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A Rally for Justice march from Centennial Park to the State Capitol in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis, MN police officer turned into a violent protest in Downtown on Friday evening.

Protesters attacked police cars with barricades, set fire to a police cruiser on Centennial Park Drive, smashed windows at CNN Center, looted McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant, and clashed with officers. Heavily armed police moved in making arrests, using aerosol dispersants, and firing bean bag rounds at the crowd. In Midtown, protesters briefly blocked the Downtown Connector between 10th and 14th streets.

The demonstrations had started peacefully around 3 p.m., but a group of several hundred protesters splintered off from a group of thousands to protest outside CNN Center and block Centennial Olympic Drive.

APD Chief Erika Shields was walking among the crowd outside CNN Center and said she had no problem with the protesters demonstrating their First Amendment rights and did not want the evening to devolve into an “arrest fest.” Earlier, Shields denounced Floyd’s  murder calling the fired and charged Minneapolis officer a “failed cop and human being.”

An emotional and angry Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a 9 p.m. press conference that protesters were not helping their cause. She denounced the violent protesters as “disruptors” seeking to create chaos.

“You are disgracing your city and the life of George Floyd and the life of everyone who has been killed. We are better than this. Go  home, go home!” Bottoms said.  “What I see happening on the streets of Atlanta, this is not a protest, this is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., this is chaos. A protest has purpose. If you’re breaking out windows and running down the street with liquor in your hand, who are you honoring and remembering?”

Killer Mike, rap star and entrepreneur, cried as he encouraged people to fight injustice by filling out the Census and registering to vote. He also encouraged the return of the city’s police review board to get ahead of problems that have beset other cities.  “After you burn down your own home, all you have left is char and ash,” he said.

Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr,  reiterated her father’s message that constructive change can only come through nonviolence.

The post Protest against murder of George Floyd turns violent in Downtown Atlanta appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

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Gov. Brian Kemp controversial decision to allow businesses to start reopening on April 24 was met with cheers and jeers from those who were either encouraging a jumpstart for the Georgia economy or fearful of a surge in cases of COVID-19.

More than a month later, many businesses have reopened, while others are waiting for a further drop in coronavirus cases. No matter which decision owners have made, the majority are still seeing losses thanks to uncertainty from the public, social distancing measures, and operating costs.

Bonnie Kallenberg, owner of the four Finders Keepers consignment boutiques, reopened her shops on May 19, but did so hesitantly. “There was just no data out there to make a decision on when we should reopen,” she said. “We just had to make a week-by-week assessment and try to decide if people were ready to get out and shop. It’s been frightening.”

Kallenberg said Finders Keepers Furnishings in Decatur had shown the most resilience. She had allowed customers to come in two at a time to shop before the official reopening day. “I think the furniture store will rally first, but the clothing stores will be slower. I don’t think people are ready to shop for clothes.”

Despite the uncertainty, Kallenberg said there were some silver linings: she finally opened an online store and catalogue at fkconsign.com, which is updated daily with new arrivals. And speaking of new arrivals, she said people had more time to clean out their closets while sheltering-in-place, so the Finders Keepers boutiques had “some awesome pieces coming in.”

“I think summer is going to be shaky with kids out of school and people still working from,” Kallenberg said. “I think come fall, if kids go back to school and people start going back to work normally, we’ll be okay. We’re just going to hang on through the summer.”

Men’s and women’s clothing boutique M2[Mode Marche] at Ansley Mall was closed for six weeks and owner Levi Sandelin said business came to a virtual standstill except for a few online orders (shopmodemarche.com).

“It was a zero revenue period for us,” Sandelin said, but he was able to keep his employees on the payroll.

Sandelin reopened M2 in early May and said revenue had “trickled in” since. “People just aren’t getting out and shopping like they did before. They are holding on to their money because the future is uncertain when it comes to employment and the economy.”

Sandelin said he was hoping things would get back to something approaching normal by the end of the year but was bracing for a longer period. He also owns Stable & Company, a sales agency for a number of boutique brands of footwear and accessories.

“I think we will survive, but it’s going to be tough,” Sandelin said frankly. “Anyone who says they have it in the bag and will definitely survive are in denial.”

Bad Axe Throwing (badaxethrowing.com), the recreational entertainment venue where customers, literally, throw axes at targets while enjoying food and beverages, has been a popular destination on the Westside since it opened in 2017. However, customers weren’t ready to come back when it opened at the end of April. The venue made national headlines when company president and CEO Mario Zelaya candidly said reopening was a “disaster” with only two customers the entire weekend.

Since that nightmarish scenario, Zelya said Bad Axe, which operates numerous locations in the U.S. and abroad, had made “substantial changes” to its business model and marketing message to show customers it was safe to return. Some of those changes included eliminating walk-in customers and requiring reservations, along with trumpeting its social distancing and safety precautions. Zelya said business was ticking up slowly but surely every weekend as more people looking for entertainment.

