Recently the City of Atlanta approved legislation amending the regulation and taxation of short-term rentals (№20-O-1656). In short: this ordinance penalizes owners who buy properties for the sole use of renting them via companies such as Airbnb by fining them if their guests break certain rules. Now, this is a great introduction to some accountability, but it is not the full solution.
Airbnb is nothing new to Atlanta, but with the SuperBowl and NBA All Star Weekend happening here recently along with the housing market boom, properties are being bought up faster than ever. Not only that, people are renovating…
Infrastructure. That is a word thrown around a lot across the country. But what does it mean in the 4th district of Atlanta? Making sure we have enough Stop signs, street lights, speed bumps, and sidewalks, but also making sure we don’t have POTHOLES, hazardous trees, and powerlines dangling in pedestrians’ ways! That's to name a few. My question is, why is none of this being addressed? With the rise in uncapped development, people often overlook that along with climate change - the developers are also contributing to the ongoing crippling infrastructure problem.
It’s 8 am and 24 degrees and I am waking up to get ready for a mutual aid event at Woodruff Park that starts @ 10 AM. The night before I assembled roughly 50 “packs” to hand out that included PPE/Hygiene/Winter articles. Also included was blankets, coats, wool socks, and other garments I collected during a mutual aid drive with Metro Atlanta DSA. I had 2 questions I couldn’t get out of my mind: Is this enough for below freezing temperatures? …
I grew up in a low income, first generation household. Spanish was my first language. I learned English in school. Half of my days were in Spanish, the other half in English. My mother came to this country roughly 30 years ago and met my father picking turnips. Then they had me. At the age of 2 months I moved to Atlanta. I have been here ever since, this is my home.
For 29 1/2 years I went by the name of Roger. One of my earliest memories was getting off of the school bus, and my mom telling me…
I’ll call this….maybe a journal? I am not sure. Also, before I continue, I am a huge advocate of using plain language. English was my second language (I am a proud first generation American) and my grammar is awful. That’s a little information before I move on.
Throughout these past several months I have canvassed the 4th district for countless reasons. I have delivered food for many people in this district that need fresh food that live in food deserts via Food 4 Life Atlanta - for which I was a manager for several months. I have recently wrapped up…
Rogelio Arcila
I am a runner, reader, activist, community organizer, and fighter for human rights. Lucho por la gente.
