Bobby G’s owner blames MARTA, parking and Section 8 Housing for shuttering his business

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Chicago-style eatery closes at Lindbergh City Center.

Bobby G’s Chicago Eatery has closed in Buckhead.

Glenn Kaas, owner of the Chicago-style quick-serve restaurant, shuttered the Lindbergh franchise Saturday, August 6.

Bobby G’s first opened its Lindbergh City Center location in January, 2010.

Kaas told What Now Atlanta on a trip to the restaurant Saturday he’ll go back to being a pharmacist, the job he held before opening Bobby G’s.

“Owning a restaurant was always my dream,” Kaas said.

A dream with start-up costs totaling around $336,000, according to the franchiser’s website. Monies that are still being paid back in loans, according to Kaas.

As for closing, well it’s mainly MARTA’s fault, he said. MARTA, who owns the complex where Bobby G’s is located, has made parking at the development next to impossible — unless you’re willing to pay for it and most are not.

We experienced it ourselves on a trip Saturday to get this story as Lanier Parking Solutions (hired by MARTA to manage the property) tried to ticket us at an “out of order” meter on the street directly outside the restaurant (good looks and bribes got us out of a ticket).

There are, however, parking decks nearby that allow restaurants to issue patrons validation.

“People don’t like parking decks,” Kaas said. And interestingly enough, Taco Maco, located across the street from Bobby G’s, has been given an extra hour parking for their patrons.

Other issues include apartments that were recently turned into Section 8 Housing, according to Kaas.

“We always received a lot of compliments on our food but most of the new residents can’t afford it.”

These all sound like logical problems, but maybe the food just sucked.

After all, we interviewed Kaas around lunchtime and even on an empty stomach, bolted from there to find something that looked more edible.

It was pretty uncomfortable in the restaurant also, considering the A.C. went out the week before.

“When the air conditioning blew-out, we took that as validation to get the hell out of here.”

 

 

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

112 Responses

  1. No he didn’t!!!! No wonder his business failed. He has no respect for people. It wasn’t Section 8 or parking, I am sure it was that sunny disposition of his. “Going back to be a pharmicist”, never should’ve stopped being one, loser. Sounds like a whole lot of excuses coming from someone whom didn’t do their research and thought they were just going to open another restaurant here and people would just come, No Sir, be Gone!!! Next!

  2. This sucks because I loved their gyros and got one at least once a week. I live in Eon apartments in Lindbergh and there are no section 8 in my building. Maybe some wanne-be rappers. I think, if there are any it’s in Uptown Square. You can see the drug dealer outside almost every night and they are very obvious

  3. Holy crap, how delusional can you get.

    I ate here a couple of times because it was convenient to me when I was picking up my girlfriend at MARTA. I can guarantee you that MARTA and parking and Section 8 had nothing to do with this failure. The restaurant was just wrong on all counts (and yes, I know that makes me a dimwit for having gone a second time — I thought I’d give ’em another chance).

    In particular, the menu and ordering process were freaky. The menu was posted on the wall in a way that made it hard to read until you got right up to it and it wasn’t very clear how you ordered the food.

    And the food was definitely not worth the effort.

    Compare the failure here with the long-standing success of Taco Mac and Sip at this development. Build a likable business and you’ll have no problem. Many hungry people work, live and pass through this spot every day. There are several choices (including Chili’s and Longhorn) that are more appealing than this crap-hole was.

    Also — I’m pretty sure the restaurant quota was filled at Lindbergh early on. Probably time for some other kinds of businesses to fill these empty spaces.

  4. Section 8 housing strikes again. This is why Atlanta can’t have nice things. Everything – from Atlantic Station to Buckhead to countless other areas – get immediately ruined by the “element” that can’t be named but everyone knows.

    You can’t say it. Oh no. That would be wrong. But everyone knows it and like an ostrich sticks their cowardly head in the stand.

    Shhh. Stop thinking it. It’s wrong. Even though it’s so right.

    And that is why Atlanta will never be the next Chcago and will always be the next Detroit.

  5. To Sarah Palin Bachman Numbskull…..where do you spend your Friday nights? Under a blanket, with a shotgun firmly placed next to your trigger finger? Have you even been to Detroit?

    To Susan…if the closure of Bobby G’s (not a great concept, worse execution) makes you want to move….go.

  6. All Bobby G’s close sooner or later. The first store was next door to my business.The real mystery is why people buy such a useless franchise in the first place.

  7. I went to Taco Mac one weekend afternoon when it should have been busy and it was empty. I agree the pay parking keeps people away which is why Atlantic Station decided to put off initiating it.

  8. Yes, you and @Sarah Palin Bachman should move. Please. Make way for people who actually want to help Atlanta.

  9. Also, why are they turning so many units in this city into Section 8 housing? There are people who can afford to rent. Who gives a crap about mixed income? It doesn’t work here because we have too many ghetto people already.

  10. It blows my mind that the apartments there are section 8 now. There are so many C and D list properties that should be section 8, instead of something like this.

    However, it sounds like bad business at the end of the day for Bobby G. I can see a little truth in what he might be saying, but its not why his business failed.

  11. The food there SUCKED, plain and simple. Then again, I hate places that call themselves some other city, then a food. “New York Style Pizza.” It’s greasy, and tastes horrible. “Chicago Style Hot Dogs” THEY’RE freaking hot dogs! They all taste the same. Keep them in the cities that made them famous for all I care. Bobby G’s was a trash pit. I went twice. The first time I got massive gas, the second time the air was off, and they were like “hey, it’s just like chicago!”

    Good riddance to Bobby G’s.

    The development, owned by MARTA? That explains a lot. The whole development is a dump. The only thing keeping it up is Taco Mac.

    And as far as Sarah Palin Bachman Numbskull, you should move. Atlanta is a melting pot. Maybe you and Susan can share a taxi out of the city.

  12. I agree that Kaas should never have been in the Hospitality business to start with, as he wasn’t very hospitable. And because management style flows downward, his employee’s weren’t very hospitable either. I’ve been in the resto biz all my life and I have trained hundreds of people in the biz (including managers), and I can tell you the one thing that I tell people over and over is; Any idiot (no talent required) can bring in a person one time, the trick is to get them to keep coming back. And word of mouth can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. When a customer has a GOOD experience, they will tell two or three people. When they have a BAD experience, they will tell anyone who will listen. In today’s world of Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and other outlets; you can destroy your biz faster than ever. Frankly, I’m surprised that he lasted as long as he did.

    Too many folks that don’t know the biz think that they can just come in and make a ton of money just by opening their doors. The owners of Firkin Pub didn’t know the biz either, and they went south. The management of Taco Mac, Chili’s, 5 Guys, and Longhorn know the biz and have the funding to stay open until they begin to turn a profit. The only exception at Lindberg was Sip. April (the owner) didn’t know the biz, but she is very hospitable and she was willing to roll up her sleeves and work her Butt off to get thru the tough times. She built her biz thru very good word of mouth.

    I go cold calling with a lot of my clients and I can usually predict whether a resto will succeed or fail based on the way that they treat salespeople. If you don’t mind treating one group of ppl bably, then you will treat most ppl badly. One of the earliest (and best) lessons that I ever learned in resto management was that; you treat every single person that walks in your door with respect. Because, not only are they prospective guests, but they talk to and influence other peoples decisions about where to eat.

    Anyone that reads this article (and comments), and is thinking about opening a resto, please visit this page on my website http://www.foodserviceresource.com/Research.htm. I made it specifically for people that don’t fully understand how complicated this business can be.

    Carl Muth
    http://www.FoodServiceResource.com

  13. U may not say it Sara, but I sure as Hell will (NOT politically correct!!!)…It is the the damn low-rents, looking for Obama/Govt. handout-seekers (translation: Nigga Thugz and Breeding Welfare Mammies) that are the reason this city is continuing to go down hill fast and our crime rates continue to rise!!! Clean Up Our Neighborhoods!!!

  14. Does anyone know if there actually is Section 8 housing in Lindbergh? Just because Mr. Failed Business Owner says so doesn’t make it so. I know many developments have certain condos that sell for less to those of moderate (not low) income and a certain percentage of apartments have a sliding scale for the rent but those are different programs than Section 8.

    @Mensguidetothehood, Bobby G’s might charge a much lower francise fee than other companies, thus attracting those who are more likely to try to cheap their way to success and fail in the process.

  15. @ken. You must not get out much. The crime rate in the city of Atlanta has been decreasing for the past several years.

  16. What a bunch of crying babies on this blog. No wonder this city is such a pit. People patronize such awful places as Taco Mac, Wet Willies, and Chilis. Miserable, overpriced, noisy, loud chains that add absolutely nothing to the Lindbergh neighborhood. Apparently, people in the neighborhood don’t deserve a classy place like Bobby G’s. Any Chicagoan would know the food was good and authentic and cheap compared to everywhere else around. Apparently we can’t have good things in this city. We deserve crap like Five Guys. MARTA is a disgrace for not fixing the parking situation. Why the hell do you push for a transit-oriented development at Lindbergh and then try to chase away every business that tries to locate there. Firkin Pub was a classy place and so was Bobby G’s. I guess we deserve junk like Taco Mac. Why do they get special privileges? This city is going into the toilet because no one supports decent business. Also thanks to the Republicans and Bush for destroying the economy and fighting wars that had nothing to do with 9/11.

  17. Couple of thoughts:

    1. Great piece, Carl Muth. Caleb, dump the urbanist and get somebody who can really thoughtfully write cohereantly like Carl here. That was great.

    2. Caleb, show some editorial balls. To let somebody post something as ignorant and racist using epithets like Ken did above, does nothing for your site. You have the power, put it to good use.

    3. No surprise here. The food wasn’t all that great and there are more known by the masses options in the development. If you look at what’s still standing: TM, 5G, Longhorn, Chili’s (blech on the last two), versus what came and went (Firkin, Urban Flatts (once at least) and now Charlie G’s.) you can see that the masses want what’s more familiar to them. For the owner to blame Section 8 people, if they actually are there and not just the guy’s speculation, is lame. Stand by your product and service and don’t grasp the low-hanging fruit on the blame tree.

  18. Nothing classy about Firkin or Bobby G’s. Firkin was basically a Hooters with pub food. Bobby G’s made a good dog but I wouldn’t call it classy.

    For the record, Atlanta seems to not be a good audience for Chi-dog spots. Da Chicago Dog further down on Piedmont closed a couple years ago as well and they made a good dog. Other similar spots haven’t made it in this market (much to my dismay since I love a good Chicago dog). Something about the culture maybe? Dunno.

  19. It’s clear MARTA has no interest in building up the Lindbergh MARTA area. It’s embarrassing how they’ve handled the whole development. The final nail in the coffin was having people pay for parking at the garages. MARTA can’t even keep their equipment running properly. The ticket machines are constantly breaking down and the machines are sometimes out of tickets. Why would MARTA push for paid parking when they’re trying to encourage businesses to locate there? Or are they? Wet Willies is an atrocity. Don’t people actually want to eat or just get drunk every night? And the whole area is incredibly overbuilt. Developers were way too ambitious trying to add condos all over the Lindbergh MARTA area. Then the economy caved and they had to turn the condos into apts. Now they can’t give the apartments away. So it wouldn’t surprise me if there is a good deal of Section 8 housing there. The whole area sucks. Now you can’t even get a decent bite to eat. You would think with all the office workers around that there would be more than Taco Mac, Chilis and Five Guys. Thanks MARTA for destroying this development. You are truly incompetent.

