ATLANTA — Dozens of protesters gathered outside Atlanta City Hall Monday to demand the city addresses housing concerns. Specifically, for residents who say they've been forced out of the Peoplestown neighborood.
The residents say urgency is needed, as this is now a crisis.
Some of the same residents in Peoplestown who protested Monday talked with 11Alive in 2014, when the City of Atlanta began buying homes in the flood-prone area for new development.
The protesters say Fulton County is home to one of the highest eviction rates in the country.
They say there is a growing need for more affordable housing in the City of Atlanta. They claim longtime residents cannot afford to stay in their homes as new developments continue to lead to higher property taxes - and eminent domain could force others out.
"We know that the city of Atlanta doesn't understand what displacement really does," a member of the Housing Justice League said. "The trauma that sets in with that, that never gets addressed, we've seen it. You've demonstrated how that happens, City of Atlanta. You did it with Old Fourth Ward, with the Beltline."
We reached out to the mayor's office office to ask Keisha Lance Bottoms about the protest, but we have not heard back.
In June, though, the mayor unveiled a detailed plan to address affordable housing, including building or preserving 20,000 affordable homes by 2026.
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