Banquets at the Ramada Inn at the foot of the Tallmadge Bridge were extra special events where the children sat with the adults. We dressed up and ate all the fried shrimp and fried chicken  we wanted.  Speakers came from out of town and it would all be written up in the African American newspaper, The Savannah Herald.  Special memories and landmarks which have been ERASED!

GENTRIFICATION IS ALIVE AND WELL.

I drove to the historic warehouse on Louisville Road in Savannah, Georgia which is slated to become 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments and I saw a lady opening the warehouse door.  I asked her when the construction for the apartments was slated to begin.  She looked at me in disbelief and asked, “what apartments?”  I told her what the City Council voted on that same day.  She told me that her business had been there for 15 years.  There was a man walking along the loading dock.  She pointed to him and said that he was the owner and she knew nothing about them closing or anything being built.  She looked like she was going to cry.  As the man approached her, I drove off.  Truthfully I wanted to stay and witness what I am certain was going to be an interesting confrontation, but that would be tacky.  Like many of us kept in the dark about the changes in the city in which we live and pay taxes, this hard working woman may be out of a job or her job may be moving to another location that she may or may not be able to get to easily.

GENTRIFICATION IS ALIVE AND WELL.

Why is it so difficult to keep the stakeholders in the loop?  Why are the people who will be directly affected by these changes NEVER included in the PLANNING stages?  I will tell you why.  Because plans have already been made and those who will benefit financially, socially, and politically from these moves do not want ANYONE getting in the way.  We, the stakeholders, should be the ones at the table deciding what should and should not happen to our community.  Unfortunately the city officials that we vote into office seem to forget this and when individuals, like me,  remind them that WE elected them to those positions and expect them to do what we want done, we are LABELED AS TROUBLE MAKERS.  Well, this TROUBLE MAKER is NOT going away.  Gentrification may be alive and well but this STAKEHOLDER SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!!!

~~~~Malinda Gwyn~~~~