  20. Dan, I get out plently…native of ATL…followed whats been going on lately in Midtown & Buckhead neighborhoods???? Im bettin ur an Obama butt-kisser, right???

  21. @Harry:

    The only thing nonsensical about Ken’s post was the Obama drivel (he’s a conservative corporatist; could not be further than the “socialist” the Tea crowd delusionally portrays).

    But the ghetto entitlement that ruins every decent thing in Atlanta? Spot on.

    Shall we count?:

    1. Buckhead

    2. Atlantic Station

    3. Centennial Park

    4. Underground

    5. Edgewood shopping center

    6. Castleberry Hill

    7. Lindbergh Station

    The next targets will likely be the burgeoning Westside and the parts of Midtown off Ponce they haven’t destroyed. The city encourages it; that’s how the politicians in power get votes.

    Want it to change? First start, end the decades of cronyism and elect a white mayor who doesn’t enable the ghetto crowd for votes. Second, hire security that refuses to tolerate ghetto thugs creating a hostile and obnoxious environment (are you listening Atlantic Station?) Third, every restaurant needs to play classic rock (ghetto kryptonite).

    It’s all true. Deny it all you want and pretend in the name of being PC. Atlanta will always be a second rate ghetto mess until “the element” is no longer tolerated.

  22. Dan, I get out plenty…native of ATL…followed whats been going on lately in Midtown & Buckhead neighborhoods???? Im bettin ur an Obama butt-kisser, right???

  23. @Truth:

    A melting pot does not contain one acidic ingredient that overpowers all the other flavors to the point that it ruins the dish.

    Ergo, Atlanta is not a melting pot.

  24. Hm I would like to know the real story behind the apartments at Lindbergh. I’ve heard there’s some Section 8 but not on the level some people are making it out to be. It’s surprising to hear that there’s been difficulty filling those apartments up, given the popularity of renting right now.

  25. Perhaps the Bobby G’s at Lindbergh closed because they did a poor job running it. The last time I tried to go there, I showed up an *OVER AN HOUR* hour before the posted closing time one night and the doors were locked and the employees were cleaning up. Way to lose a customer. I never returned, instead taking my business to Chicago Delights if I needed a Chicago hot dog/italian beef fix.

    This idiot in the article is just a franchisee. The “owner” of Bobby G’s is in Alpharetta. He’s tried and tried to franchise his concept, but as far as I can tell they have all failed. There were 2-3 up in North Fulton a few years ago, now just the remaining store on Hwy 9 owned by Bobby himself, which does a pretty good lunch business from the office workers, and is being helped along by all the newly added retail on that corridor.

    Its a shame about the intown location though. Good food, a little expensive, but as someone from Chicago I can tell you that it is the real deal.

  26. All you people talk a big game but NONE of you do anything to address all the problems you bitch about constantly.

    Telling people to move out of Atlanta because they don’t agree with you is almost as pathetic as your crime data for Atlanta. Fact: Atlanta’s crime rate has not been decreasing, it has be inching higher, the stats/data collected is not accurate because they leave out certain data. It all has to do with competing in a national level on which city is improving or getting worse. No city wants to be worse of everything…which Atlanta is one of the top contender across the board.

    How many of you actually go out and make this city a better place? How many of you go to city hall/ mayor’s office and actually schedule a meeting with him or any council members? How many of you organize community watch dog groups to patrol and get rid of criminal activities? How many of you petition against section 8 housing because your property value will drop faster than this Bobby G’s franchise? Etc etc etc etc… Most of you talk shit but don’t do shit. And this is why Atlanta is going downhill. Restaurants sucks here, the same new southern dishes on every menu. Southerners are not known to be forward thinking, they are happy were they are, content. Telling people to move out of the city will make this city worse…in which many many people and companies have left Atlanta for greener pastures. The govt here is not business savvy and there are no incentives for a company or small business to stay.

    ANYWAY, the food here was borderline at best, the staff/owner can careless about service, if there are section 8 housing it would be a small percentage at best, the entire complex is catered towards the black community, is it a bad thing? Who knows but one thing is for sure, whites are not lining up to go to Wet Willies as they do in other cities. Urban Flats reopening will mean they will be closing in 6 months again. No one goes there.

    We all want a “melting pot” community but it isn’t going to work in real life, not in this city. That’s just the way it is and always will be. We can start by looking at the comments here. Who would want to move here if the “natives” keep telling people to left “their” town?

    Atlanta had a lot of promise 10 years ago, now it’s barely surviving.

  27. About the Section 8…There are two Apartment complexes in Lindbergh Center. Eon and Uptown Square. I live in Eon and there are NO section 8. Apartments range from 1,100 for a 1 bedroom to 1,500 for a two bedroom. Way to expensive to allow section 8. Uptown Square is about $800 – 900 for a 1 bedroom. I still think this is way to much for the government to pay when there are many more places where they can get a place for half that. And even if there are some section 8 families, it would be a handful at best. Not enough to turn the area into a “ghetto” by any means.

    Now across Piedmont there are some lower end apartments where you have a lot of migrant works that live there. There are probably some section 8 there.

    Bottom line is this Bobby G’s owner is just making excuses for a failed business, and is just spreading lies.

  28. Wow… where to begin. There are so many lies and mistruths on this blog.
    I’ve been an employee at Lindbergh way before Bobby G’s opened.

    1) The owner of Bobby G’s (Glenn Kaas) knew about the parking situation BEFORE he opened the restaurant. If he didn’t want his customers to be required to park in a garage, then why would he pick this spot for his restaurant? His customers receive 2 free hours of parking just like all of the other tenants at Lindbergh (Taco Mac, Chillis, SIP etc).

    2) THERE ARE NO SECTION 8 HOUSING UNITS AT LINDBERGH… Period. Eon (owned by JLB Properties) and Uptown Square (Waterton Residential) are market rate apartment communities and neither community offers “Section – 8” rents at Lindbergh.

    3) Patrons who visit ANY of the restaurants get up to 2 FREE HOURS of parking as long as they validate their parking tickets inside of the restaurant. This rule applied to Bobby G’s as well.

    4) JONES Lang LaSalle is 100% responsible for leasing and managing the retail spaces in that building.. NOT MARTA.

    It’s a shame Bobby G’s couldn’t survive, but for Mr. Kass to blame his restaurant’s failures on “Section 8 Housing and Parking is flat out wrong.

    Mr. Spivak would be wise to check all of the facts before publishing an article like this. Mr. Kaas is definitely entitled to his opinions but he chooses to ignore the FACTS in this case.

  29. I can agree there is a distinct element that seems to be pervasicve here in Atlanta as of late, BUT to label and degrade an ENTIRE race is the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard. Does it not occur to some that there is a large percentage who work, have dreams, want to contribute are hard workers and want to have a good community or is it beyond the thinking realm of those who wish to constantly put sole blame on this race. Hate to break it to you but most black people are not what some on this board like to always say they are. Could the blame for this element just be that these are people with less means and i can assure you there are many from other races that contribute to this. Atlanta is a great city and has room for improvement that is sure but ALL people here need to look in themselves and realize that they are to blame as much as the ghetto element is for things being the way they are. But hay soon we will all be poor anyway so those who cast dispersions others will soon be in the same boat.

  30. Mr. Spivak can you please put a note in the article making it clear that Mr. Kaas is talking out of his ass and that there is no Section 8 at Lindberg. Providing a forum or space for this kind of misinformation only perpetuates damaging falsehoods for the tea party set to thrive on.

  31. I was going to rent my first apartment in Atlanta at Lindbergh but then when I read the things on this post it made me decide to move to Acworth instead. I couldn’t imagine living next to Section 8 people. I bet they even have pit bulls that would attack

  32. I can’t stand those Black thugs! Riding public transportation, living in fictitious Section 8 market rate luxury apartments, and closing sub par, expensive, hot dog joints in which the owner failed to do proper due diligence!! Oh, and their wide noses too…breathing up all the White Man’s air!

  33. @KSKY:

    Who’s talking about an entire race? Only you. In fact, specific race wasn’t even mentioned in any posts. The fact that you presumed it speaks volumes. People know what’s going on but whistle past the graveyard and call any criticism “bein’ racial.”

    And it’s not “all races” casing problems. I don’t see any Asian people harassing women at Atlantic Station or ripping car stereos out of dashboards in parking lots.

    Also, please take your “think about the poor” nonsense elsewhere. The ghetto thugs hooting, hollering at and intimidating innocent women at Atlantic Station aren’t impoverished victims looking for a chance. They’re lowlife hoods who “spend” (cough, cough) $200 on a pair of Nikes and who knows how much on ghetto pants that hang half way down their rear end. It has nothing to do with socioeconomics. It has to do with being a low life, property-value sucking piece of garbage

    All of these business problems, especially Atlantic Station’s and now the ones at the Lindbergh complex, are due to the ghetto thug situation. There are countless articles here discussing ways to make Atlantic Station successful but these never address the obvious: ghetto thugs. Decent people are afraid of Atlantic Station with good reason. Get them out and the place will be safe and thrive for decent, law-abiding citizens.

    Is there a website where a pool can be created where people can vote on which part of town the ghetto element will destroy next? My money’s on the thriving Westside. Say goodbye to Abbatoir and JCT Kitchen and say hello to another GoodFella’s Pizza (totally ghetto), J.R. Crickets and Chevron/Subway.

  34. @Scared:

    They no longer call them pit bulls. They now call them “pit bull mixes” to avoid any trouble with landlords.

    Seriously. Next time you see a ghetto thug with an obvious pitbull, ask them – assuming police are within earshot – what kind of dog it is. There’s about a 99.999 percent chance he’ll call it a “pit bull mix.”

  35. @Reality Check

    Great job of dispelling the lies in this article and on this blog.

    One more…

    Atlanta’s crime rate is actually going DOWN not up.

    Bottom line : Mediocre to bad businesses often fail and the reason is that they are mediocre to bad businesses. How about some personal responsibility on the part of the former owner here?

  36. Thank you Reality Check.

    I can’t add much considering I do not frequent this area. I know two people who live in nearby apartment complexes who complain about real (or) perceived crime whenever I see them and I have noticed that Wet Willy’s pats down patrons for firearms before they enter. I worked at a pizza place in college and had a migrant coworker who lived on the other side of Piedmont, so I know that the area is a great place for migrants (I dropped him off numerous times). As far as I know they aren’t contributing to crime in the area.

    The 2 hour parking does make the area convenient, so that is not an excuse. MARTA headways are getting longer and longer and fares are about to increase, so driving to the area will soon be much more convenient and cheaper than taking the train. That much I do know.

    Section 8 may not actually be in the area (it is not as far as I know), but there are a lot of people in Atlanta who act and appear as if they cannot afford much without illegal cash, yet they inhabit some pretty nice places, so that could be the case here. Those who can afford to live in that area (legally or illegally) can afford any of the eateries in that area.

    Lastly, 5 Guys has some of the worst pricing I have come across. How is it so popular? Granted the burger there somehow reminds me of the Holeman and Finch “holy” burger (or vice versa), which is $12, an even worse ripoff in my humble opinion (its other food is great).

  37. @Johnny Simmons: “I have noticed that Wet Willy’s pats down patrons for firearms before they enter.”