The arts community has taken the brunt of the pandemic closures with cinemas and performance venues still closed at press time in late May. Historic Plaza Theatre (plazaatlanta.com) and Dad’s Garage Theatre Company (dadsgarage.com) teamed up for weekend drive-in movies in the parking lot at both of the venues in Poncey-Highland and Old Fourth Ward respectively. Plaza Theatre owner Chris Escobar also created an online streaming service where patrons could watch indie and foreign films at home.

“The Plaza has been a huge supporter of Dad’s over the years, so we wanted to share the love and offer up our empty parking lot for their movie projectors,” Dad’s Garage communications director Matthew Terrell. “While the theatre remains closed, The Plaza plans on showing some really exciting movies like Clue and Jurassic Park that folks can watch from the comfort and safety of their vehicles. Dad’s Garage believe arts and culture remains vital to our community, especially during challenging times like these. We hope folks will find joy and comfort in the classic drive-in experience.”

Similarly, Donna Lefont – ex-wife-and-still-friend of former cinema empresario George Lefont – has created a streaming film platform for the Lefont Film Society at FoodFilmMusic.com. She’s been using her connections in the movie industry to curate a  selection of indie, foreign, and documentary films at the site.

“My goal is to curate a slate of films like George did when he was operating Garden Hills Cinema or Silver Screen,” she said.

She plans to keep the platform going – splitting rental costs for the films with the distributors – and include guest film curators and have chefs cooking a meal inspired by their favorite movies.

The post Back to Business: Intown businesses count losses, cautiously reopen as pandemic continues appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said in a two minute video posted to social media that the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis not only “failed as cops, but fundamentally failed as human beings.”

Floyd, 46, was arrested on Memorial Day after he was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a Minneapolis supermarket. Various cellphone videos of the arrest that followed show Floyd handcuffed and face-down on the street as officer Derek Chauvin, who was fired and is now charged with third-degree murder, uses his knee to restrain him. Floyd cries out for his mother and repeatedly says that he cannot breath. Other officers were shown also kneeling on Floyd and watching the incident unfold without intervening.

Minneapolis has since erupted in protests, fires and looting in the wake of the incident, and there have been protests in other cities as well.

“How disconnected does law enforcement have to be for a man to be suffocated by a cop in broad daylight, knowing the cameras are rolling, with fellow officers stand around watching?” Shields said in the video. “There’s not an answer to this because it’s not reasonable in any sense of the word.”

Shields said body cameras are being used and reviewed to be sure patterns of “negative behavior are not being exhibited” by APD officers. She said APD does not tolerate any form of chokehold or holds that apply pressure to the neck area when apprehending a suspect.

“My colleagues and I are appalled with what has occurred to George Floyd,” Shields said. “We fully expect for the officers to serve prison time. They’ve earned it. Our prayers go out to Mr. Floyd’s family. This never should have happened.”

The post Atlanta Police Chief: Minneapolis officers ‘failed as human beings’ in murder of George Floyd appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

To buy tickets and see a full list of new health and safety guidelines, visit fernbankmuseum.org.

For those not ready to venture out, Fernbank will continue to provide free Museum at Home experiences and there will also be a new virtual summer camp, taking place throughout the summer, which is available for new registrations.

The post Fernbank to reopen to members June 1, general public on June 4 appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

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The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs announced today that the 43^rd annual Atlanta Jazz Festival will not take place this year. The decision to cancel one of the country’s longest-running, free jazz festivals was based on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the City of Atlanta, and the CDC and Georgia State guidelines limiting gatherings to 10 or less individuals.

“While there will not be a festival this year, we were happy to be able to share 31 days of unique jazz performances by Atlanta artists throughout May, and will work to reschedule the Atlanta Jazz Festival for a future date that will ensure festival goers’ wellbeing and safety,” said Camille Russell Love, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Organizers quickly pivoted to create and produce the nightly Atlanta Jazz Festival Sessions to celebrate the 31 Days of Jazz for the month of May. The nightly sessions, which have been airing on the Atlanta Jazz Festival’s Facebook page at 9 p.m., have garnered thousands of views. The final night of the series will conclude with an encore performance from the duo Joe Gransden and Kenny Banks, Sr. on Sunday, May 31.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival would like to thank the Atlanta Music Project, WJZA and PNC Bank for their support. Check the AJF website at www.atlantafestivals.com for information about the 2021 event.

Georgia Ports Authority’s Mason Mega Rail project, in the works for more than four years and designed to expand service to the Southeast and Midwestern U.S., has passed a major milestone. GPA has put into operation the first nine of 18 new working tracks, with its first two rail-mounted gantry cranes to be commissioned in June.

“At the Port of Savannah, we are working to improve the efficiency of the American supply chain and move goods to market even faster,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “These efforts are strengthening our logistics network at a time when the nation needs it most.”