Original Story by Capital B Atlanta
Words and Photos by Alyssa Johnson
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health.
For decades, flooding in the West Atlanta neighborhoods of Vine City and English Avenue had been more than a minor inconvenience. It was a recurring crisis.
Heavy rainfall flooded streets and homes, overwhelming aging sewers, and in some cases, pushing raw sewage into people’s homes.
Alfred Tucker, a longtime West Atlanta resident, said that in 2002, flooding from a major storm was so severe that the city bought out an entire section of Vine City after residents’ homes were flooded with wastewater. Seeing that the area wasn’t fit for any homeowner, the houses were demolished by the city.
To protect the area from any more flooding disasters, especially as climate change persists and extreme weather events continue to increase in severity, the city of Atlanta has implemented an innovative solution in this predominantly Black community: a 16-acre park.
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