    Yes, that’s perfectly normal. To pat down patrons at a casual frozen daiquiri establishment on the edge of one of the “better” parts of town. Then again, it’s just around the corner from where Ray Lewis “didn’t” murder someone and where ghetto thug crime got so bad several years ago that they shortened bar hours citywide and basically shut down Buckhead, punishing an entire city because the corrupt Atlanta politicians are beholden to ghetto trash.

    It reminds me of termites. They invade a place where they don’t live (Buckhead, Lindbergh, Atlantic Station), destroy it and move on to another place to annihilate once there’s nothing left. Only terminates have the decency not to harass innocent women. And a termite never has this excuse either:

    “Yo man, what up? I ain’t askin’ fo money, but I just got outta jail and I need money.”

    No ghetto thug problem here. Move along, folks. Nothing to see. Try not to get hit by the Escalade with the $5,000 rims and the earthquake-causing bass thumping.

    That’s Atlanta in a nutshell. What an embarrassment.

  38. I don’t get why a pharmacist all of a sudden tries to open up a restaurant in the first place.

    Look, you have to at least WORK in an actual restaurant to understand the basic operations. The guy whines way too much about parking and Section-8 for me to take him seriously. It’s a tough business to succeed at and I knew that after waiting tables.

    He should have taken that money and attempted to open up a Zaxby’s on Howell Mill (assuming there is still any room). You would seriously make some bank at that location.

  39. @Sarah Palin Bachman Numbskull
    Like your termite description. I have seen that in my 15 yrs. here. Can’t win in Atl, live in city and deal with termites or live out in burbs with vanilla religious right baby hell! For you that say move away, I’m trying but held hostage by home price.

  40. @It’s Reality Not Negativity:

    Same situation. My home has dropped so much in value and the ghetto element has been taking over my building as people rent out their units, making it impossible to move. Meanwhile, at least two drug dealers have moved in plus more than two “baby mamas,” who let their kids invade the building pool in the dark rather than actually spend time with them.

    My biggest criticism with Obama is he has done next to nothing to help resolve the foreclosure situation. How can someone who finds a job in another city move if there home is now worthless?

    Responsible homeowners, of course, suffer the consequences.

    Sadly, it offers some twisted solace that nice developments like Lindbergh are also suffering from a hood rat infestation. You just can’t escape it here.

  41. The “turd touch” permeates through this city. Sarah Palin Bachman Numbskull, I wonder if we live in the same building, your description describes EXACTLY what I’m going through. Drug dealers, a suspected meth lab, people walking in and out to the same units at all times of the night and day…a rap club blasts music until closing hours with hoodlums hanging out by the bar. There was even a person murdered across the street from where I live.

    I don’t leave my building at night, it’s just not safe to do. So much for the fading “up and coming” reputation my neighborhood has had.

    A steaming pile of turd with a green fly hovering over it. Welcome to Atlanta.

  42. Let’s see, I am a 50 year veteran of Atlanta and have seen it all come and go. Watched them build Phipps, the Coastal States building, the Underground fiasco, seen the Atlanta Zoo from the early 60’s on. Watched them tear down the old GEX Store (which at that point had become a flea market) to dig the hole for the Marta Station. Then just to have them replace the free parking lot to develop Lindberg Station. Have lived in Brookhaven and Buckhead almost my
    whole life. Then the destruction of Buckhead central because of influx of urban crime.

    I still live and work in the area and have never visited any of the restaurants at Lindberg Station because they are just chains or crap. Would choose Zesto’s over any of them.

    So, if is particularly sad, at least to me, to see how ghetto all of these areas have become.
    I don’t dislike black people, just the ones in Atlanta. Lenox Square used to be a great mall.
    Now it’s just a rat mall.

    And no I don’t like it and no I am not going to move. The trash almost always gets taken out eventually. The first load that needs to go is the black laden city officials. And yes, Ray Lewis is a piece of shit that should be spending the rest of his life in prison.

  43. Amen, Sara…I was living in Buckhead (or Buckhood) as it was known during the time of Ray “I Got Away With Murder” Lewis…in fact I was in the bar earlier that night (Otto’s) where the incident happened outside….the BOTTOM LINE is: “U might can take a NIGGA out of the HOOD, but U can NEVER take the HOOD out of the NIGGA” (i.e., Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, OJ, etc. etc. etc.)

  44. Some of the comments here have really gotten off track of the major issue: Why can’t the Lindbergh Center neighborhood succeed? There are plenty of law-abiding people who live and work in the area, who have jobs, who are willing to spend money. There are plenty more who park at the MARTA garages all day and go to work. it would seem to be a no-brainer that this neighborhood should succeed. Why can’t it? Part of it is the bad economy. I get that. But what I’m wondering is if the white crowd in the area isn’t comfortable mixing with black people. I went into Wet Willies when it opened up and I was the only white person in there. I was extremely uncomfortable. I couldn’t understand how a place like that could open up in a majority white area and attract only a black crowd. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I would certainly be intimidated from frequenting an area in which a business attracts a ‘black only’ crowd, because it doesn’t make sense. The 71 Barber Shop next to MARTA also attracts a ‘black only’ crowd for some reason. I went in there last week to get a haircut and people looked at me like I was from Mars. I was so uncomfortable that I left. Clearly the races in Atlanta can’t mix very well. Perhaps at the Taco Mac down the street but that’s about it. It’s sad because this neighborhood has potential, but until businesses stop catering to all white and all black, we will continue to have these issues. Clearly white people are staying away from Lindbergh because they perceive it as unsafe, which I don’t think is valid, but it is hard to change perceptions.

  45. All of you closet racist please get the fu*k out of here….have you ever been to south beach or the vegas strip? they are both worth more than any spot in buckhead and they have blacks that come there and they are urban and play loud music but yet no white people are fleeing those areas and they are not losing any business…they learn to accept people for what they are and in any urban area there will be violence do you watch the news?Any city in the world deals with random violence and keeps it moving is Atlanta suppose to be immune to random acts of violence? If you go out in the public and live you will understand that shit happens just like car wrecks,illness,and other things that occur when you walk out the door..As far as other parts of Atlanta No one asked white people to move into the inner city and tear down all the projects 28 to be exact to come into our established communities and kick out the elderly blacks who were there for years and built this city on their backs if any of you look at the history of Atlanta it has always been a majority black city with more than enough positivity in our communities…you cant expect to gentrify an area and act like you own it and have been there for years but thats just like white people to try to occupy other peoples land or trick them out of it or tax them out of it for your benefit…But crime happens in every trendy bar area in every city in america they just learn to deal with it …if you want to live in a perfect white world move to utah,idaho,or somewhere like that because in the inner city of atlanta we never asked you to come….we were doing fine without you…and the buckhead bar district or any other in atlanta cant compare to south beach or the vegas strip and i dont hear people there crying…they learn to deal with it

  46. @Uncle Martan

    “I don’t dislike black people, just the ones in Atlanta.”

    A bumper sticker thousands would buy, if be too terrified to actually put on their car.

    @John

    “But what I’m wondering is if the white crowd in the area isn’t comfortable mixing with black people. I went into Wet Willies when it opened up and I was the only white person in there. I was extremely uncomfortable. I couldn’t understand how a place like that could open up in a majority white area and attract only a black crowd. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

    Did you just move to Atlanta? That’s what they do here. Go for the quick ghetto buck instead of gradually cultivating a business with decent, law-abiding customers and a good product. Once the termites have finished chewing up a business/area, they leave for a new area to destroy and the short-sighted businesses catering to ghetto cash have to close as their business/area is now destroyed and decent people won’t go near it. Once you get a rep as a ghetto-catering business, it’s a stain you can’t wash off. Ever.

    And, yes, ghetto trash, with all their talk of everyone ‘bein’ racial” are among the most racist individuals I’ve ever encountered. Atlanta is well known as perhaps the most reverse racist city in the U.S. It’s hood hypocrisy at its finest.

    @Drew

    “if any of you look at the history of Atlanta it has always been a majority black city with more than enough positivity in our communities”

    Those body bags, countless drive-bys, crack houses, “the Bluff,” check cashing stores and endless street crime just reek of “positivity.” Revisionist history doesn’t change the facts. Unless, of course, your concept of “positivity” are countless athletic shoe stores and Mrs. Winners.

    “you cant expect to gentrify an area and act like you own it and have been there for years but thats just like white people to try to occupy other peoples land or trick them out of it or tax them out of it for your benefit”

    Yes you can. Because the people who move into these blighted, drug-infested crime havens do “own” it. They buy properties there and put sweat and labor and hard work in order to fix the place up and make it decent. Only the ghetto element – who typically rent and add nothing to an area other than crime and fear and chicken bones littering the sidewalk – would be so ignorant and myopic as to resent people moving into an area and trying to make it nice, safe and prosperoud. It’s a deranged and racist mentality. No surprise there.

    “But crime happens in every trendy bar area in every city in america they just learn to deal with it”

    No it doesn’t. Wet Willies locations in other cities don’t have to pat down customers for firearms. And saying “everyone else does it” is the excuse of a 8-year-old. Rationalizing crime and violence. Pathetic and par for the course for ghetto garbage.

    “and the buckhead bar district or any other in atlanta cant compare to south beach or the vegas strip and i dont hear people there crying”

    No doubt. And South Beach and Vegas also don’t have filthy hood rats causing rampant destruction, committing acts of violence and murder, destroying property values on an almost daily basis and forcing laws to be changed to prevent their savage reign of terror. Why is that? Because unlike Miami and Las Vegas, Atlanta is run by crooked ghetto politicians who are beholden to the hood rat community for votes. Those two other cities would never put up with the disgraceful ghetto element that Atlanta does. Anything for a vote, no matter how destructive and counter productive it is to progress and prosperity.

    Ever wonder why the area around Turner Field is such a dump when neighborhoods in other great cities near a baseball stadium thrive with energy, nightlife and excitement? The city refuses to clean up the filthy ghetto around Turner Field. No more ghetto, no more votes, no more cushy political power/cash.

    So don’t ungratefully whine about gentrification. Ghetto trash has made true gentrification impossible in Atlanta (i.e., East Atlanta, Castleberry Hill, Kirkwood; the list is endless). Just do the rest up us a favor and inform us what up-and-coming part of town you plan to annihilate next so decent, law-abiding people who are only looking to improve the city – not destroy it – can try to stay a step ahead.

  47. Drew, bro, Im not closeted about my feelings….I just am saying what many other White People are 2 politically correct to say…why dont u & ur Hood Boys take ur saggy pants and sideways baseball caps and go back to Henry or Clayton County???LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

    NEWSBREAK: Willie’s Mexican Grille in Buckhead (W. Paces Ferry) robbed by some of ur HOOD BOYZ last nite!!!!!!!!!

  48. The reviews of Eon and Uptown Square are awful!
    “First moved into this place when it was less than 20% occupied. Appeared to be a great apartment complex, however it was very pricey. Overall, there are a lot of drug dealers at this complex and police activity/investigations are common. Drug bust in the parking garage, along with a car jacking/kidnapping. Stains al over the carpets in the hallways, music is played loud, and all you smell is weed. I don’t know how people move into this place when viewing it now. Maintenance takes awhile to fix things, and the staff seem to only be friendly when they feel like it (or if you are new.) The water here is OUTRAGEOUS. Living in Atlanta, it is expected to be high. However, Eon switched water companies and somehow the water is almost 1 and 1/2X what it used to be (every month) which is a bit strange. Dog pee and poop in the hallways (and food) And you can here residents in the apartment above you walking around at all times of the night. I am so disappointed with this over priced complex, and moving out next month. BEWARE this place is ruined.

