American Spring in Vine City

We are now seeing in the United States political movements from the entire range of the political spectrum rally against a common enemy. With stunning rapidity, legislators throughout the country are putting in place what Georgia Senator Vincent Fort calls “bad legislation showing that they’re afraid of us, the people”. The shocking speed and rigidity with which all levels of government are enacting neutralizing measures to suffocate the Occupy movement, combined with a general sense of disgust in the American population for anti-free speech legislation, shows that the American Spring has started.

We will not see people in the streets fighting with their last energy a political regime that has kept the people poor for decades, like we saw a year ago in Cairo. Deteriorating opportunities mixed with a sense of injustice instilled by a corrupted political system is sufficient to say, Enough! For many, this is also enough for taking matters into our own hands and and for reconnecting with real wealth, wealth within our reach, unlike the trillions of dollars created out of thin air by the Federal reserve but of which so little seems to reach us. These people are what I call, the true Progressives.

After saving a church from foreclosure in Vine City, Occupy Atlanta started developing strong community ties with the neighborhood and Sally Masson, a public policy major at Occupy Atlanta, has a long list of project that have started or about to be started in Vine City. Most projects include widespread participation in the community. Every Friday, children from a nearby school already come to inspect the Higher Ground Church garden to see if their plants started to grow. Last Sunday, March 25th, Sally Masson and Anna Kelley showed me the neighborhood and the projects they had for creating community gardens, picking up trash, providing better security, and creating a better environment for kids.

Vine City will also be a new beginning for Dynta Jackson. Like many in the Occupy movement, Dynta was staying at the Pine and Peachtree homeless shelter when people were needed to set camp at the Higher Ground Church to save the church from unfair foreclosure. (see “Occupy Atlanta Saves Historic Church From Foreclosure” at http://wp.me/p17qOv-bz). Dynta, who was already helping the shelter with security enforcement, joined the effort of occupying Vine City at the end of last year. He now lives at the church but since his home repair skills are already put to use by the community, he has developed the contacts needed to start planning for the day when he’ll say “I took big step in life, by having my own key, getting in my home, iron my shirt, take a shower in my own bathroom”.

Dynta Jackson occupying Vine City

View from command post tent

First flowers planted at Vine City

Anna Kelley plating first flowers at Vine City

Sally Masson holding seed balls

Well maintained playground in Vine City

Abandoned lot for planned urban garden

Old Vine City house

Abandoned stadium in background

Vine City resident contributing to a better neighborhood

Old, simple and charming

Lot considered for urban gardening

Vine City hills

Dynta Jackson starting evening shift in small gated community of Vine City

Dynta Jackson’s multiple skills put at work for the community