Atlanta to Savannah Wrap Up!
Let’s go! I really enjoyed my trip to Atlanta and actually it was more than I could imagine. Now my trip was about 5 days but I had 3 full days and I went everywhere people told me to go and some places where people told me not to. I stayed in Buckhead near Lenox Mall and I’m glad I did because I needed to be a bit away but a close drive in instead of being in the middle of it, afterall I am a Kali kid and we don’t stay on the street where shit is poppin we like to drive. I was probably happiest because I like being around Black people and being in Atlanta during the weekdays you get to see everyone working and that’s when you get to see the sheer amount of upwardly mobile folk on Peachtree. I went to every mall you can think about, went to happy hour everyday I was there, went to the W hotel downtown and midtown, went to LA fitness and worked out, got some ghetto hotwings both off of Cascade Rd and on the backside of Stonescrest mall in Lithonia, ate some Crystal Burgers, was disappointed with Chick-Fil-A and didn’t mind the thunderstorms and rain it wasn’t that bad. So for the fluff part of my trip Atlanta it’s a great place to go and even live. Affordable and the crime that went down the week I was there was some ol bullshit robbery shit in Midtown.
Now I have to admit to you when I created the plan I was thinking pure topography just looking at the lay of the land thinking this shit should happen. Now that I have been there and walked around the city it’s even further along than I thought to bring my plan into being. Just on the other side of downtown as you get towards the Underground there is plenty of opportunity to start a whole other side of Atlanta on the Southside. The city doesn’t look like they are trying to help those folk on that side out at all, you want to see Neglect keep taking peachtree through downtown and to the otherside. The folk out there didn’t seem violent as much as the bad side seemed to be poor and that’s a helluva difference than being violent. Maybe it’s the Compton in me but I didn’t feel too much fear of my surroundings even on the so called bad side of town. The infrastructure of the Southside to the Airport is actually very affordable, the fucking Marta stations are there to provide access, the cargo areas near the airport are set up, and for me all the people in Customs were black as I walked in and talked to them. If you have never been to the South you would think it’s country but I have been around a bit and it wasn’t anything different from what I’ve seen in Norfolk, Tallahassee, Houston, or even Miami to tell you the truth.
So will the plan work? Hell Yes I even added some new ideas on to the plan after spending the majority of my morning crawling through a lot of streets on the southside and even sometimes in Decatur. My boy who is from my neighborhood has a nice house out in Lithonia confirmed all the shit I was thinking about. He told me compared to the violence we grew up with this is a vacation. He said you see all the brothers and sisters doing stuff and it kind of inspires you to get out there and hustle. He and I were laughing because he didn’t come up with a hustle yet and he said he kind of feels embarrassed that he doesn’t have one. He is a Kappa so he told me where all his frat brothers and young people lived around Midtown up to Buckhead. We did a lot of crawling through bad areas getting out actually touching the dirt to get the feel of the folk. He bottom lined me and said cats out here just are ignorant and he said their education is lacking down here as he volunteers at one of the High Schools off MLK by Morris Brown. He just looked at me and asked me when I was moving here and I told him Money First – Life Second but I told him I would definitely be down there more because I actually just like Atlanta.
Sorry back to the plan!
- Step 1 of the plan of a chicken place would work and Atlanta cats love some Chicken Shack hot wing shit. That’s the angle that will work on all sides of the A as I saw trailers in the middle of nowhere with lines of cats for hotwings.
- Step 2 – strategic jobs is unnecessary because alot of folk already have those jobs so that part of the plan can be skipped.
- Step3 – Radio & TV will fucking work there are a lot of black people on the news and hosting the shit already but since Atlanta is kind of by itself that TV station and radio station can be what KDAY was to LA back in the day kind of the real station for the people. You can go back to some Don Cheadle Talk to me movie stuff in Atlanta because the folk seem to be proud of the city so make something to be proud of.
- Step 4 – Black Banks can happen because you have SunTrust, B of A, and Chase with SunTrust seeming to be the most dominant. There are so many black suburbs and the lay of the land is so spread out you can easily make a community bank without actually making people come to it for black purposes. Also, the Southside is fucking wide open, when I say they didn’t do anything down there they seem like they make motherfuckers walk further for the bus.
