A meeting over divvying up millions in community redevelopment money in the neighborhoods surrounding the new Atlanta Falcons stadium turned contentious Wednesday night, according to a report from WABE.
For months, Atlanta city officials and neighborhood leaders have been working on a plan before $200 million in city funds can be channeled to the Falcons to help build the new stadium. Leaders from English Avenue, Vine City and other stadium neighborhoods came into the meeting already frustrated that a legally-binding agreement wasn’t forthcoming from the process.
The meeting took on hostile tone with Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond, the chair of the committee, announced that the plan they had been working on for months was already making its way through city council. Bond sponsored the legislation at Monday’s council meeting and said final approval was out of the committee’s hands.
“How could a document move from this committee without the committee having any knowledge of the fact it was moving?” asked Yvonne Jones, a committee member who heads the neighborhood planning unit representing Vine City and English Avenue.
About 50 onlookers began chanting “shame” at Bond and other committee members representing the city.
Atlanta City Council President Ceaser Mitchell said the city’s actions were inexcusable. He said the neighborhoods were being “bamboozled” and vowed to stop the action in council before storming out of the meeting.
Read a full account of the meeting at WABE.