    Read more: http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/GA-Atlanta-EON-at-Lindbergh-Apt-1292495.html#ixzz1UYG8sMoJ

  49. This is kind of long and meandering, but I’m at work and I should really be well, working.

    @ John: You might be answering your own questions.

    For example:

    Q: “But what I’m wondering is if the white crowd in the area isn’t comfortable mixing with black people.”

    A: “I went into Wet Willies when it opened up and I was the only white person in there. I was extremely uncomfortable….I would certainly be intimidated from frequenting an area in which a business attracts a ‘black only’ crowd, because it doesn’t make sense.”

    I’m black and I was married to a white guy who is one of the very few people I’ve gotten to have real conversations about this stuff with. We formulated a loose theory: There is some unknown tipping point at which a place becomes “too black” for a lot of white people. At that point the white people stop coming around, leaving only the black people. Now the place becomes a “black place,” which means that many white people won’t go anywhere near it because they’re “intimidated” and “uncomfortable.”

    But because white people often people have the option of going to other places that have the same or better amenities, food or entertainment options, and where they aren’t in the minority, they have little motivation to keep going to places where they are. So, we keep ending up with these places where you seen almost all black people or almost all white people.

    Why do so many white people become anxious if they’re in a place where they’re not the majority? Is it because they think the black people are going to make fun of them? Assault them? Something else? My then-husband and I went to Justin’s once, but left after the hostess said the wait would be an hour. (I don’t believe for a second that they’re serving anything in there worth waiting an hour for) He told me later that he was sort of glad that we’d left because it looked like he’d be the only white person there. We also went to a movie at a Magic Johnson theater once, neither of us realizing that that was a “black” theater. He said later that he’d felt “kinda wierd” being there.

    But he’d never given any thought to whether I might have ever felt “wierd” the hundred or so of times I’d gone to places with him and his friends or family and been the only black person there. I wasn’t angry or resentful about it, it’s just one of those things that people don’t give much thought to if they never have to.

    The schools I went to for K-12 were anywhere from 85 to 95 percent white. And when I started taking honors/AP courses, then went to college, then grad school, forget it. I’ve been the only or one of just a couple of non-white people in literally hundreds of seminars, classes, workshops, musical ensembles, stores, restaurants, weddings, parties, salons, boxing classes, spinning classes, running groups, swimming groups, bars, professional groups, social gatherings and even some small offices. But I’m lucky that 1.) I’m used to it and 2.) there’s nothing about being in a place where most people look like me that makes me feel more “comfortable.”

    But if you’re white, you can pretty easily arrange (not on purpose necessarily) to almost always be in places where you’re in the majority, while not giving up work, entertainment or social opportunities. Black people don’t have the luxury of babying themselves like that if they want to do anything in life.

    “The 71 Barber Shop next to MARTA also attracts a ‘black only’ crowd for some reason.”I went in there last week to get a haircut and people looked at me like I was from Mars. I was so uncomfortable that I left.”

    Were they looking at you like you’re from Mars, or just looking at you more than you’re used to being looked at? If you’re used to being sort of invisible most places you go because you’re in the majority, having anyone look at you at all can feel like “Everyone’s looking at me!” I went to the Great Clips on Ponce to get my hair cut for almost three years, and not ever, not even once did I see another black patron there. Did people look at me some? Yeah, but leaving because of it never even crossed my mind. People are often giving a second glance (or two) just because they’re curious.

    More to the point of the post, I do wonder what they’d have need to put in this deveopment to appeal to the hundreds of people who live practically on top of it, in Peachtree Hills and Garden Hills. I lived in Peachtree Hills Apartments for the last five years before they tore them down, back when they were just starting to build what’s there now. Even if I still lived in the neighborhood, I don’t know that I’d spend much time at Lindbergh other than just to catch the train or bus. (I’d probably be over at Target every other day, though).

    Most of the people living on the west side of Lindbergh make enough money that they can eat at much more interesting restaurants than the ones this development has. Even when I’m stuck there during a long train headway, the only place I even think about going to is Sip. I can’t remember who said it, but the commenter who suggested that this development might be about maxed out on restaurants could be onto something. But it’s hard to imagine a retail establishment doing very well there, with Target a block away.

  50. last time i checked the Wet Willies in Atlanta was owned by a BLACK MAN….Carlos Edmonds…go check it out….and are you telling me that there are not blacks who obey the law in the hood? do you think its fair to tax the elderly out of their homes?Do you think the people who live in these areas want to be living next door to criminals and that they support crime?Do you really think the politicians in Las Vegas and Miami are less corrupt than the Atlanta government and that crimes that are alot more serious dont happen on the Vegas strip and on South Beach and they are done buy all races…”BUYING HOOKERS ON THE STRIP IS A CRIME” and “GETTING PARTY DRUGS ON SOUTH BEACH ISNT LEGAL EITHER”? and alot more robberies and assaults take place in those bar districts than in Atlanta or that took place in Buckhead back in 2005…Have you people even been there?and guess what they are still in business today and they stay open all night past 230 am..You guys are lost and really need a reality check….Im sure NONE of You people on here grew up within the city limits of Atlanta nor do any of you do anything positive in the Atlanta community except complain….thats just like complaining about Cherokee Indians being around after taking their land….Oh I forgot you tricked them out of their land too and sent them to Oklahoma

  51. Wow, yet Chili’s is still there. Atlanta is a black only city. If any black person is reading this, I would take this spot and put a carribean/Jamacan eatery in it’s place.

    Many cities would support a Bobby G’s with little trouble, But the overwhelming and massive amount of African Americans in Atlanta means you must somehow cater to that market.

  52. Funny thing about those Cherokee; once they left they didn’t want to come back.

    Still there to this day, lucky them.

  53. @ Palin – It’s not because of the “element”, it’s because we keep building these monstrosity communities that look great in headlines, but are completely dysfunctional when it comes to providing a city with what it needs.

    @ Carl – stop using the term “biz”.

    @ Jan – I agree with you, re: people in this city love crap for food chains, but “firkin Pub & Bobby G’s were classy”? Wow.

    @ Harry – I’m in the “biz” too…

    @ Everyone – I love how people like to assign blame to pretty much everywhere but the city and the developers who conceive crap like Lindbergh and AS (for the record, I think AS is doing a good job turning itself around, but still should never have been built in the first place).

    The reason these places fail, is because they’re built like oasis’ in a desert – poor nearby fundamentals, but they’re part of some “grand vision” that’s going to “turn the city around”, and then they turn into a detractor to progress.

    It’s fundamental and simple – when you build an excessive amount of supply, without the demand to match, there is going to be a cratering effect. The nature of these MPC’s is excessive supply. Instead of supporting this type of planning, why don’t we try something different (I know it’s a novel concept for you Atlanta)? Perhaps we can, as a city, oppose any new development like this. Perhaps we can say – “We don’t want one massive bomb of new condos, retail space, office space, etc. in a blighted area. We’d rather see small in-fill developments that cater to the existing supply, create additional supply, and then create a self-begetting cycle for future development.” Then, eventually these blighted areas will turn themselves around organically, and do so with staying power.

    If 90% of the MSA didn’t live outside of the city, I think we’d have a much stronger community, and a much better voice for enacting the type of development and change this city needs. Instead, we have a small portion of people who know and fight for what’s right for our urban environment, while politicians pander to the whims and interests of the mass of absentee city-goers. Maybe it’s too late, who knows?

  54. @396

    You bring up some extremely insightful and thoughtful points. All of the first-hand accounts you present are revealing and provoke introspection and re-evaluation of existing perceptions.

    One question though, regarding the issue of Wet Willies: why would anyone of any race enter a business establishment when they witness patrons being patted down for firearms before entering? Better yet, why are they having to pat down for firearms before allowing anyone to enter in the first place?

    @Dru

    “last time i checked the Wet Willies in Atlanta was owned by a BLACK MAN”

    What does that have to do with anything? Are only black people supposed to patronize this establishment because the owner is black? Talk about a ridiculous non sequitur meant to only muddy the waters with racial invective instead of provide clarity and solutions.

    “do you think its fair to tax the elderly out of their homes?”

    So people aren’t allowed to move into a neighborhood, invest money in a property, renovate it and improve a community? They don’t have that right? Is that some ghetto code? Or is it better for a neighborhood with nice home stock and great potential to continue to deteriorate due to ghetto garbage, drugs, vandalism, prostitution and other staples of ghetto culture?

    Or is it because they are white? Maybe that’s the reason.

    The people who move into dilapidating ghetto neighborhoods with potential should be applauded. They take huge financial and safety risks and are trying to improve a community instead of tearing it down, ghetto style. They are typically victims of vandalism, racism and ghetto crime as they try to build something special. And the elderly who are supposedly “taxed out of their homes” typically benefit as their dilapidating hovels, which are probably worth less than a used Honda Civic, are suddenly worth tens of thousands, if not more, than before. They have a real financial asset instead of a glorified crack house. What a twisted, jealous and racist view you have of gentrification.

    “Do you really think the politicians in Las Vegas and Miami are less corrupt than the Atlanta government”

    Yes.

    “”BUYING HOOKERS ON THE STRIP IS A CRIME” and “GETTING PARTY DRUGS ON SOUTH BEACH ISNT LEGAL EITHER”? and alot more robberies and assaults take place in those bar districts than in Atlanta or that took place in Buckhead back in 2005”

    Maybe that’s because Buckhead was shut down due to the ghetto element destroying it. Those other areas are still active and thriving. Buckhead is a pale imitation of what it once was, due to ghetto thugs and hood rats creating a dangerous atmosphere filled with crime, fear and violence.

    South Beach and Las Vegas depend on tourism to survive and neither of those areas would put up with a lick of the ghetto nonsense that is tolerated – even encouraged – in Atlanta.

    “Have you people even been there?”

    Many, many times. Nice to go places where ghetto thugs don’t corrode the environment.

    “Im sure NONE of You people on here grew up within the city limits of Atlanta nor do any of you do anything positive in the Atlanta community except complain”

    Now this hypocrisy is fascinating. Gentrification, which improves a community, increases property values and creates a climate of prosperity and positivity in countless ways is bad, bad, bad, according to you. But, also according to you, no one does anything positive in the Atlanta community.

    So which is it? You want to demonize people for working and investing to improve the community then criticize them for not improving the community. Or is it only improving the community when it solely benefits black people?

    Your transparent racial agenda is criss crossing to the point of laughable absurdity.

    “thats just like complaining about Cherokee Indians being around after taking their land….Oh I forgot you tricked them out of their land too and sent them to Oklahoma”

    Credibility: destroyed. A straw man argument that is not only mendacious, but devoid of even a shred of reality.

    Most people in the U.S. are not descended from the Mayflower. Millions are here via the Ellis Island route, long after the Indians were “tricked.” Blaming them for a piece of history they have zero link to is embarrassing, showcases your lack of knowledge and is only used to flame your racist agenda.

