In Atlanta Georgia, East Lake Meadows was a public housing project. This film is about the people who lived there from 1970 to the demolition of the buildings in 2000. Eva Davis was one of the residents asserting the rights of the tenants. This community was on the edge of Atlanta called East Lake Meadows. For 25 years, many thousands of low-income families called this area home. Most of the people were African Americans and many were on welfare assistance. There were strong bonds among the people but there were also many challenges. A crack wave swept through the neighborhood and there was so much crime, it was nearly unlivable. Children were not out at night because it was extremely dangerous after dark. There were many murders and fights after crack moved into the Meadows. In 2000 (30 years later), Atlanta bulldozed the project to make way for new mixed-income housing. More government and philanthropic funds poured into the area and a thriving community needed to be created.
The mixed-income housing meant that half of the residents were for low-income people and half open market to anyone who wanted to live here. Unfortunately, only about 15% of the former residents returned. Many accepted housing vouchers and they were used to move to neighborhoods just as poor as the Meadows had been. Atlanta was able to rid East Lake Meadows of this dilapidated and run down housing area but it wasn’t a benefit to those who previously lived there. The mixed-income was too high for people on welfare. Some of the former residents regularly meet together to catch up how on things are going for them now. 5* (I really liked this movie)
104 min, Doc directed and written by Sarah Burns and David MacMahon with Henry Cisneros, Bill Clinton, William Jelani Cobb, Eva Davis, Chasity and Rilene Dixon, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Willie Harrison, Lawrence Lightfoot, Beverly Parks, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mario Luis Small, Brandon Thrasher.
Note: Imdb 6.3 out of 10 with 35 ratings, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 5 ratings, Hollywood Reporter 80 of 100 Dan Fienberg, New York Times 80 out of 100 Mike Hale, Letterboxd 3.6* out of 5*.
Special Note: The executive producer of this film was Ken Burns. This film was shown on PBS March 24, 2020.
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