Civic leaders on Atlanta’s Westside say commitments in areas such as affordable housing and local business opportunities remain unfulfilled ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
A handful of frustrated advocates and business owners from Vine City gathered a few steps away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium at a small podium with signs and a message.
“They don’t care about us,” said Steven Muhammad with the Historic Vine City Civic Association. The “they” he is referring to is FIFA and the city of Atlanta.
He says the community continues to feel left out of the direct economic benefits of major events when they come here, due to a lack of affordable housing and investment. This led them to release their “Broken Promise Report” just days before the World Cup begins.
According to the association’s report, the city has paused issuing new permits in World Cup activation zones around Mercedes-Benz Stadium, thereby locking out local businesses and preventing Vine City from hosting key summer events, such as a Juneteenth celebration.
“We’re the Vine City Civic Association, the oldest organization in this community. We’re the organization that was around when Dr. King was alive. So now all of a sudden, we can’t even operate our normal activities,” said Muhammad.
The report points out that Vine City has received no direct investment. Play Fair ATL, an Atlanta-based World Cup watchdog group, attended the press conference to show support.
Advocates say they want the city to avoid what some here called a missed opportunity during the 1996 Olympic Games, when similar concerns were raised.
“They bring in outsiders to build, get the money, and take it out of our community. So once again, we are left without financially,” said Margaret Muhammad, president of the Georgia Black Constructors Association for the state of Georgia.
In a statement to WABE, the Mayor’s Office says it has communicated about opportunities for small businesses and has also conducted direct outreach to this community.
The Historic Vine City Civic Association says it will protest and pursue legal action if the issues stated in the report are not resolved.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pushed back, delivering a message to reporters at a press conference during a recent World Cup pep rally.
“There’s a whole lot going on on the west side. Your feet are firmly planted right now on the west side. Choose to highlight that, and not whoever that was that rounded up six strangers,” said Dickens.