    The only era with any real relevance to people is the here and now. More specifically, why complexes and areas like Lindbergh, Buckhead and countless other sections of town that should be thriving are destroyed by the ghetto element. More importantly, what can be done to keep an area in Atlanta thriving with successful new developments that don’t end up with chain restaurants padding thug customers down for firearms.

    And for that, you have zero. No facts. No rationale. No excuses.

    No clue.

  55. I have more than a clue because I’m out here putting my life on the line every night for ungrateful people like you who only use big words and can only accept a black man when he has on a blue uniform..but hey that’s what I signed up for

  56. @Dru

    A retort with no facts and not even subtly intimating you’re some sort of law enforcement to engender some type of sympathy since your “arguments” were devoid of facts and illogical.

    What’s scary is that there may be a law enforcement officer patrolling the streets who resents whites who attempt to gentrify ghetto communities and doesn’t even frown upon people bringing firearms into restaurants.

    Now that is truly frightening.

    And you wonder why people think Atlanta government is corrupt.

  57. I think the best example of a recent establishment catering to all colors of people is Reign on Peachtree, owned by a black entrepreneur.

    All of this talk is very interesting to read, and we all have our sentiments, but perhaps it is time to show support for business owners who get things right and forget about the business owners who don’t. Everyone thought that the new club in Midtown was going to be a more dressed up Wet Willy’s crowd, but when I walk by I see a crowd I would like to join on occasion. Everyone is dressed up really nicely, security looks tight, the door policy looks strict, and the place looks really clean and snazzy. It looks to attract a pretty even mix of whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. One night looked to be mostly black, but everyone looked to be between 35 and 50 and everyone was dressed up (the crowd at Wet Willy’s is half the age and definitely not dressed up).

    Atlanta will be the city that advances black people more than any other city in America. Statistics are proving this, and I think it’s not as bad as people provide evidence for. Learn to embrace it. Would I as a young white, professional looking blonde haired blue eyed male feel uncomfortable in Wet Willy’s? Sure, and so would so many professional blacks, too. It’s not really about color when it comes down to it as it is about socioeconomic status. Poor, low class whites live moreso in the country down south (in the city up north) while poor, low class blacks live in the city down south. Exposures are just different. Education is really the biggest factor here. Midtown and intown areas are really pretty mixed and most people have mixed groups of friends, but the uniting factor is educational attainment.

    I read some of the reviews of the places at Lindbergh and they were not good at all. I can assure you both blacks and whites who are working and trying to get a peaceful night’s sleep are not content there. Hoodlums who are hood rich and can afford these places (they live in my building in Midtown, too….1280 West) are a fact of life for city life and they can make life unpleasant for anyone of any color.

    PS: Miami is one super corrupt city. Count on that. Plenty of hood rats in South Florida, which is a huge contributing factor to middle and upper class flight out of South Florida to places like Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Jacksonville.

    PPS: Mayor Kasim Reed seems to be the right choice for mayor for this time. I was initially not a supporter, but he persuaded me literally within a week of office. He is highly educated and highly motivated, and he is making pretty large strides in many different areas of reform and government. The 1990s and early 2000s were certainly a different era (glad I was not in Atlanta at that time).

    PPPS: Lindbergh won’t succeed until Roswell Road is streetscaped with bike lanes and better pedestrian crossings, and MARTA is improved, and more residential units are constructed. As it stands now, the area is pretty scary for those wanting walkability and convenience. It’s also at the confluence of where Cheshire Bridge and that area of Piedmont funnel sketch balls, club goers, strip club goers, drug dealers and buyers, and a wiiiidddddeeee mix of people into one area. This only contributes to the subsurface blight and riff raff. A nice park and police presence and code enforcement could attract more professionals and families, but the area has a long way to go.

  58. Dru – based off of the way you talk, I wouldn’t respect you even with a uniform on. You are a source of shame for all people in uniform.

  59. @Johnny Simmons

    “Atlanta will be the city that advances black people more than any other city in America. Statistics are proving this, and I think it’s not as bad as people provide evidence for. Learn to embrace it.”

    It’s not about being black. That’s not the point – at all. It’s about a ghetto element that a blind eye is turned to that soils any positive progress made in the city. There is a difference.

    “Miami is one super corrupt city. Count on that. Plenty of hood rats in South Florida, which is a huge contributing factor to middle and upper class flight out of South Florida to places like Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Jacksonville.”

    It’s not a contest where the winner/loser is deemed the most corrupt. It’s about a political culture that avoids dealing with the ghetto garbage because it doesn’t fit their political needs. Atlanta government officials refuse to address the affects of the ghetto-thug culture on business and lifestyle for purely political reasons. Miami, particularly South Beach as referenced, would never allow ghetto thug culture to destroy the cash cow tourist attraction that is South Beach. They’ll leave that nonsense to Liberty City.

    Now if it were the Cuban community that were causing problems in a thriving tourist/business environment in South Florida, that would be another story. Fortunately, the Cuban community in South Florida aren’t shooting up South Beach and creating an generally unpleasant atmosphere that reinforces negative stereotypes.

    “Mayor Kasim Reed seems to be the right choice for mayor for this time. I was initially not a supporter, but he persuaded me literally within a week of office. He is highly educated and highly motivated, and he is making pretty large strides in many different areas of reform and government. The 1990s and early 2000s were certainly a different era (glad I was not in Atlanta at that time).”

    He talks a good game. Now, let’s see him do something that actually requires spine, like try to rehabilitate the area around Turner Field or address the ghetto-thug nonsense that cripples the city. Or, more relevant and likely, try and clean up the Old Fourth Ward now that the City Hall complex is being turned into a multi-million dollar farmer’s market/food emporium.

    Do you think he will do anything that might alienate his voting base, even if it’s in the best interest of the city?

    I know my answer. Strip away the PC nonsense and ask yourself the same question.

  60. I beg 2 differ, Johnny…last time I checked Reign was owned by a couple of Indian brothers!!!
    Apparently, THUGZ cant run a successful club…check out the recent closing of ER Lounge (formerly, Leopard Lounge)

  61. You people really have a problem with blacks that’s the end point blank…all that ghetto thug talk is just labeling what you don’t understand and you still have a problem with an educated young black man who is trying to run a city and looking out for people like you all before he looks out for his own community after reading this I now see no matter what some people are set in their ways and no matter what they will have a problem with a certain group of people. You should ask yourself what situation created to culture of these ghetto thugs in the first place? Being that I’m on the streets I try to help everyone including these ghetto thugs I don’t take my opinions to work even against you kind of people I still treat you fairly but it amazes me how people can think they are better than others I guess meth heads aren’t thugs,I guess white collar criminals don’t go out in bulkhead yet they are the worst kind of thug,I guess the mob didn’t go out to the finest restaurants,lounges and bars.no matter what you will think what you think of the youth,who ever said I brought shame to my badge walk a day in my shoes you probably would never make it a week with your attitude,how is it that I’m corrupt because I don’t agree with you and I love my people just like you love hers and I don’t think no race is better than mine? But unlike you people I can recognize faults in my race and Im actually doing something about it,it’s sad to think that some of these ghetto thugs are trying to change and are in the middle east fighting for you but when they come back to the states because of how they look or their musical tastes they are not welcomed,sounds just like world war 2 and vietnam ,what do you want to go back to segregation just like then too?Wet willies is one bar does it hurt you that it’s owned by a bock man? I mean it’s one bar out of many I don’t even care to go there myself not because of ghetto thugs but just because I don’t want to,they have gay bars ,red neck bars,and etc if i went to any of those places I wouldn’t feel comfortable nor would I try to force myself on them because groups of people have the right to party when and where they want to,I don’t hang out in hood establishments because that’s not my crowd and if you think wet willies is a hood crowd then you don’t know what the hood really is ,just because people don’t wear suits or cargo shorts and flip flops when they go out it dent mean they are ghetto,just like a cowboy hat don’t make you a cowboy,the point is I know you people will believe what you want but you should open up your mind and let people be who they are you let other groups do it so why not young black youth? This is Atlanta it is a majority black city always has been and no matter what you do it always will,blacks here don’t know their place and they go anywhere they please and most of them can afford to,why don’t you come to some of the communities where they live in multiple million dollar homes across the metro area a lot of them are living better than you and not from anything illegal or corrupt,Atlanta is a Mecca for blacks who are successful most cities in America are not but Atlanta is and we still have a lot of problems so imagine if you lived in one of those cities but I forgot they probably know their place and don’t cross the rail road tracks in those cities,take that hate and actually help solve the problem buying houses and moving the working poor and elderly out of there community is not helping them,if you are going to move and fix up,an area be part of the community and help ,respect the people who were there before you ,no one likes crime or want to live next to criminals or be crime victims but crime is a reality in every city in America big and small and it will always be here for whatever reason,that’s why I try to stop it I’ve been a victim myself and I decided to do something about it,when I’m off I help out at the boys club and I coach little league football and baseball at a park in a lower income area,I mentor kids and take them on field trips to show them it’s a better way,I help with the homeless ministry at my church by feeding the homeless and contributing some of my money to them,what do you all do besides put people down and judge what you don’t know?

  62. @ SPB Numbskull:

    If Wet Willies was a place I wanted to hang out, I’d much rather see them patting people down at the door than NOT doing it, especially if there’d been some kind of incident before.

    Whoever owns that place is trying to make money, so they can’t let two or three mahem-making idiots scare away the people wanting to come in and fork over money for fruity drinks. People won’t keep showing up if your establishment comes to be known as a place where your glass might get shot out of your hand while you’re sitting at the bar, like in an old western.

    My perspective on this might be a bit distorted though, as I work in a place where non-employees have to go through three layers of security to get in.

    @ Urbanist:

    I never thought of MPCs as “bombs” of development, but the metaphor works in more ways than one. The appeal getting a shiny, all-in-one-shot “village” is obvious and gives people a place to look forward to going to. The more organic, building-by-building, block-by-block approach is slow and no one gets to send out a package of PDF renderings or glowing, self-congratulatory press releases. Placemaking in existing neighborhoods doesn’t get nearly as much play.

    The volume of dead or underutilized space in midtown and downtown is downright demoralizing, but it’s a cause and effect of the city’s orientation toward cars. Because so few people spend a significant amount of time walking, the big holes in street-level development go unnoticed by a lot of us. If people don’t notice something, they’re unlikely to think of it as a problem and probably won’t oppose things that exacerbate it, like splotches of insta-velopment flung far and wide.

  63. @ Palin,
    It also shows why the APD seems to be completely incapable of deterring or preventing crime. They love to show how quickly they catch suspects but never mention that these crimes shouldn’t repeatedly be occuring undeterred, like smash and grabs. I shouldn’t be able to walk down Peachtree on a Friday night in Midtown and not see a single cop on foot patroling, that would NEVER happen in NYC, ever. But thank god they are sitting there handing out tickets for people trying to go straight on 17th at Peachtree, or going 65 mph on the connector, way to protect and serve.

  64. Thank you Caleb for writing anther one sided article w/o the proper facts and created a forum for bigots and racists. Once again you prove that bloggers are unaccountable for their actions.

  65. And this thread went the way of morons. Unofficially, can we all agree to something? When you have a comment to make, if it includes a racial statement of ANY kind, don’t make it. Don’t accuse people of being racist, don’t make a comment about certain races doing this or that, just simply leave it alone.

    Being racist destroys any credibility, as does being someone who blames their problems on people they perceive as racist.

