A permit Thursday was filed with the City of Atlanta for the demolition of the burned down Wendy’s on University Avenue where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police. The fast-food restaurant’s remnants will be bulldozed to the ground, leaving behind its concrete slab foundation only, the firm hired for the demolition confirmed with What Now Atlanta (WNA).
It remains unclear whether the franchisee intends to rebuild the Wendy’s. A separate permit seeking approvals for commercial construction was also filed for the site, but the contents of the filing were not readily accessible. WNA Friday submitted an Open Records Request to the City to obtain a copy of the permit application. The City has acknowledged receipt of the request but has not rendered the documents. Wendy’s corporate did not respond to a request for comment.
In the weeks since Brooks was killed and the Wendy’s burned down, activists have worked to reclaim the site as a lasting peace center for healing.
Brooks’ memorial in that Wendy’s lot, along with the peace center, was cleared out by the city of Atlanta on July 7 after the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoria Turner that took place across the street on July 4. The artwork, flowers, signs, and other displays to commemorate Brooks’ life were disposed of.
“Although our hearts are broken by another loss in the Black community, it only further affirms our mission to erect a peace center at this site,” Rayshard’s Memorial & Peace Center wrote in a statement following Turner’s death. “That is why we have already begun to create space for healing and restoration at this site as we stand in solidarity with our community demonstrating distinctly against violence and oppressive forces.”
The area around that Wendy’s in the Pittsburgh neighborhood is a food desert, as Mayor Kiesha Lance Bottoms pointed out in a press conference on June 15. “One of the few restaurants in the area and now it is gone. Those are the things the demonstrators need to think about,” she said.
This story is developing.
10 Responses
Here’s an idea.
How about naming it the Scoria Turner’s Memorial and Peace Center.
Since she was truly an innocent victim of gun violence in that community.
Sorry Secoria.
Auto-correct was misbehaving.
never rebuild, destroying a business that had nothing to do with, because some asshole resisting arrest, for every action there is a reaction.stop glorifying criminals
I absolutely agree, I’m so sick and tired of the burning down buildings and looting stores its not funny. Those Garbage ass trifling street trash that do that stuff are usealy into criminal activity s anyway. Into the street life, so they useless Ratchet ass life styles of being STREET TRASH don’t have Any respect for nothing or nobody. It’s what they do Best. Menice to society in 2020. They not part of any Real change in our community. Just for they own pathetic agendas. That makes us get looked at by society as we All joint by the hips.We are monolithic. I HOPE THOSE IDIOTS THAT HAVE SO MUCH LOOTING AND SHOOTING ENENGY IN THE BLOODY will go and put that SAME ANGER INTO VOTING IN ALL ELECTIONS . Don’t loot, VOTE, register to VOTE.
Burning down your own neighborhood food establishments– really? And you want to talk about food deserts???
What did that Wendy’s have to do with somebody’s death?
Burning that business down screwed over the owner, and all the employees– at a time when
foodservice is hurting because of C-19.
You’ve raised insurance rates, and the possibility of more businesses moving into that area. Congratulations.
SMH…
There’s so much wrong with this perspective. There are additional facts which, I believe, significantly change the conclusions you should draw from this situation.
First off, no one burned down their own neighborhood. If I recall correctly, the arsonist was a white woman from the Northern suburbs. Not to mention, she was the SECRET GIRLFRIEND OF THE MAN WHO WAS KILLED. I can’t emphasize this enough: she was not a demonstrator!! This was literally a case of a grieving/mourning/angry spouse committing a senseless and illogical act of revenge.
Demonstrators filmed the crime from a distance while saying things like “look at this crazy lady trying to burn down the Wendy’s, this ain’t us!” That gave the authorities enough evidence to apprehend and arrest the suspect a few days later. In fact, the crime would’ve probably been pretty easily prevented if – from the start of the protests – the police had focused on public safety rather than “winning” the protests through liberal application of tear gas and tasers.
And to address your earlier point – I think everyone would agree that Secoria Turner is a better example to hold up. At the same time, protesting Rayshard’s death (peacefully) was justified. He absolutely made a mistake, was an asshole, and certainly deserved punishment (be it jail or whatever else). But the point is that we have a police force that systemically kills more of the people it is designed to protect than any of our peer nations. With any systemic problem it’s difficult to identify individual instances in which the systemic issue has played a part – maybe it is the situations police are put in, maybe it is the approach they are trained to take once in them, or the equipment they are issued – but this certainly seems as if it is one.
ha ha ,the building was already on fire when she was captured on video ,placing an incendiary device, multiple suspects, get your facts straight, are you missing all the damage thats being caused by these thugs, in the u.s.https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/breaking-suspect-downtown-wendy-fire-custody/jLwEWUW54x7pn4icnYM5LO/
What makes me Sooo Angry is if the looters and such would put that energy into Voting, register to vote, help register folks to vote, then Mabe shit will start to change. Vote in who they want as police chief and mayor city council Governors Etc. That is where it starts. Like that precious beautiful little girl who got killed the other week from that same ole group of STRRET TRASH, that pretends to be about justice and really in Them streets doing Nothing But chaos. Them same IGNORANT NO GOOD MOTHER F ers mess up peaceful protest because they want attention and all ways into something anyway. So clashing with the police isn’t anything New to them. They don’t care about the real issues in our community they are for the streets. And got the M F nerves to try and blend in when we our having a peaceful protest & March. We trying to get things done and here comes the FAKE ONES acting like they care about someone getting shot. They seized the opportunity to act a Dam FOOL as Usual and start the burning & looting & shooting. I see what goes on around the Beautiful city of Atlanta. Lots of jealous people with No real back bone. The looters take attention off of us and gets the news attention on to their FOOLISHNESS. How sad that is. Are they protesting about that beautiful little girl who got killed because those Demons didn’t care about shooting inside the car and furthermore WTF was they doing that night in the same area of the Wendy’s putting up a roadblock for??? Criminal activity? Out there pretending to be for Rasheed. But really out to be a gangsta. Please these Wanna bee Bloods in Atlanta are so FAKE. Stop trying to be LA. Watts ING CPT SC. We a much better city. Put that anger towards the right stuff and shit will change. Stop killing another and get up out those streets. I Hate bad cops But the Good ones get over shadowed by those Stupid cops that are Trash & have a mentality to undervalue underestimate & marginalizes us. I’m just saying.
Definitely frustrating when violent agitators take over the story from the much larger peaceful demonstrators. Not that this is the case here, but keep in mind people opposed to the protests have proven time and time again they’re not above sending paid protesters/agitators into the crowd to sour public sentiment. That said, I think there is A LOT of energy being put into voting/registering this cycle and the main message is still about fixing systemic problems. A couple bright spots in what sometimes seems like a sea of negativity…
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/atlanta-fire-releases-new-photos-person-wanted-questioning-wendys-arson/UNIDPJLEK5F7JGPX7RW5JNAYWE/
You might be right, maybe none of these people actually lived in the neighborhood. But did everybody else there just turn their back and let this happen???
— That’s a stretch.