- Step 5 – Boarding Schools – I think the city will fucking give you money to remove the eye sore of what’s going on the soutside. Shit you wouldn’t have to move the school that far out the city as there is plenty of land and truth be told the schools could probably be built in the community. The drug shit is heavy but it’s easily avoidable because of how much land is just laying barron.
- Step 6 – Distribution Logistics – Like I thought the southside even from the downtown area has the most old factories as that must’ve been the industrial side of the city. From the Airport Cargo area to the train tracks to I-20 running through that side of town it’s prime land to set up shop. Plus did I say the land is cheap!
- Step 7 – Farming and LiveStock – I went down MLK out towards that Cascade skate rink that you see on ATL and kept going. There is so much land surrounding Atlanta man you can cut the cows throat and still hear him mooo on how fresh food can be in Atlanta. I was shocked coming from LA to see so much land with nothing on it just like 10 miles outside of town. They built a lot of houses but they haven’t destroyed all the land.
- Step 8 – Healthcare Clinics – Look I’m so positive that this would work on the Southside of Atlanta because cats were literally walking miles to get to the fucking Krogers that you could set up a whole strip mall and make a killing. Like I said it’s spread out but there are black folk behind them trees and they need all kinds of services.
When I thought of my plan I thought shit Atlanta is big and it’s going to be a big fucking feat. Now that I have been there I’ll tell you that about half the city is doing just fucking fine. The educated folk are doing good for theirselves and I don’t think they need anything as they figured this shit out. The real opportunity for the plan to work will be with the Southside of Atlanta from downtown to the airport. A lot of that area is prime area with the right folk to help. Literally Atlanta provides a opportunity to create a Black owned part of the city. The rich areas look exactly like the poor I mean the same basic footprint. Anyone with a organized plan could easily go in and make that side of Atlanta better. Now of course it will cost a lot of money but I mean a directed focus by someone could make a hell of a difference and really control that part of Atlanta. I keep shaking my head back and forth thinking what they got nuclear waste on the Southside or something. That part reminds me so much of being in Compton when I was a kid that I know what a little bit of money can do. Real Talk you could probably create another bus service on that side of town taking people to the Marta or anywhere because I saw a lot of cats walking.
Solution: I know some of you think this Kali motherfucker is Naive wait til he gets here and see the real Atlanta. Well you might be right but in order for growth to happen you need cats who only see what they can do instead of getting caught up in why they can’t. I was actually excited and encouraged when I left Atlanta. I was kind of in a state of shock because it was so much further along than I imagined. Atlanta has the chance to be the greatest city for Black people to live period in the United States. The housing is affordable, black people are upwardly mobile, black people are on TV, we own restaurants that don’t look like shit, we got money to front, we dress nice and have some class and the biggest thing is we are everywhere. I flew home early sunday morning only thinking to myself how can I get that snack company or chicken place started. Oh yeah I didn’t drive to Savannah I got caught up crawling Atlanta but it was only the cargo area so it wasn’t the main focus.
Look I know this plan seems far fetched because you already doubt that people will help. But, I never said I planned to ask any motherfuckers for help in the first place. I ain’t the Civil Rights kind of guy and I’d much rather we take over than march hand in hand.. There are enough customers aka middle class Black people to buy the product to fund me going out there on some straight businessman shit. There is a whole neglected area that is prime land to grow and anything I do on that side will help black folk because that’s all that is there. Since I ain’t from there all I see is opportunity and cheap land. I ain’t trying to bring LA with me (but I didn’t see too many taco places) but I am bringing the LA hustle with me. What a opportunity to actually build it instead of just hoping to be part of it! My mission with putting this plan out is for us to see how if we focused on one area instead of being all over the place we can make a place for ourselves where we own everything. Atlanta is that place! I see it and I’m going to build it because I know most people are followers and they will notice things way after the leader has capitalized on it.