    If a business shuts down, it’s useful to discuss why it shut down, what will replace it, what could be done to keep other businesses in business, etc. Not this nonsense.

  66. Lindbergh Center at least succeeds in one area….diversity. It’s equal parts black and white with a ton of people from all over the world. I’ve lived here for over a year and it’s by far the most diverse environment I’ve lived.

    Isn’t diversity what we all want and preach?

  67. @urbanist i agree and at JT nyc has ONE united metro police dept with about 20,000 officers in Atlanta you have APD in fulton county but in fulton county alone, with alpharetta,johns creek,milton,sandy springs,roswell,college park,east point,chatt hills,palmetto,fairburn,union city,fulton county pd,fulton county sheriffs dept,marta pd,several college pds, and thats just fulton county this repeats in dekalb,cobb,gwinnett,clayton,henry,cherokee,fayette its probably about 50 different police depts in metro atlanta…to many chiefs and different jurisdictions with no cooperation because everyone wants to be in charge ,most places hv 5 at the most…but not here WHY because everybody wants to be separate to go back to what the urbanist was saying

  68. Urbanist: you truly live in a fantasy world. Wake up and look at what Atlanta has turned into.

    Dru: What’s your superior officer’s name, buddy?

  69. @ Susan – I live in a fantasy world, because I think that smart development can deter the problems we have in this city? Care to elaborate?

  70. @Urbanist

    “When you have a comment to make, if it includes a racial statement of ANY kind, don’t make it.”

    And here’s the problem. No one can talk about the ghetto element destroying areas of Atlanta. You’re supposed to pretend there are no issues with this whatsoever and blame all problems on paid parking or bad hot dog service or some other straw man that avoids the truth. Which is why problems don;t get resolved, complexes like Atlantic Station and Lindbergh fail due to fear of ghetto garbage and intown neighborhoods enterprising residents have tried to improve have plummeted in property value.

    Cowards. All of you. And chained to some PC nonsense that avoids addressing the chief problem that’s destroying Atlanta: Ghetto garbage.

    @Dru
    “You people really have a problem with blacks that’s the end point blank…all that ghetto thug talk is just labeling what you don’t understand and you still have a problem with an educated young black man who is trying to run a city and looking out for people like you all before he looks out for his own community after reading this I now see no matter what some people are set in their ways and no matter what they will have a problem with a certain group of people.”

    First off, congratulations on finding the period key on your computer. This is as close to a readable post you’ve made thus far. Intelligible, no. But readable; a major stride.

    Secondly, how is Kasim Reed “looking out for people like you?” What kind of people are we? Taxpaying citizens? That’s his job. He shouldn’t be congratulated for doing his job, no matter how much that differs from his ghetto predecessors (Shirley Girl, the vile criminal before her).

    Also, what is his “own community?” Ghetto people? Is that what you’re saying? Doesn’t he represent everyone? You speak out of both sides of your mouth. Everyone (i.e. white people), according to you, has a problem with ‘blacks.” But it’s you who constantly distinguishes between races, to the point that to you there’s a difference between white residents (aka “people like you”) and blacks, who he’s forsaking some unspoken loyalty by thus far not enabling destructive ghetto traditions (rest assured, that will change come election time).

    Bottom line: if Atlanta is going to escape it’s ghetto stagnation, it’s not the upstanding crowd from the Westside who are going to lead the charge. It’s going to be people who don’t snarl their lips while stalking women at Atlantic Station, don’t have be frisked at a frozen daiquiri bars, haven’t turned panhandling into a career and don’t shop for their wife beaters and do rags at convenience stores. That’s if they stick around and don’t give up, as many suggest they do in order to keep the city “thug friendly.”

    “what do you all do besides put people down and judge what you don’t know?”

    I know that my property value in a once gentrifying intown neighborhood has plummeted to the point that my home is now a prison I can’t escape from after living in it and investing in it for 10 years. I know that there was a ghetto murder on the sidewalk across the street from my building last year. I know there’s a ghetto drug dealer who moved a floor above – renting, of course – who has “visitors” come and go at all hours of the night. I know that my friend who works at the APD constantly calls to warn me about carjackings that happen a block away from where I live.

    Yeah, I think I “know” about intown Atlanta.

    “urbanist i agree and at JT nyc has ONE united metro police dept with about 20,000 officers in Atlanta you have APD in fulton county but in fulton county alone, with alpharetta,johns creek,milton,sandy springs,roswell,college park,east point,chatt hills,palmetto,fairburn,union city,fulton county pd,fulton county sheriffs dept,marta pd,several college pds, and thats just fulton county this repeats in dekalb,cobb,gwinnett,clayton,henry,cherokee,fayette its probably about 50 different police depts in metro atlanta…to many chiefs and different jurisdictions with no cooperation because everyone wants to be in charge ,most places hv 5 at the most…but not here WHY because everybody wants to be separate to go back to what the urbanist was saying”

    Guess that period thing didn’t work out. If you are a law enforcement officer ( shudder), I pity the individual who has to clean up your reports.

    @Chris

    “Lindbergh Center at least succeeds in one area….diversity. It’s equal parts black and white with a ton of people from all over the world. I’ve lived here for over a year and it’s by far the most diverse environment I’ve lived.

    Isn’t diversity what we all want and preach?”

    What’s the air like up there, Chris?

    I don’t consider “diversity” when a specific element drives away law-abiding, respectful people trying to live their life and enjoy a city’s amenities with obnoxious, violent and property-value sucking behavior.

    That’s not diversity. Those are lowlife, gangster behaviors. Oh, I meant “gangsta.” Or as a friend of mine was told when he first moved here and received poor service at a Publix and complained “Youz beez in da ATL now.”

    What a racist dump.

  71. @ Palin – Every city on the planet has ghetto garbage. Atlanta is no different. However, what Atlanta doesn’t do, which many other cities do, is develop itself with consideration for more than AJC headlines and political back-slapping. Turning Atlanta into a top tier city, that is perceived as a leader in industry and a cultural trendsetter, would not be that hard to do. We have the resources, but we are constantly crippling ourselves with poor decisions – Atlantic Station, Lindbergh, the new plans for the Gulch, the transportation proposals and projects that will be funded – in part – with a 50% increase in MARTA fares, etc.

    When you make a racial statement, not only does it undermine the credibility of your own statement, but it pulls all of the Sharpton wannabe’s out of the closet to do nothing but distract from the point, and deviate from logic, with emotionally charged accusations. It’s
    pointless, and it doesn’t get anyone anywhere.

  72. I didnt know I was being graded but thats just like some people to look for fault in a bs comment section.Why dont you try finding you a man and maybe you wouldnt be so uptight and you would have something more meaningful to worry about than what black people are doing. So what is it that you want blacks to do? Pick Cotton? It seems like you have all the answers but yet you have not said not one positive thing about a black person are we all bad in your eyes “MASSA” do you want me to come shine your shoes or tap dance? Do you want us all to go back to Africa? Did a Black man break your heart and leave you or are you to racists to date one? either way go get laid and get a life or why dont you go to Spelman College and debate your ignorant racist views with those ghetto thugs.LOL Yeah I didnt think you would.

  73. sorry i forgot to add some periods and commas and I have some run on sentences you know Im a ghetto thug and i dropped out in the 9th grade after repeating it 3x and Im actually typing this from my jail cell in prison.

  74. oh and I forgot to spell it TOO and take the S off of RACIST can you please forgive me MASSA dont hit me with a whip,you know we had to sneak and learn how to read because you wouldnt teach us

  75. @ Sarah Palin

    You very well could be the most ignorant person I have ever had the experience of coming across. I mean really, how f****** stupid can you possibly be. And I really wanted to make an attempt at being civil, but after reading the crap that you have put up on this website for the past few days its a little hard to. So you are implying that the element of race and percieved ghettoness is what forced an overpriced, underwhelming, unfriendly restaurant into closing? Based on all the lovely stereotypes that you have spewed out, you of all people should be able to draw the connection that a quite good coffee shop has been able to keep its doors open, amongst the “hoodlums.” And lets be real, how many gangsters have you seen drinking high end coffee? To make any excuses, yours or the pathetic ones made by the owner of the restaurant, as to why this establishment closed is a joke. It was overpriced, unfriendly and the food served there was nothing I could not get at any of the other restaraunts in the immediate area. Rule no.1 in business, either sell something no one else does, or at least do it a hell of a lot better, neither of which the owner did.

    I also suggest that you travel at some point in your life. And when I say travel I dont mean spend a single night in a city, I am talking about spending significant time in places like Chicago, New York, Boston, Charlotte, St. Louis, and Nashville. And when you are done doing that, I would love for you to try and tell me that you didn’t see the exact same crap you see going on in Atlanta. It happens everywhere, and it’s goes well beyond just the “gangsters.” There are plenty of rednecks that make the downtowns of Charlotte and Nashville a dump. But I suppose that is ok because they buy Dale Jr. shirts at Wal-Mart vs. a wife beater at a gas station. Your conclusions and points reek of racial and socio-economic ignorance. Your obsession over your property value, which you felt you had to cite multiple times, represents your superficiality astoundingly. I pity the fact that you sunk 10 years of your life and money into something to serve a means to a financial ends for you, and not the thing that it really is. A home, a roof over your head, and not an investment account that you think is a Constitutional Right to make a profit on.
    Oh and newsflash, everyone’s home has decreased in value, but do you know the areas that decreased the least; nationwide and in Atlanta? Urban areas, city cores,center cities. You know, those vile filthy places full of disgusting people, according to your twisted logic. So if yours has dropped more than others, its probably your fault.

    Lastly, aside from the fact that your entire posts stinks of hatred and ignorance, your argument would probably carry more weight if it carried something besides your own pessimistic views. Using your upstairs neighbor as an excuse as to why an entire city has gone to hell is juvenile. Especially when every other major statistical category points in the opposite direction. We all get s****y neighbors in our life, urban or suburban. Like Urbanist said, there is ghetto trash in this city, no arguing that, but there is white trash, there is hispanic trash, and it goes far beyond just Atlanta. It occurs nationwide. So until you can provide me with real tangible evidence you will remain a complete moron. I suggest you go out and explore a bit. For someone who has clearly lived here at least 10 years, as you state, I would expect you to know that a large majority of Intown neighborhoods have gone on the rise, not the decline. Get out of your self imposed “jail” and you will see that yeah you might run across a couple kids in midtown with their pants sagging, it is by far no ghetto. The same goes for Edgewood, Inman, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, Castleberry Hill, etc. etc.

  76. @Urbanist

    “Every city on the planet has ghetto garbage. Atlanta is no different. ”

    Yes it is. In other cities, ghetto trash is concentrated into a single area or a couple of areas where they can wreak their destruction. In Atlanta, it’s everywhere.

    “When you make a racial statement, not only does it undermine the credibility of your own statement, but it pulls all of the Sharpton wannabe’s out of the closet to do nothing but distract from the point, and deviate from logic, with emotionally charged accusations. It’s
    pointless, and it doesn’t get anyone anywhere.”

    Yet ignoring it and whistling past the graveyard is so much more helpful. Let’s keep pretending the problem doesn’t exist, lie to ourselves and everyone else that it isn’t crippling the city and let the corrupt and destructive status quo remain for the sake of being PC. Sounds like a terrific idea that will undoubtedly lead to progress.

