger than mine. Fixing the tax-code should be the priority, not bitching about all the people who take advantage of it's legal loopholes.
I don't begrudge you or any other person their tax loopholes; I sincerely don't. What I do take exception with, however, is messing with the tax code through legislation (through lobbying) for the benefit of your personal estate or the fortunes of your enterprise. It doesn't matter which party controls what branches of government, their biggest donors are from the financial sector. One can reasonably assume that money isn't going to waste, since financiers aren't known for wasting money.
The term loophole makes it sound like some kind of error, like a ground ball through the legs of a shortstop. What we're actually living with is a system where the money you pay to amend the tax code is considerably cheaper than your tax liability, once you pass a certain point in income. The left would do well to do a luntzian reboot of the term "loophole" ala "the death tax"
What is so dispiriting about OA versus OWS is that they are either unwilling or unable to articulate a position like the one I just did, something more people might be willing to get behind.
"What I do take exception with, however, is messing with the tax code through legislation (through lobbying) for the benefit of your personal estate or the fortunes of your enterprise."
FairTax.
Completely removes the process by which crooked lobbyists and pols game the tax system. Which is the main reason it will never happen, pols will lose their power to grant favors and reap contributions.
oydave:
here ya go: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm…
Fair Tax still seems awfully regressive to me. Simplicity has its merits, to be sure, though.
I think the indeterminacy of the occupiers are a positive thing. i think it would be hasty and self-defeating to have a fixed agenda or set of demands. robert reich made the observation recently that the enormous win the occupiers have already one is that
"Because for the first time in more than half a century, a broad cross-section of the American public is talking about the concentration of income, wealth and political power at the top."
http://www.salon.com/2011/10/31/how_ows_has_transformed_public_opinion/
the occupy movement is a popular uprising, a conversation as someone else put it, about "what kind of civilization we want to live in." that's a big question and it can't fit on a sign or be translated into one campaign. i imagine many things will come of it, many of them good. it is a conversation about and a prefiguration of the future that is possible.
regarding their image as a ragtag fugitive fleet, well, who cares? all of us will look a bit ragged when we are finally ground to the bottom of this thing called business as usual.
hi ikol, fyi:
there are currently court cases pending accusing several parties of "tortious interference" with the conduct of the task force for the homeless's work at peachtree pine. this claim is based on reams of emails, text messages, letters, and the depositions of those being accused. some of the deposed accidentally had their files destroyed before the deposition as i recall. i am not a lawyer, so i'm not sure of the fine distinction between tortious interference and consipiracy, but i think RICO statutes have been invoked. the evidence submitted SO FAR seem to indicate that several parties (read the suits for names) coordinated their activities to destroy peachtree pine by lobbying donors and city government to remove funding, then trick the mortgage holder on peachtree pine into selling so that the purchaser could immediately foreclose. say what you will (and i know you will, i read your other comments), but this is the record.
the task force/peachtree pine has a concrete plan for the renovation of the building and providing long and short term services for people without a place to stay. i know, this is tantamount to a crime unless it occurs in "elsewhere usa" (it's in erehwon county it think). CAP will never approve of any project that is not in elsewhere, or a gateway to the city jail or greyhound station. it could be argued that one could distribute emergency services throughout the metro area. to a certain extent, that is already the case, but expanding that system would involve fighting 50 such battles with local nimby entities. does that sound doable to you?
nice try juniper, and a powerful argument. i think anita is busy with real work, though, not engaging in futile discussion. i, on the other hand, can't resist. this is a strange inversion of the "true scotsman" fallacy. but now there is no need to investigate anything, because i am by definition a "crony." have a nice day!
Yo BooC -
I am aware of the lawsuits you mention, and undoubtedly the Task Force will have its day in court, again. I'm not a lawyer either but I'd be willing to bet they get tossed on the heap of other frivolous lawsuits. Only time will tell of course. Not necessarily a question directed at you, but I wonder if the Task Force will abide by future court decisions that do not go their way. Is the law only applicable when it is ruled in the Task Force's favor, and a conspiracy of some sort in all other instances?
Not sure where you're getting the "elsewhere" bit from. I certainly have never even hinted at anything like that. I personally have no problem with a large homeless service provider in any neighborhood where there is need. I do, however, have a problem with large, poorly managed ones that falsely claim to benefit the persons residing there. If the Task Force has any sort of "concrete plan" to improve their services, why hasn't it been presented to any of its critics? What has happened the the sizeable sums of money they have already received for renovations in recent years? There is no concrete evidence of any improvements being made even when the Task Force was given the resources to do so. Why would anyone believe it would be any different going forward? The bottom line is that funders stop funding when they don't see any results.
you just aren't pure of heart so you can't see the concrete plan that all the true believers do.
ikol, you say "I do, however, have a problem with large, poorly managed ones that falsely claim to benefit the persons residing there"
fyi, the task force places hundreds of people every year in housing, transitional shelter, permanent supportive housing, even home ownership, connects them to drug treatment centers, mental health and physical health treatment, jobs, ID, etc. this is not obscure knowledge, but you may have missed that claim from my previous posts.
some people "get it," and live there in transitional housing, and operate the program now. i know the staff there, and know how hard ms. zachary and loftis work, and clearly you don't, or consider it beside the point, you "hate them, etc." those aren't the same 200 people out there every day. it is clear though, that there are not enough facilities in the metro area, not enough avenues for treatment, and some people take longer to get out than others. once you have lost everything, it is challenging to get back on your feet. basically the task force has been robbed, and you are accusing them of being penniless. brilliant!