So when you see me I won’t be hard to find I’ll be the cat wearing the A from the Angels hat, I ain’t from the A but I can be part of the AA to build it for All of us!
Extra: If you haven’t been through Atlanta its worth the trip. I mean I don’t like that I didn’t see a beach but it’s worth buying a house there and living there. For all the black business people this place is still wide open especially all of us who come from the bottom because I see the opportunity on the poor side. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the black makeup of the city. Sure there are some ignorant folk but where isn’t it some ignorant folks. For all of you with money on the sidelines you have a chance to go to Atlanta and be a big fish in a small pond with a lot of room to grow. The infrastructure is there to build legacy businesses not just a franchise. Take a trip for yourself and I’ll see you at the top!
I’m glad you actually went. Most people come up with plans and never actually follow through. So according to the plan it looks feasible but really you are saying it’s wide open for anyone with a business mind or just want to settle around educated black folks.
My father has lived in Atlanta for almost 30 years and I have to admit, I’ve never been to the south side of the city in my many many many trips down there. But, it *is* one of the two cities me and the hubby would relocate to (I want to be somewhere warmer with a lower cost of living and we have to go somewhere with a big music scene so he can stay active as a musician) so maybe next we go visit we’ll scout around for opportunities.
P.S. excuse my grammar error above.
As an aside, I always love people’s perception of the South. I never really realized that what I saw on TV was actually what non-Southerners thought of us until I got to college and people asked me (in all seriousness) if we wore shoes, were surprised we read well and I even had one person make a comment about cousins marrying.
I grew up 2 hours from Atlanta and I can’t tell you the last time I was on the southside of the city, unless we were driving through. Sometimes it’s the “naive” people who get stuff done because they don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking it “can’t be done…” they just do it.
I think many urban areas could benefit GREATLY from boarding schools. Most folks think a boarding school only works if you can afford to ship your kid up north (or to my high school alma mater, in which case, like I said would only be 2 hrs away, lol). I think there’s a small movement for boarding schools in urban areas down the street from the “projects” (which I’ll use to reference all “less-than desirable” areas). The students can still be in their neighborhood, around things they know and are familiar with, which can help with retention, but there’s a lot to be said about how homelife effects a child’s ability to exceed in school. Such boarding schools would cut that effect down considerably…
These days, I think it’s the low-income kids who need boarding schools more than the rich kids.
@LGhost – Glad you came out from the shadows to leave a comment. I had to go to tell you the truth I was intrigued myself. I thought I was going to be in Greek heaven but it was better than I thought.
@Sassy – There’s really nothing on that side to go to. I mean I can see why people never been because unless your car gets a flat on that side and you walk to a pay phone you just take the freeway through it. I just wanted to get out and see if I felt like death was imminent or if it was just people don’t have any money on this side.
To me if you are going to start anything you would want to start near the MARTA stations because the sheer amount of people who are coming in and out. Something simple like a chicken place, 7-11 or something Hot and Ready will work. When I say there’s nothing over there I mean it.
@ASmith – Then don’t go to NY because they think everyone outside of NY and Philly are country. I had to stop myself from beating the hell out of a couple cats up there because they thought living in highrise rat infested tenements was the good life.
I think it’s a product of my upbringing to be able to walk on the so called bad side and think it’s not that bad. The opportunities come from knowing that a Taco Bell would work even though people think no one will eat it. But, just like the chinese food if that’s the only thing that’s around you end up eating there anyway. I can’t knock people when they envision making money they see it as this trendy popular restaurant and they get recognition and it’s like being on Mo Better Blues. The real money is in volume and when no one is there servicing a population, set up the business that will work with their income, land is cheap to buy, the city will give you money to build it, and you aren’t scared but prepared for the type of cats you serve you will be the Boss Hog of the area. I’ve ran into cats who own all the land and they told me they bought it when no one else wanted to live there. I’m talking cats who own from freeway to freeway of land that they bought for next to nothing. So it’s up to the person who can see the opportunity and sometimes the opportunity is to accumulate and hold until things turn around.