    @Dru

    “Why dont you try finding you a man and maybe you wouldnt be so uptight ”

    Classic ghetto seduction. How romantic. Does that smooth talking work on women trying to have a peaceful afternoon shopping at Atlantic Station? I would guess no. But you all keep trying…

    “So what is it that you want blacks to do? Pick Cotton?”

    There’s nothing like old school racial invective. Picking cotton? Good to see you can boil down a complex issue into a 150-year-old stereotype. Yawn.

    “you have not said not one positive thing about a black person are we all bad in your eyes “MASSA” do you want me to come shine your shoes or tap dance?”

    And you have not said one positive thing about a white person. They’re all evil white devils for gentrifying neighborhoods. That’s about as positive as you get.

    “Do you want us all to go back to Africa?”

    I want the ghetto garbage to stop destroying the city. Africa seems extreme. The convenience stores there may not sell do rags, either.

    “Did a Black man break your heart and leave you or are you to racists to date one?”

    You can’t seem to take no for an answer. Not interested.

    “why dont you go to Spelman College and debate your ignorant racist views with those ghetto thugs.LOL Yeah I didnt think you would.”

    So you propose something and then assume to answer the outcome without it even happening. That is actually funny. And really stupid.

    @BCATL

    “You very well could be the most ignorant person I have ever had the experience of coming across.”

    Have you met Dru?

    “I mean really, how f****** stupid can you possibly be.”

    Let me finish you’re missive and I’ll let you know.

    “So you are implying that the element of race and percieved ghettoness is what forced an overpriced, underwhelming, unfriendly restaurant into closing?”

    Who’s implying anything? I’m saying it flat out.

    “Based on all the lovely stereotypes that you have spewed out, you of all people should be able to draw the connection that a quite good coffee shop has been able to keep its doors open, amongst the “hoodlums.””

    Coffee shop? Who’s talking about a coffee shop? Try to stay focused.

    “Rule no.1 in business, either sell something no one else does, or at least do it a hell of a lot better”

    Then explain the countless convenience stores selling do rags, wife beaters, cigarellos that will be turned into blunts and disposable cell phones. Those places all seem the same and appear to survive just fine. Must be the large clientele.

    “It was overpriced, unfriendly and the food served there was nothing I could not get at any of the other restaraunts in the immediate area.”

    Then explain Mrs. Winners. Or KFC. Plenty of those and you couldn’t find two unfriendlier places.

    “I also suggest that you travel at some point in your life”

    Been many, many places. Love it. Especially the places where I don’t vibrate from the bass.

    “I am talking about spending significant time in places like Chicago, New York, Boston, Charlotte, St. Louis, and Nashville.”

    Why would anyone want to spent a single second in St. Louis? Plenty of other clean, decent places to go. Like San Francisco. Very nice. Except for the aggressive beggars.

    “Your conclusions and points reek of racial and socio-economic ignorance.”

    No, it rings of reality. How do you hear with your head in the sand?

    “Your obsession over your property value, which you felt you had to cite multiple times, represents your superficiality astoundingly. ”

    Would you like to pay my near underwater mortgage since it’s so trivial? Plenty of hood clubs nearby. I bet they even provide day care.

    “I pity the fact that you sunk 10 years of your life and money into something”

    Thanks. Plenty of us feel the same way. It’s a tragedy.

    “Oh and newsflash, everyone’s home has decreased in value, but do you know the areas that decreased the least; nationwide and in Atlanta? Urban areas, city cores,center cities.”

    Please link to some statistical data to back up this outrageous claim. Until then, it’s fantasy devised to enable ghetto garbage.

    “So if yours has dropped more than others, its probably your fault.”

    My contractor doesn’t seem to think so. It’s impossible to keep the termites out once they find a place to chew.

    “Lastly, aside from the fact that your entire posts stinks of hatred and ignorance”

    When did reality become hatred and ignorance? Oh, I forgot, it’s Atlanta. Everyone has to pretend ghetto thugs and thugettes (aka, Miss Thangs doing their nails while driving with their left blinker on for miles and yapping on their “ceyul fons”) are innocent in the continued erosion of Atlanta.

    Question: how many white nightclubs shut down due to violence? Not including the ones ghetto thugs invade and turn into hood dumps.

    “there is ghetto trash in this city, no arguing that”

    Finally, something we can agree on!

    “but there is white trash”

    OTP.

    “there is hispanic trash”

    South Cobb and Gwinnett.

    “So until you can provide me with real tangible evidence you will remain a complete moron.”

    Tangible evidence for what? You demand evidence for something and do not even state what it is.

    If you’re looking for proof ghetto trash is destroying Atlanta, i can show you the blood stain on the sidewalk across the street from the hood homicide last year. Not pretty.

    “For someone who has clearly lived here at least 10 years, as you state, I would expect you to know that a large majority of Intown neighborhoods have gone on the rise, not the decline.”

    You haven’t spent much time intown, have you? Maybe your standards are unspeakably low.

    “Get out of your self imposed “jail””

    The irony.

    “you will see that yeah you might run across a couple kids in midtown with their pants sagging, it is by far no ghetto. The same goes for Edgewood, Inman, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, Castleberry Hill, etc. etc.”

    Edgewood = Destroyed

    Inam Park = Good shape

    Little Five Points = Status quo

    VH + Good shape

    Castleberry Hill = Annihilated by ghetto trash, property values destroyed and a virtual zone of hood garbage, break ins, drug dealers, muggings and carjackings.

    Thanks ghetto trash!

  77. @ Sarah Palin

    Hey genius, speaking of staying on topic you seem to miss the whole thing. We are talking about Lindbergh Station correct? Yes. We are talking about why a business failed in that area correct? Yes. You are flat out saying it involves race and hoodlums correct? Yes. So I am citing examples of places, such as a high end coffee shop one block away from Bobby G’s that has survived. Try to stay focused here, I know its hard. Secondly while talking about Lindbergh Station you start throwing out KFC and gas stations. What the f*** does that have to do with Lindbergh Station and Bobby G’s failing. Thats right, nothing,

    Nice way to skirt the topic in regards to the conditions of other cities. You cite St. Louis in passing (you clearly have never spent any time there) and ignore the rest, further proving that you are not well traveled.

    http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/smartgrowthusa/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/leinberger.pdf

    There is your first example of urban home prices dropping less than suburban. I have more documents at home so I will be sure to come back and post those for you as well that cite other cities.

    Next time try not to take bits and pieces of an argument and use them for what you see fit. Try to look at the whole thing.

  78. First of all when did I call anybody white the devil? I just have pride in my race and I dont think anyone is better than me especially because of their color because no one chooses their color. Delta has 1 way flights to salt lake city and to boise if you want to be around all whites but oh im sorry they have a lot samoans in Salt lake city so you would probably hate them too but i think Delta also goes to montana if you want to go be with your Aryan nation brothers,Its funny how when a person makes fun of your bs racism IM the one who is an idiot that amazes me, Im not a weak black man and never will i bow down to any race thinking they are better than me.I dont think IM better than any other race either ,do you thinks that blacks like crime when WE are the ones who are the victim 90% of the time? Ive lost several friends to violence so all that bs you saying is just that bs.You seem to know alot about what you think ghetto trash people do is it that you secretly want to be black but since you cant you hate? Why you hate us so much? Did a black person ever do something to you personally so bad? By the way do you all still have The KKK meeting on the top of Stone Mountain? Should I tell my grandmother not to go to church because you are gonna blow up the church? or should I tell my friends need not apply because you will deny them for the job because of your racists views? should I tell them to not move or hangout above I20 and stay in their place?or dont go to the bank because you will deny them of their loan or if they do get it the interest rate will be higher than a white person even though they have good credit, I suggest you go explore the world or just move because we will always be here like it or not.

  79. @Sarah Palin Bachman Numbskull. I made the “diversity” statement because most people say having a diverse neighboorhood is a good thing, however the vast majority of people don’t want to live in a diverse neighborhood. That’s just the truth.

    Check out Creative Loafing’s Atlanta neighborhood guide.
    http://clatl.com/atlanta/NeighborhoodGuide
    They actually rate a neighborhood lower if it’s less diverse. Seems pretty PC.

    As far as living in Lindbergh goes, I have mixed feelings about it. The restarants/bar around here suck. I moved from Inman Park and there was a lot more to do. I aggee with @Urbanist that building the big developments don’t work. They open with tons of empty retail space. It instantly gives the neighborhood a feeling that it’s failed and gone down hill. I think one of the reasons Inman Park is so successful is that it grew slowing and organically,opening one new place at a time without a ton of empty stores.

    I think Blind Willies is a bad additions to Lindbergh because of the thugs that go there. Even other black people thinks it’s ghetto trash according to Yelp reviews. A place that needs cops at the door for lunch time is not good for a neighborhood. They search woman’s purses going in and going OUT of that place!

    But living here is not that bad and having MARTA this close was one of the main reasons I moved here. However, it’s totally failed as a “neighborhood”

  80. @BCATL

    “Hey genius”

    Hey. And thank you for stating the obvious.

    “What the f*** does that have to do with Lindbergh Station and Bobby G’s failing. Thats right, nothing,”

    Don’t be disingenuous. The topic has evolved far beyond the Section 8 annihilation of Bobby G’s. Keep up.

    “You cite St. Louis in passing (you clearly have never spent any time there) and ignore the rest, further proving that you are not well traveled.”

    First, why would anyone want to go to the dump known as St. Louis? Second, how does not responding to your silly list of cities prove anything about my travels? Desperately grasping at straws again.

    Also, in keeping with your “logic,” what does St. Louis have to do with the ghetto destruction of Lindbergh? Zero. Try to at least be consistent in your unhinged rants.

    “There is your first example of urban home prices dropping less than suburban. I have more documents at home so I will be sure to come back and post those for you as well that cite other cities.”

    I certainly hope you have more because that presented nothing but conjecture and didn’t address Atlanta specifically. Since Atlanta has a severe infection of ghetto fever compared to other metropolitan areas it is not reflective of the status quo and should be treated like the hood rat freakshow it is. Try presenting some specifics about this region. Intown properties here have plummeted as much as 70 percent here as the sales of do rags and cherry cigarellos have skyrocketed.

    “Next time try not to take bits and pieces of an argument and use them for what you see fit.”

    That’s called arguing. Wow. Haven’t had many involved discussions, have you?

    @Dru

    “First of all when did I call anybody white the devil?”

    Who’s “white the devil?” Sounds like a cartoon character.

    “Delta has 1 way flights to salt lake city and to boise if you want to be around all whites but oh im sorry they have a lot samoans in Salt lake city so you would probably hate them too but i think Delta also goes to montana if you want to go be with your Aryan nation brothers”

    Three sentences for the price of one! All dumb.

    “Its funny how when a person makes fun of your bs racism IM the one who is an idiot that amazes me,”

    It really shouldn’t. And you’re the one displaying racism, hating white people for trying to improve depressed communities.

    “You seem to know alot about what you think ghetto trash people do”

    Because I have eyes.

    “is it that you secretly want to be black but since you cant you hate?”

    My shoe polish budget is through the roof.

    “By the way do you all still have The KKK meeting on the top of Stone Mountain?”

    It’s been moved to Gainesville. Less of a commute.

    “Should I tell my grandmother not to go to church because you are gonna blow up the church?”

    How utterly ridiculous. And you’re a law enforcement officer? Terrifying.

