Cole's Blog
A quick look at our neighbhood / 11.10.08, 03:43 PM
While doing Mission Raymond has been taking an online class for Urban Issues. Here is an excerpt from one of his papers describing what his neighborhood looks like.
“Vine City is located just west of downtown Atlanta. Like much of the city, it has a very rich history. Northside drive and Joseph Lowery are the dividing lines for the East and West perimeters, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Simpson Blvd on the North and South. It is located within Fulton County and has numerous societal anchors ranging from famous predominately black universities to a neighborhood health clinic.
Our house is next to a neighborhood park on the corner of Sunset and Thurmond. As I step outside of my front door, I am inspired by God’s power in that I actually know much about my neighborhood in the short month or two that I have been here. Catty-corner from us is the King’s family house, where Martin Luther King Jr. raised his family. It is the pride and joy of our community and offers hope to many of our neighbors. It is currently serving as the King’s office with a security guard posted inside twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Seven houses north of our own is our Sunset’s “gatekeeper” Emmanuel. He was one of the first people we befriended after moving to Vine City. He can’t leave his house for very long because he takes care of his mother who is totally dependent upon him. So he spends the majority of his time in and throughout the neighborhood. This is, of course, unless he is working on cars in his backyard as a means of income. Unfortunately, Emmanuel also struggles with alcoholism, and is often heard late at night walking up and down the street singing as loud as he can. This has become a part of Emmanuel and the neighborhood that we love. One day he waived to my wife, Kris, to come over to meet a friend named Martin. She jogged over to him where he was standing next to a black SUV. He introduced her to Martin, a child hood friend, who unbeknownst to her at the time, was Martin Luther King Jr. III. The cool thing about this interaction was our friend Emmanual, a person with very low status, introducing us to somebody of historical status – without seeing it as out of the ordinary.
Neighboring the King house and directly across from us is a church parsonage. This parsonage has been turned into a roomer house, where two or more people share the same house. Inside you will find Nelson, who is both an artist and an engineer. Unfortunately, Nelson is an ex-felon and has had an incredibly difficult time finding a job. This is something that I have become all too familiar with at the Georgia Justice Project while working with inmates and helping them transition back into society.
Next to Nelson’s is Mr. Carter’s house. Mr. Carter has been living in Vine City for a very long time and owns a very well kept house. Because he has been there so long, he knows everybody who lives in the neighborhood, and the people who lived there before them, and the people who lived there before that. He has told us many stories of Vine City’s history and the events that have happened since (and before) he has lived there.
For a long time we wondered if anybody lived in the house that is directly next to our own. There are blinds on the windows, but it appears as if the house is unkept and is starting to deteriorate. After attending our local neighborhood planning unit (NPU), we discovered that it’s actually another office. Our landlord, James, introduced us to him and it turns out that he is a pretty active member of the community as well.
James owns somewhere around 16 houses throughout Vine City and The Bluff. He buys them low, fixes them up, and then rents them out. He seems to be a pretty compassionate guy (minus the gun that his always bolted to his hip) and has been a great landlord so far. It appears as if he is a real asset to the community at large. He is renovating a home four houses down from our own. While it is being fixed up, he allows a homeless guy to stay there for free and watch over the place. This reaps two great rewards. First, he provides shelter to the needy in the neighborhood, and second, it protects the neighborhood assets. It has become quite common for a house to be “gutted”. This is when people break into an empty house and steal/rip out everything of value. This includes all the precious metals (like copper piping) and even appliances like sinks and stoves.
One block towards Martin Luther King Drive reside Drew and Diane. They are Mission Year Alumni and recently moved to the Vine city neighborhood after leaving their original M.Y. neighborhood. Their Sunday morning pancake breakfasts are becoming a great social gathering place for kids and adults alike. It seems that the neighborhood kids (Juan, Deondre, Randi, Veve, CJ, Jovonte, Phyllis, Ramon, just to name a few) like to switch between our two houses as the local hang out spot.
I write about these names and faces because I believe that a large portion of what crafts a neighborhood are the people who reside within it. This is not to say that things like social institutions or history are not important, but to a large extent it is people that are the creators of those things. Each person and household add their own flavor to the overall taste of the neighborhood. These are the characters I find in the story that I have been written into. But this story has been being told for some time and I’m just now getting to be a part of it.”
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Mr./Mrs. Cole: I am a small technology company trying to make a difference in Vine City. I would like to communicate with you about your experiences in living in Vine City. Could you reply to my email or call me at 404-806-1462?
Regards,
Gerald
By Gerald Dapremont / Nov 13, 01:00 PM / #