The boarding schools actually was a recommendation by my mother. She said some of these kids just need to be taken out of their home because they aren’t getting the proper food nor the proper clothing and attention. Now she said you can’t take them out on some you are fucked up parents stuff but you can get them out by saying they have been selected to go to a boarding school. She said no one would complain about that and it will retain a special status because their kids have been selected eventhough I set it up to grab the at risk and get them through their teenage years. We haven’t found a way to beat the environment yet so it’s best if we get the kids away from it and let the adults deal with it. The kids need to see something else so they can build something else.
I was a member of LA Fitness when I lived there. It was cool because you did not have to sign a yearly contract you could just pay your initial sign-up fee and pay monthly. In addition, you could add the travel component whereas you could workout at any location they had in the world. Plus, it had a modern set up with many classes, equipment and a pool with jacuzzi. Therefore, you could have the semi-beach setting without the sand. They also had women only locations, which was good too.
Overall, I am glad you were able to SEE that your vision is actually doable and you left with a real sense of the land and the layout for the plan. Atlanta is a good place because there is that country feel to it, which I love along with the city life, sports, cultural activities and cozy night settings. The Carter Center area had a good country feel to it off Freedom Pkwy, which down from the historical Martin Luther King area, which is minutes away from downtown but far away too.
When I lived there, I took a route to work off Campus Pkwy that had nothing but land leading to the interstate and the College Park and airport area.
One more thing. When I lived there I had 3 jobs which I didn’t understand then that I needed to work smarter not harder! But now I understand thank GOD!!!
Well of course we got LA fitness in LA but most people kind of go to Bally’s because I get all the travel to different ballys and I only pay 15 bucks a month. So from NY to LA I can just walk in no problem.
I really like Atlanta to tell you the truth for all that it is. It’s a good place I think to raise kids, it has all the sports teams and since you have so many blacks there you kind of have a real LA community meaning you don’t know everyone because it’s so spread out.
Well 3 jobs was a good hustle nothing wrong with that if you didn’t know how to maximize your time. The Southside is where the biggest opportunity to build are located. Don’t get me wrong it will take like 20 to 30 years but no one seems to be paying attention so by the time they do the world would’ve changed and you own everything.
They have Bally’s in Atlanta too. You could have went there with your travel memebership.
I just joined LA Fitness with my cousin so that we could have a team effort going on to keep us on track with our workouts while having one another to assist with certain exercises.
The Ballys in Atlanta are kind of way out and I was around the corner from LA fitness so I they gave me like 3 day pass for free. The buddy system always works as long as one of the buddies wants to push but if you are just buddies fucking around then you’ll be chubby buddies.
I am the pusher buddy. I don’t play when it comes to working out. I am there to sweat and feel the burn. I used to run with my cousin at this nearby trail and she would try to walk and I would have to leave her behind. She always knew this she just wanted someone on the trail with her. You see I had learned how to breathe a long time ago when running so I can easily run 5 miles on a treadmill or on the trail at a good pace. All because I learned how to control my breathing.
By the way, 20-30 years will be here before we know it. The plan will be in full force before you know it too because you see the fruit of your labor!
baltimore is better lol
its a diamond in the rough and it has A LOT of potential because the real estate is cheap there and many people have abandonoed the resources there
i think that when people like myself finally get the balls to really get this black power thing rolling your blog will be a key resource in helping us to navigate how best to go about the business of taking back our humanity from these parasitic jokers out here
we need to train more brothers to be hustlers then give them microloans to get them the resources they need to make a profit
if a brother can flip 500 dollars to 10,000 dollars in 3 months then lets see what would happen if we gave 1000 brothers 500 dollars
and what would happen if you had a bank (or a credit union, whichis what i think is better than a bank because it gives you more leadway) giving these “microloans” to these brothers and having all of them paying back with interest
1000 x 500 = 500,000 dollars
pool that money in a bank
you can start 20 businesses just with that money right there
then you provide it for 10,000 more 100,000 more, save that moeny withtin our own lending institutions and with that economic development we can make more loans available, take men off of welfare, keep the families together and provide jobs for the teenagers and those of us wo dont want our own businesses
this bangledeshi gentleman Muhammad Unnis did this in his native country
he started giving 2 dollar and below loans to local bangledeshi women who wanted to go into business for themselves selling their clothes, chickens, eggs, maid services etc.
