Posted on 09/01/2020 11:47:05 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
In the middle of the protests over police brutality and a pandemic, 19 black families have joined forces and purchased 96.71 acres of land in Toomsboro, Georgia. They plan to build a new, safe city there.
Ashley Scott, a Georgia-based realtor, started The Freedom Georgia Initiative with a few like-minded people.
In an op-ed for Blavity, Scott explained that the idea came after the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was killed by a group of white men while out on a jog.
“I am concerned. At times distraught. For the first time ever in my life, I felt disempowered. So much so that the overachieving, solution-oriented, practical, non-emotional person that I am had to stop,” Scott wrote.
“I sought counseling from a black therapist and it helped. It helped me to realize that what we as black people are suffering from is racial trauma. We are dealing with systemic racism. We are dealing with deep-rooted issues that will require more than protesting in the streets. It will take for us as a people, as Atlanta rapper and activist Killer Mike so eloquently put, ‘To plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize.’ So that’s what I and my good friend Renee Walters, an entrepreneur and investor, did.”
Together, they began to look for ways to change the world for the better in whatever way they could. “We wanted to make some kind of difference that could ensure the safety of our black sons and black husbands when they went about their lives just breathing and being. We wanted to do something to amass black power to affect real change.”
“We considered the reality that even in Atlanta, with an exceptional black woman like Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, there was still no respect for the humanity of blacks,” Scott continued. “Even with Erika Shields, a black woman chief of police at the helm, there was the murder of Rayshard Brooks. We can see there is something much deeper happening. Politics, as usual, isn’t the answer. Something new has to happen.”
The group joined several Facebook groups discussing building black cities and new Black Wall Streets, and it turned out there were more people who shared the same desires. “It was clear to me that developing new cities was necessary because these old ones, even with strong black leadership, have too many deep-rooted problems.”
As a realtor, Scott has been sitting in on zoning and city council meetings. “At first, I attended wanting to get a few new clients, but seeing the progress of the newly created city of Stonecrest, Georgia, inspired me.”
It motivated Scott to look more deeply into local politics and how cities are created. “My research into cityhood gave me insight that this is how we change our communities and build real black power.”
Black power comes from wealth,” Scott explained. “Wealth is created through cash-flow and assets. Who has more cash flow and assets than governments? Where does the cash-flow come from? Taxes and bonds. Who pays taxes? Landowners. Who runs governments? People. We are the people. We have to be more involved, especially young people!”
Scott said she knows people might start wondering, ‘What in the world does all this have to do with why you all purchased land in the midst of protests and a pandemic, and how you used cooperative economics to do it?’ According to her, everything.
“We figured we could try to fix a broken system or we could start fresh. Start a city that could be a shining example of being the change you want to see. We wanted to be more involved in creating the lives we really want for our black families. And maybe, just maybe, create some generational wealth for ourselves by investing in the land. Investing in creating a community that is built around our core values and beliefs.”
The plan is to create a community with green, environmentally safe, and eco-friendly building materials that honor Mother Nature, a community that is self-sufficient and thriving with a living food system built by black farmers to provide food security for all their neighbors, a community that prioritizes diversity and inclusion by hiring BIPOC and women vendors, suppliers and contractors, a community that boasts accessible spaces for all people, finally, a community where all black folks could come home without being murdered by police.
“We made a PowerPoint presentation the day after we left the ‘Toomsboro for Sale’ open house. We called our like-minded friends and family. We impressed upon them the urgent power of now. We brought 19 families together on one accord during a series of online meetings. We started an LLC. We considered a field and we bought it. We bought 96.71 acres of land!”
So why not in South Chicago?
Good for them. I hope they can make it work. It looks matriarchal from the pictures, so ... good luck.
If 19 white families tried that, I’m sure it would violate some federal law.
Will the government force them to integrate?
“It was clear to me that developing new cities was necessary because these old ones, even with strong black leadership, have too many deep-rooted problems.”
And never ONCE is it mentioned who has been running these cities for DECADES, how they’ve been destroyed and why they don’t feel safe there! *Rolleyes*
Maybe they’re afraid to say it?
This should be interesting. Wonder how one goes about starting their own city? Sounds like a lot of paperwork and Government interference to me. Will they eventually be their own state?
At least they are actually building something.
Of course building something makes you protective of it and you want to keep it nice.
I think they are in for a learning experience.
“a community that prioritizes diversity and inclusion by hiring BIPOC and women vendors”
That’s nice. A segregated town that engages in blatant race discrimination and government wealth confiscation for the benefit of a few.
She’s on to something here. Should work out real well. When will the DoJ and the FBI arrive to investigate and arrest the town founders like they would if white people tried it?
Will the town have its own police force?
It’s probably racist to ask, but, what if other races of people want to live in this new planned city? Wouldn’t it violate civil rights laws to ban others?
We’ll see how long it takes for the first violent crime to occur.............. I bet it won’t be long...............
They will still blame whitey...........
I don’t blame these folks at all. But it does show that segregation is going to come back at the end of this.
Wasn't he the guy who was going for the cop's taser?
Is there some unwritten rule that cops need to stand down and allow themselves to be beaten to death when confronted by an arrestee of a superior race?
They got a hard road ahead of ‘em, but best wishes!
Ain’t America great?
Wasn’t this called a commune back in the 60s?
If 19 white families tried that, I’m sure it would violate some federal law.
~~~
Of course. First the media would get in there and pry and make them look like white supremacists. Then some DA would pick up the ball and find reasons to prosecute.
No double standard though.
Good question. But would they violate civil rights laws, by discriminating against other races in hiring police???
Are they black separatists? What’s really going on here? They want to live in separate but equal communities???
Well, good luck to them. I hope it works out. But in order to get anywhere close to where they want to be, they are going to have to take control of their schools and shield their kids from the larger African American culture. Otherwise, their Utopia will descend into the same chaos and despair they want to put behind them.
“We wanted to be more involved in creating the lives we really want for our black families. And maybe, just maybe, create some generational wealth for ourselves by investing in the land. Investing in creating a community that is built around our core values and beliefs.”
Will there be deed restrictions to keep out you know who?
97 acres? Don’t forget the 2.425 mules.
Everyone is entitled to feel safe in their homes.
There is a not inconsiderable fraction of black people who feel unsafe around whites. They have a natural right to live separately, as do all peoples.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.