 Hi, y'all. There's a lot going on since we last met, both in the community and at the last Mayor and Commission meeting. So we're going to do a quick overview of everything in this one. First off, we've got the rent. Allow me to introduce myself. I represent the rent. It's too damn high-party. Then we'll check in with the Linnentown Project and we'll end the show with the August 2nd Mayor and Commission meeting where they decriminalized cannabis, started a pilot project on Prince Avenue, and delayed the decision on a frat house on West Hancock. Welcome to the Athens Politics Nerd podcast. Alright, the rent. You know it's high, but you may not have heard about what's happening in some lower-income neighborhoods like Hidden Pines and Lexington Heights. A Florida-based investment firm bought up dozens of duplexes in these neighborhoods and is set to raise their rent between 40 to 80% by next month. At the same time, they're refusing to accept Section 8 vouchers. Residents of these duplexes, some of whom have lived there for over 20 years, are being pushed out. Barbara Daniel, a resident of Lexington Heights who has been paying her rent with a Section 8 voucher, says she can't find anywhere in Athens that will accept her voucher and she'll probably become homeless in September. This resident and others say they got letters in the mail telling them to get out. But the management company says they never sent any eviction notices and they say everyone was given a chance to stay. Whether they're telling the truth or not, what they did acknowledge is that they're no longer accepting Section 8 vouchers. We do give the tenants the option to stay, but they would have to pay for their rent. Now, for those that can't do so, they were given a 60-day option for their Section 8 to assign them housing that does accept the vouchers. But no, no one is being forced out, set out, kicked out, none of that. It's unclear where these tenants will go. You can learn more about the situation on AthensPoliticsNerd.com. In another rage-inducing story, the University System of Georgia is refusing to allow the Linnentown Mosaic to be built on their property. This was to be the last stop in a walk of recognition to be constructed in memory of the former neighborhood of Linnentown, which was erased during urban renewal. We thought it could be built on the public right of way, whether UGA agreed to it or not. But USG is arguing that there isn't actually a public right of way at the corner of Baxter and Finley Streets. Yeah, it turns out that when UGA gave these streets over to the city of Athens during urban renewal, that they never signed the official documents to do so. They're arguing it was just a verbal agreement that doesn't have the force of law. But why would they do that? Why would they not want this beautiful memorial to be built? Commissioner Mariah Parker has an idea. They're not responsible. I mean, like no one currently working there is responsible for urban renewal, right? Why would they... What's the harm in admitting what happened if they are not responsible? I think because it's a slippery slope to then making to, like, legitimizing the demand for them to pay up, because I assume that you are familiar with it if you haven't watched Jerry Shannon's presentation on how calculating how much the families are owed. But, you know, it's 2.5 million dollars just for the loss of the properties themselves based on the loss of appraisal value and how much they were underpaid for the properties themselves. And so, like, if they let this get built on their property, next thing you know, people are going to be like, okay, so you recognize it happened. So where's the money? So I think they're just trying to shut it down any way they can so that that does not... They don't give, you know, credence to that demand. The university system of Georgia says that, no, they're not trying to cover up their crimes during urban renewal, that this is actually about pedestrian safety. Somehow the mosaic would be dangerous to pedestrians, they say. Whatever you guys, I've got to move on now to the mayor and commission meeting because there's just so much going on. And so many people gave public comment at this meeting. We're talking hours of people talking about things like cannabis decriminalization and abortion. A recent AJC poll last month found that 55% of Georgia voters disagree with the new law that bans abortions after six weeks. Even some self-identified conservatives oppose this law. A six week abortion ban in that sense cannot be called a democratic decision. This ban puts the health and safety of Athens-Clarke County residents at risk, primarily poor communities. The vast majority of Georgia voters also say that marijuana should be not just decriminalized but legalized. The war on drugs has only ever been an excuse to police Black, brown and other oppressed peoples. My grandmother tried to beat me out of her stomach with a broom because it was not respectable to be pregnant. So it was a product of rape. So by all and most people's standards, I should have been aborted and pulled from my mother's womb and chopped in little pieces or whoever else they decide to call abortion. I was never wanted from birth, but my mother fought for my life. And I went through many, many years of rejection and abandonment. And I shouldn't be standing here. I also have an adopted son. We adopted at three days old. I'm 54. My husband is 64. And I found out two years after we adopted him that he was a product of rape. And he's the most beautiful, amazing, sweet little boy you would ever see in your whole life. But on top of that, I was raised by another father, obviously, because we don't know who my biological father is. But the word of God says it's not by the will of man nor by the will of flesh that I've been born, but by the will of Almighty God that I was created in the womb. So even though my mother loved me and fought for me, it was God that placed me in her womb. And then the father who raised me was a doctor, but he thought it was okay to smoke marijuana. Had it hidden up in the cabinets. And so my brother and I would snap little pieces of marijuana from that cabinet. And so after taking that marijuana out of that cabinet, it was a gateway drug. And it was marijuana that the THC level was 30. Today, this THC level is 100. It's laced with fentanyl. It's laced with all kinds of drugs that can kill this generation, which is what the enemy is after. He's after this generation. But God has a different plan. I was addicted to open the door. I went from marijuana, to speed, to meth, to crack, to heroin. And I almost tried to kill myself. And it is a miracle that I'm standing here in front of you today. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 23 years of my life. Felicia, thank you for visiting with us. Thank you. And I hope you're proud of me, Athens, because I stand before you today as a graduate of Clark Central High School, and Spelman College, and the black woman from Athens, Georgia, who is able to earn three master's degrees in education. In addition, I am a United States Army war veteran who proudly served in four post-911 tours of duty in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am extremely grateful to have survived those four tours of duty in the Middle East. But after I left active duty service and moved to New York City for graduate school at Columbia University, I struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and crippling anxiety that threatened every aspect of my life, including my ability to perform as both a student and a teacher. Without hyperbole, I stand before you today to say that the medicinal benefits of cannabis have saved my life. Growing up here in Athens, Georgia, I was taught that marijuana was evil, a gateway drug that could only lead to harder drugs like cocaine or meth. As a Christian, as a Christian, as a Christian, and a faith leader, I really struggled to reconcile this new medicine that had made such a difference in my life with my faith. But then I got educated about the history of marijuana in this country, and specifically the absolutely devastating and disproportionate impact of marijuana enforcement on poor black and brown communities. I only learned this originally through Michelle Alexander Seminole text, the New Jim Crow. I now know the numbers. I now am educated about the history of marijuana in this country, and I now understand that there's been no other single event that has stolen intergenerational wealth from me and my family in the way that criminal prosecution of some of my family members for minor possession has. The disproportionality in terms of black people and white people who are prosecuted for possession is shameful. I thank God for DA district attorney Deborah Gonzalez, our progressive DA who understood this disparity and came into office with her day one memo and proclaimed that she would not prosecute anyone for minor possession of cannabis. Historians will look back at this period in our city's history and marvel at how cruel we have been to prevent this medicine from being available to the masses. It is past time that the Georgia fully legalized both medical and adult use recreational cannabis. Thank you. Thank you, chapter mapper. Comments were mostly in favor of both abortion access and cannabis decriminalization. Later in that meeting, the commission passed an ordinance allowing ACC PD to charge just a $35 fine for people caught with the drug. That's the lowest fine across the state. The commission also resolved to protect abortion access however they can, including giving instructions to police not to spend any resources on prosecuting women who seek out abortions and not to give their information to any state database trying to track this kind of thing. I love that they did this, but it may actually not be that impactful since we don't have a single clinic that performs abortions here in Athens. But as the state government gets more and more extreme on this issue, it's good to know the local government is doing all it can to protect us from their extremism. Yeah, it's bad. Okay, moving on to Prince Avenue, where we are finally finally getting a road diet from millage to Pulaski, meaning one car lane will be removed, another converted to a center turn lane, and bike lanes will be added on either side. This is intended to slow down traffic and make life safer for walkers, bikers, and people in cars. And who could possibly oppose that? Well, no one, not at this meeting anyway. We had some people speaking in favor, though. I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity to do something with Prince Avenue. You heard from the user group, you know that they went through study after study, came up with these recommendations, and now we're on the eve or on the cusp of taking some action. So someone who bikes or walks Prince Avenue regularly, this is the one road that I have been verbally harassed on, which is kind of surprising the locally owned side of Prince. And I know sticks and stones will break your bones, who cares, but an SUV will kill me. No joke, right? We know that a car traveling 40 miles an hour, if they strike a pedestrian or someone biking, a person only has an 80% has an 80% likely chance of dying. So it is time to take some action. You, I hope that you have heard the amount of care and consideration that is going into this pilot project. This is not just some sort of like temporary thrown-together thing. There's going to be studies, we're having the Zikla zippers, and for those who are watching at home that's kind of a physical barrier that is harmful to car tires, but not to you and your bike. So I'm very excited about that. Now is the time to do something with Prince Avenue. And I'm so excited because you all, you are the commission and you are the mayor who's going to make this happen. The three lane pilot project will begin in September and will last through the end of the year, at least. In one of their final acts, the current commission will get to decide on whether to continue it or not. If traffic backs up horribly, or if a lot of traffic is diverted onto side streets like Boulevard, then they might not continue it. Love to see. Inevitably, there will be a lot of angry people asking the commission to turn it back to four lanes in coming months. So who knows what's going to happen? I'll be sure to keep covering the story. Lastly, the commission delayed making a decision on whether to allow a frat house to take up residents on West Hancock on a temporary basis. Currently, this fraternity doesn't have a home and there's an unused building that seems like a good fit. But after many residents in the area complained about adding even more students to this neighborhood, it seemed that the commission had mostly decided to deny the fraternity's request. In response, the fraternity asked for the commission to delay their decision to see if they could work something out, which the commission agreed to do. All right, that's about all I have for now. So thanks for listening and thanks to the APN members who make this show possible. You can become a member at AthensPoliticsNerd.com slash join. Thanks so much and have a great day.