over 99% of these women paid these loans back with interest and now i think he has given over 10 million microlans all over the world
he has even implemented a microloan system in a small part of queens, new york city
he’s given out microloans of up to 2000 dollars to almost 1000 people
almost all make money and over 99.5% of the people pay their microloans back
we dont even have to give these brothers that much money
if you have a connection with a wholesaler (as you know) you can get cheap goods to these brothers and they can sell them all over the city and through many different media’s (internet, mail order, raid, TV, etc.)
and if we learn about international trade we can sell our goods, services and information to indians in india, afrikans, carribeans and so forth
we just need leaders who think outside the box for this one
The thing you might want to keep in check is the gentrification of the part of town in which you plan to act.
There is little point in creating another Black mecca that most Blacks can’t afford.
Try getting as many of the people who already live there involved as posible. (This will keep the Gap, Starbucks and Barnes and Noble out and keep Red’s Diner, Shae’s Fashions, and Black Thought Books owning their environment.)
@Jtubman – Baltimore is a battle field homie with how many cats are on Heroin. Don’t worry I have a special place for Baltimore because that’s the first place I touched down when I came East but it’s also the place that made me think GOD DAMN this is what drugs can do to a city. Heroin is a major problem and you know that from just going around what used to be the pre-renovated Lexington market. I used to see people swaying in the breeze and you know what I mean.
Baltimore is close to DC but all the educated blacks live in DC, Virigina so unless they work there they moved away already. Plus Baltimore doesn’t have a big industry but maybe the port will return to prominence. All the stuff I listed in the plan will work for Baltimore too but that drug shit is so heavy it made me think that’s a big fucking task. Maybe you can take the lead on the Baltimore transformation as best believe whatever I do I will leave the blueprint for anyone to copy.
Don’t get it twisted Baltimore is a port city and I used to do Custom brokerage there so I know what the potential can be for international trade and doing wholesale. First things first in that city you have to educate and protect the kids because coming down some of those streets at night like over there on Tyrone’s made me want to have my strap out Beirut style. Even my boy used to laugh at me because I called that area little Nicaragua, I just felt like anything could happen if I wasn’t watching checking the rearviews of cars as I walked by them.
@UBJ – Well the goal is to own a big chunk of it and then build. If that land is cheap the slow accumulation of it will pretty much go unnoticed. Usually any gentrification usually centers around the cleaning up of something significant like a major transit hub, a park, or a university. The good think about that side is the black colleges are next to low income areas so you can buy all around it and renovate or just hold it and wait until we get significant mass.
Atlanta right now is a suburb with no need to be one. The new housing got people moving way the hell out when it’s good prime land just outside downtown. I got my head on right but I don’t know about everyone jumping into build it like we are all going to hold the land. You know some people want to make money just look at BET he didn’t care if all the blacks wanted it to stay black. My think is to own the land and lease it to whomever I want, build on it whatever I want and control the type of tenants I want. The game is first owning the land and then building the people behind it.
The Black Mecca won’t happen as a group agreement it’ll happen because maybe 5 cats decide they are going to corner the market and shut everyone else the fuck out. I’ll just be the first one there!
You know what’s funny, reading this again it occurred to me that this is exactly how my uncle made money back home — gas/convenience stores on the “black” side of town at the highway exits. He bought the land and built the stores — which means he owned the buildings and the stuff inside, wasn’t renting from anyone. He owned them for prolly 25 years until he sold them (I used to “work” there for spending money when I was in high school). Now he’s built a strip mall in a different part of town and is making even more money. The best part of this story is how he spends his money. He bought a house in a great neighborhood years ago and kept it. He didn’t upgrade when he got more money he just redecorates when he wants a new look. He buys a nice car — Mercedes convertible, BMW 7-series etc. — and keeps it for 10 years. He isn’t about flossing or whatever. Anyway, that’s my thoughts tonight when I should be asleep.