    “or should I tell my friends need not apply because you will deny them for the job because of your racists views? ”

    Human resources wouldn’t like that.

    “or dont go to the bank because you will deny them of their loan or if they do get it the interest rate will be higher than a white person even though they have good credit,”

    I appear to have a lot of jobs I’m unaware of.

    @Chris

    “I made the “diversity” statement because most people say having a diverse neighboorhood is a good thing, however the vast majority of people don’t want to live in a diverse neighborhood. That’s just the truth.”

    The truth is most people don’t mind diversity. What they mind is ghetto garbage. There is a difference.

    “I aggee with @Urbanist that building the big developments don’t work. They open with tons of empty retail space. It instantly gives the neighborhood a feeling that it’s failed and gone down hill.”

    And the thugs walking around snarling and packing heat have no impact at all, right?

    “A place that needs cops at the door for lunch time is not good for a neighborhood.”

    That should be printed on the Wet Willie’s menu.

    “They search woman’s purses going in and going OUT of that place!”

    Are they stealing “ceyul fons” again?

    “However, it’s totally failed as a “neighborhood””

    The list of those continues to grow longer. And longer. And longer.

    And what’s the common denominator?

  81. Y’all are stupid. SPBN is whuppin each and every one of your sorry asses with the facts, and the pseudo-retarded cop and the moronic politically correct don’t stand a candle’s light in a fart winds storm against her. Listen people, YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH THE FACTS: This town is ghetto (or “ghetto fabulous” if you ask Dru) and it ain’t changing for the better anytime soon.

  82. I think this has been a long time coming talking about race which is Atlanta’s last name. (if it has one) I was born and raised in Atlanta and around 1973 I was in the 5th grade and started noticing so many tags from Michigan and other Midwestern states. Maynard Jackson was about to become the city’s first Black mayor.
    Since then “White Flight” has taken hold and thousands of whites poured out of the city and into the suburbs.
    Now, guess what? The thugs have moved into Atlanta’s suburban counties, and everywhere they go, they tear up, vandalize, and ruin everything. I remember when Underground had its second grand opening in 1989, whites poured into downtown, and then the Rodney King riots started, so the black thugs looted and thrashed Underground and it has NEVER recovered. On weekends they do not have any viable shopping options, so what do they do, get on MARTA and go to Lenox Square and take it over for the weekend. Yeah I agree that Atlanta has become nothing but a Southern version of Detroit. The list above is accurate. Everything has been ruined by the black thugs and nothing is left for the whites to enjoy.
    Why is downtown like a ghost town with tumbleweed rolling across the streets after 5 pm on weekdays and the entire weekend? The Black Thugs ran everyone and everything off.
    Why did the developers start putting office, condo, and hotel towers in Midtown? To get away from the Black Thugs, but even Midtown is suffering from the Thugs, as is Atlantic Station, Peidmont Park, Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, and the list goes on. Hell, the Black Thugs even took over Clayton County, and part of South Cobb- Look at what was a successful mall-Cumberland Mall, but after demolishing JCPenney did Dillard’s or Belk want to be a third anchor, hell no!! Blame that on what I saw as a small trend that eventually turned into a Black Thug treand, and that was the CCT Transfer Station across the street from Cumberland Mall and then the Black Thugs just took over and ruined that mall, like the Thugs ruin everything in Atlanta. Like I said, I was born and raised here, but I think I am ready to move to Seattle or Portland, and the hell with Black Thugville. Oh, one more thing. I told my brother about the new company that purchased the Equitable Building and removing the “EQUITABLE” letters from the top and he asked me if they were going to replace those letters with “NIGGAS”, that would also light up at night.

  83. Caleb,

    How about just closing down this thread. And maybe block the commenters who are posting nonsense on your blog. This is just ridiculous.

  84. Well this has been very entertaining, but the truth of the matter is that NOT black, oh sorry African Americans, so I guess that would make me a European American, anyway it is not blacks, it is the thug blacks that cause so much crap. Turn on Action News and all you see is the black thugs, robbing, raping, car jacking, home invading, and tearing up everything that they can get thier hands on. They are the “ELEMENT”, and it is not the good black folks that hate white people, it is the black thugs that hate white people and would love to see the white folks have to pick cotton and shine shoes. That is were the racist element is. I have said enough, now I be goin’ to pack me bags and go up dare to Seattle where all the other white peoples be.

  85. @Lynette

    What’s “ridiculous” are members of the Atlanta Ostrich Brigade like yourself who are so PC indignant and offended that you’d rather see the city disintegrate than address the issue of ghetto destruction tearing the place apart.

  86. I agree Lynette. Sadly, this thread has developed into a cesspool of malicious and destructive slander…. ultimately straying from the initial topic at hand. The argument is no longer structured or valid because some (unfortunately) are geared by personal quarrels and underlying prejudices.

    It’s ironic, the negative tone of this thread is a direct reflection of what our city is becoming…. It does not matter if you’re black, white, yellow or green, let’s not tear each other down…. it is not progressive by any means. God Bless!

  87. @Tina

    Please review the formal definitions of “slander” and “irony.” You’ll find, with a little work, that you have no clue what either mean.

  88. Hello,

    I’d just like reiterate my previous statement.

    Slander as you some individuals are actively making cruel and false statements toward a specific race of people. Some mere assumptions and opinions, but damaging none the less.

    Ironic, meaning some individuals are affirming our city would be better off without the “thugs”. I AGREE! However, thugs are not designated to one particular race. It is ironic, I would think the majority of people in this thread to provide meaningful solutions/ideas for our failing city, yet it has bred a heated debate intertwined with hatred and arrogance.

    I’m not one to get tangled in such a shallow “disputes”, however I would stress, in order for your words to be taken seriously…
    Attack the SUBJECT/ ISSUE… not the person. Have tact and approach the matter with intellect. Don’t throw words or friend a thesaurus because you think it makes your point stronger or you smarter. As a result, you won’t come of like a scathing lunatic! Point being, its not about having the last word but having words with substance and heart.

    I urge everyone to “get cultured” and to not be so damn biased. I love my city! Venture out into different neighborhoods, get to know different races and faces! Be active in your communities instead of complaining on blog after blog… and call the cops (yes, over and over again) if you see drug related activity.

    Has anyone considered that the restaurant closed because the food was just plain bad!! lol

    Well guys, I have a life to tend to…. and I know misery loves company, so this is my last post. God bless!

    slander |ˈslandər|
    noun
    the action of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation
    • a false and malicious spoken statement : I’ve had just about all I can stomach of your slanders.
    verb [ trans. ]
    make false and damaging statements about (someone)See note at malign .

    ironic |īˈränik|
    adjective
    using or characterized by irony
    • happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this : [with clause ]

  89. Hey Tina. I recommend you walk through my neighborhood and get to meet the “different races and faces” before you hop on your unicorn and fly over the rainbow in a contrail of pink glitter…

  90. I stay in midtown near piedmont park – never see crime. I also have a place in eon – never see crime.

    When I lived in Home Park near Atlantic Station – I was afraid for my life. So, I dont understand why people are saying Lindbergh is ghetto when its not. The restaurants here all suck. No one comes to L-Station to eat. lmao

  91. I happen to work at an apartment community in the lIndbergh area and I can tell you that the majority of the apartment communities are over 90% occupied and STAY that way consistently. Also, they are majority high-end properties which DO NOT accept section 8. As for the person who said the area is overbuilt and “they could not give away these apartments”….the lindbergh apartment market is one of the most expensive in Atlanta. You will pay more to live here than Buckhead or Midtown. (Granted there arent too many high-end apartment communities in Midtown).
    I think the business owner opened in this area with dreams of catering only to affluent professionals, but lets be honest. Once you are inside the perimeter you are going to be serving every kind of person from every background. Period. If you don’t sell enough food and alcohol to pay your bills, that is the restaurant operator’s fault at the end of the day. You can blame it on a lack of traffic or a lack of quality in your food and service, but by all means you can NOT blame the customers you never had no matter who they are.

  92. What apartments that are now “Section 8 housing?” That’s untrue. There might be communities nearby that accept vouchers (which I honestly don’t think is happening), but there are no total “Section 8” apartment communities anywhere near this location.

  93. I live in PT Hills and I quite often go to SIP for lunch with my girlfriend and even buy plants from Pikes by EON. I have never felt unsafe in the Lindburgh station area. I also think the area has a good mix of people. It is sure not ghetto in any way.

    The resturant in question just wasn’t the right fit and there are much better choices in the area at the same price point. I bet if a MOE’s or WIllies opened up there they would do great trade. Likewise a Meehans or similar neighborhood bar although Taco Mac is a very strong competitor with its beer selection.

  94. I am outdone by the comments I have read here. This article has turned into an opportunity to vent for many whom obviously have been harboring these sentiments for quite some time. The recklessness in which many spoke is digressive and the reason black and white people cannot mend this divisive line, I thought had begun to blur. But I guess I haven’t ever evaluated these types of matters by way of people that had their faces hidden.

    I want to point out one observation:
    1) All of the harshest, negative, and disrespectful choices of words here were said about black people. Regardless, of how uneducated or shallow many believed some comments or rebuttals were no derogatory words were used to describe the other (non-black) races. Race-talks need to happen on occasion, but the disdain in which many spoke of blacks should be an embarrassment. After review of this blog and the comments which posters would you say have the best character? If you had to group these posts or posters into two groups of people with good or bad character, who would most likely fill the good character basket?
    To everyone who posted their opinions in a respectable way kudos to you! Your parents taught you well.

    Sorry for being so didactic, but now lets turn lemons into lemonade; Question?

    Can race co-exist or intermingle here? What can local government do to prevent what was referred to as black people killing thriving areas? What do you expect from local government? Please be as specific as possible. Generalities are difficult to implement.

  95. I’m amazed by the comments I’ve read here… It’s no wonder our world is so full of vitriolic diatribes that perpetuate hate and angst as opposed to building bridges.

  96. We stopped by there once when Taco Mac was full; we STOPPED and quickly turned around because they were rude and what we saw on the plates looked like crap. To say their failure is because of MARTA and Section 8 is laughable. Stick to what you know, Mr. Pharmacist.

  97. Actually, they’re right on target. MARTA has destroyed this neighborhood by making it impossible to park. Why are places constantly closing there left and right? Because people will not pay for parking. Can’t MARTA figure it out? Firkin Pub will never reopen and it’s too bad because it was a classy place as was Bobby G’s, and unlike Taco Mac, which I can’t stand. It’s too bad because there is a need for classier places at Lindbergh, because so many people not only live there, but work there and pass through on their way to work. It’s outrageous there are so many vacant places there. Thanks MARTA for destroying the neighborhood.

  98. I’m black, educated (Bachelor’s from Emory and Masters from Ga Tech *GO JACKETS*)and I live in near the Lindbergh station and I’ve been to this restaurant and the food is really not that great so for the owner of this restaurant to have the audacity to put down people who may not be well off as he for the downfall of his business is mind-boggling and maybe he’s a closet racist and needed this forum to vent, GOOD RIDDANCE

  99. I my 32 years of being in business in Atlanta I’ve met three smucks that really stand out – Paul Luna – the owner of Bobby G’s and and Boyacheck Deli owner — I met him in Roswell several years ago – he needs to go back to Chicago where he can be an ASS and not bother anyone – joe somerville

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