Yes, it occurs mysteriously to only the pure at heart to go to the task force website and look at the top navigation bar, and click on "Our Vision:"
http://www.homelesstaskforce.org/vision.html
There are blueprints, but i don't think it is general practice anywhere to publish those, though they have been shown frequently at meetings, where people who want to hear about it (even for people who don't want to hear about it, but they don't want to hear about it so they rarely hear about it, much less report on it).
similarly, task force programs are posted here. of course their implementation is uneven, depending on funding. the blocking of that funding is partly what the lawsuit and the hud investigation are all about.
http://www.homelesstaskforce.org/programs.html
you can read a good summary of the major litigation pending in judge schwall's court in the anita-crony owned and operated Journal of the American Bar Association:
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/battle_of_atlanta_fight_over_a_downtown_homeless_shelter_strains/
the original plan was to have an emergency shelter, day shelter, community kitchen, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing in different parts of the building. it is a big building. this is still the plan. you can probably get a copy of this proposal at HUD local office, or if they have time and resources, the task force itself. it is in the 1996 supernofa, i believe and the whole document (incuding a number of other projects that were bundled together) is about the equivalent of three reams of paper.
the city and the original developer, working with the task force, did a national study, including site visits to innovative shelters in other major cities, to design the plan. yes, the city signed off on the original (and current) vision of peachtree pine. as the project became increasingly real, the original developer backed out, saying he couldn't raise the money for the building purchase, and that the business community (CAP) objected. the task force found someone who bought the building for the project. still the developer balked, and chose to default. after the default of the original project manager, the task force took over by necessity as PtP was the centerpiece of the supernofa and filled a vital need. the city even got a lot of political heat from CAP and a few years later deliberately wrote the project out of its comprehensive plan, even specifying the address as a place where they don't want a shelter! the city "supported" the task force with biweekly building and fire inspections for a solid year, as the task force engaged volunteer labor and parts to bring the building up to code in whatever ways it could. it is a long story, and someday it will be written.
it was a challenge to find an architect, but not in the way you might expect. many were eager and drew up preliminary plans, but would come back once "word leaked out" with ashen faces, some saying they had gotten a "call" and had been told that if they worked with the task force they would never work in this city again. this happened with legal representation too. of course, the only conclusion you can reach from this is that the "task force is difficult to work with." others might call it "interference with a federal contract."
my "elsewhere" comment is just an observation that everyone wants to "help the homeless," but few want that to occur anywhere near them. the task force has over its 35 year existence, argued for, funded, found funding for, and materially supported shelters all over the metro area and the state. they have to fight these battles too, but few can withstand the pressure. i admire the resilience and dedication of anita, the staff, the resident volunteers and supporters for taking a stand. and continuing there work with meagre resources.
if you find my characterizations of CAP's ideas about homelessness, incarceration, and gentrification in the downtown area spooky and conspiratorial, you might read what they say, read their planning documents yourself. the main piece is the Central Area Study II, published around 1990. if you don't feel it is a completely repulsive vision, we are in clear disagreement. you can probably get it at the main branch of the public library, as they keep an extensive archive of historical documents.
Thanks for taking the time to respond in such detail BooC. I respect your right to have and express an opinion different from mine. However, our personal experiences with the Task Force appear to have diverged wildly at some point.
Seems like Occupy Atlanta is occupying the Pine shelter as a last resort, since Reed keeps them out of the parks.
It's better than disbanding.
Some posters reminded me of my little brother.
My 20-year old brother believes OA is a bunch of ineffective douche bags. Like many of us young people, he thinks being apathetic is "cool." Therefore, activism is "uncool."
Even if they don't really know what they are doing, Occupy Atlanta still has plenty of impact.
Why?
"Because for the first time in more than half a century, a broad cross-section of the American public is talking about the concentration of income, wealth and political power at the top."
[copied and pasted Zed Smith]
The point is also to strike some fear into the establishment. And it works- why were they kicked out of the park for exercising freedom of expression and assembly? Why did a senator and former congressmen get arrested along with them?
Power.
Shakes things up, right? Like the sixties, but less drugs and sex.
Some OA are hipster douche-bags, but so are many of you! Support your local movement!
PS Love what you said zed smith, and eric pfeifer! Is Eric pfeifer the one I knew from GSU law? This is Val DG
"Even if they don't really know what they are doing, Occupy Atlanta still has plenty of impact.
Why?
"Because for the first time in more than half a century, a broad cross-section of the American public is talking about the concentration of income, wealth and political power at the top."
the various occupy movements are achieving this. OA isn't achieving much of all as i can tell. i got banned from OA's facebook discussion page after repeatedly trying to convince one of the action committee leaders that stopping traffic on the interstate was a bad idea that would lead to bad press and possible injury
"Some OA are hipster douche-bags, but so are many of you! Support your local movement! "
i'd support them more if their leadership didn't come off in the manner of a buster keaton farce
"PS Love what you said zed smith, and eric pfeifer! Is Eric pfeifer the one I knew from GSU law? This is Val DG"
no, probably not
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