Dear Atlanta: Please Clean Up the Old 4th Ward

Let's talk about Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward, or as I like to say "the oh-four-dubb."  For a city like Atlanta where most of the tourism revolves around new, less-historic venues such as the aquarium, the World of Coke, the CNN center, the the High museum and Centennial Park it's really great that there exists an area that can boast a strong history with southern roots and an attachment to the civil rights movement.  The O4W is the area where Dr Martin Luther King grew up, was a reverend at Ebenezer baptist church, is now buried and is commemorated in the MLK center.  Visitors to Atlanta and residents alike can come down to the O4W and take a tour of the MLK birth home, see the church where MLK preached, pay respects at the burial site and then go across the street to learn about MLK's role in the civil rights movement at the King Center all within a radius of about 4 blocks.  It's a very powerful and inspiring tour that I recommend anyone in Atlanta check out.  The Old 4th Ward is possibly the area in Atlanta with the most impressive resumé and should be something that evokes a sense of regional pride.

Then why is it such a shithole?

I drive through the area on my way to work every day.  From Decatur st i take a right on Boulevard and then a Left on Edgewood and go right through what is undoubtedly one of the nastiest, ugliest areas in metro Atlanta.  The O4W or as I like to think of it "Crack City" .. At all hours of the day you can see the most disturbing, cracked-out and generally fucked up sights that Atlanta has to offer.  Yes, I know it's an "up and coming" area with some new bars and restaurants..  cool spots like Soundtable, the Village Theatre and the Corner Tavern etc ..  I can dig it.  I am not however letting my girl walk around there at night alone, HELLS NO.  Is the Atlanta department of tourism suggesting that visitors to our fine city take the Marta to the MLK stop and walk to the MLK center?  That is a joke...

"Hi, welcome to Atlanta.  On your stroll from the train you'll be passing by historic Oakland Cemetery and the beautiful Hilliard Street Hotel.  Notice the Elizabethan boarded-up windows and barbed wire around the parking lot.. oh, and please watch your step as you walk over the passed out crackhead.. all part of the lovely charm of the O4W."

How about Selena Butler park?  It's completely fenced in with a "Park Closed for Renovations" notice on the fence.. only there are no signs whatsoever of any renovations.  no bulldozers, no trucks, not even an orange cone.  The notice should read "park closed due to too many crackheads occupying this space."

Kasim, you are a solid guy.

Do the city a favor and get the O4W back to a respectable level.  Seriously... what should be one of the nicest, most well-kept areas of the city is a dump.  With all the great things that are in the area it is unacceptable that it is in the state that it is in.

my 2¢,

~jesster

p.s. if your answer is "we are currently in the process of blah blah blah" they my answer to your answer is "sorry but your small effort is not enough."