Tag: Mechanicsville

In her 24 years on the Atlanta City Council, Cleta Winslow has served with three mayors, sat on numerous committees, and attended countless public hearings and community meetings. But one thing she’s never done is face a runoff election.

This past weekend the Brooklyn-based Afropunk Fest returned to Atlanta with headliners such as Solange, Miguel, and Willow Smith.

The neighborhood takes its name from rail workers in the 1880s, but it was also home to many prosperous Jewish merchants and, later, influential African American entrepreneurs.

The story of Turner Field and its neighbors is one of stunted vision, cynical opportunism, halfhearted reform efforts, and misguided renewal schemes. Millions of dollars have been squandered and hundreds of acres left vacant. Around here, thousands of people live below the poverty line while just a handful—some legally, some not—cash in, because it’s more lucrative to park cars on an empty lot eighty-one days a year than to clean up that lot, open a business, and operate it year-round.