Well thanks for coming back because your uncle’s example is exactly what I was thinking for the beginning. If you have that high traffic area and you own the land what’s stopping you from building like 10 McDowells! Convience stores lead to the strip malls and realistically that can house all the stuff I said in the plan from the Chicken place, Day Care, Health Care, Laundromat, Neighborhood Supermarket, Barbershop, Beauty Salon, Auto Parts store and the etc. It wouldn’t have to be a big strip mall.With all the land out there you can build it so many people and they will have to come because they don’t want to walk 5 miles to get to Krogers. Think small but dominate and everything will work out.
Most people love to make a lot of money up front but the game is a whole bunch of businesses or properties making small money. That way you are recession proof, diversified and can shut down one thing if you have to and replace it in the same area with the other business that works. I’m more like your uncle as I build businesses to make 1 to 2k a month and everyone will laugh but when you have 5 of them you make 10k and I didn’t do anything but send out products at my house. The only expenditure that I will have is a nice house in a old established neighborhood not that big new shit that might be the ghetto in 20 years. The old neighborhoods stay the same forever and hardly if ever change.
Pardon me if I hit something that has already been statetd as I am new to this place and havent read all the older posts,
Ahhhh Atlanta. You know Nathan McCall has already called it the “Black Mecca”. The south side is neglegted mainly in that the economic pull was to the north (Cobb and Gwinett counties) during the de-urbanizing and white flight of the 50’s and 60’s. Now the northern rim of the perimiter is almost, more than almost, a second downtown. It is the model of suburban business centers.
Going south there is nothing till you hit Peachtree City, which is obviously not what you are going for.
Did you visit the “West End” section of town extending just west of the Morehouse/Spellman/Hillman
/Clark/Morris Brown complex? That place, more than anywhere I have lived (KC, Philly, Jacksonville, and Tampa)is not just black, but black and proud. That stretch has the Shrine of the Black Madonna Ethiopian Orthodox Church, an active NOI mosque, and of course the HBCU’s.
I spent a couple years around there and never saw another white face; not on the street, not on TV (it was some unwritten rule that the TV stayed on UPN or BET), not in print, not on Billboards.
Decatur has already seen some gentrification with the resurgance of urban living and converting warehouses into lofts.
If you are going with chicken do you intend to compete with all those that are already strong in ATL, Mrs. Winner’s, Church’s, KFC, Mojo’s, JR Crickets, and every little trailer with a food permit?
I understand they are closing Fort Mac which will continue to increase the cheap land.
As far as your hat goes, its almost like the Braves are the only show in town. The Angels hat could cause trouble. Wear your Lakers hat, no one there even knows the Hawks exist.
Man, I am glad you finally went and saw for your self what the A is all about. Me, I ain’t feeling Atl at all, but that is just me. I got cousins out there, so if you do open up your Freeman Chicken and Thangs, give me a hollar and I will definetly plan a visit and check you out. Just make sure you have lemon pepper flavored, you can’t go wrong with Lemon Pepper!
@Brohammas – Welcome and Enjoy the angles presented here! Now I have to wear my own A hat because I hate the Braves, I don’t care for the falcons and I’m used to winning so I can’t be a hawks fan. I just wanted to let them know I’m with them but not from them! It’s a rally cap!
I did visit the West End and I think it can be more of a city center but I don’t know about building around that area. Now with all those college kids it is attractive but the surrounding area has to be addressed first.
Like Popeyes is to Louisiana the market for a well organized company will work in Atlanta. ChickFilA is the only one that is consistent the others are not so convenient. There’s just a lot of room for growth in Atlanta as it is set up surrounding the building of houses not actually on the actual traffic flow of the people in those areas.
Whenever they close a base you have to watch out because they dump all kinds of toxic waste. I always wonder about the health of the soldiers because you usually can’t build on that land until some years of toxic removal. The southside is wide open from downtown to the airport.
@DRed – When I open it up I’ll definitely sound the alarm, ring the church bells and I’ll keep in mind lemon pepper flavored. LOL