OK. All this talk about N. Fayette County is freakin' me out.

I'm apparently at the *epicenter* of what people predict is sliding into a slum. I chose the location to ease my commute.

We moved here from another state nine years ago. I've spent that time perfecting my home, personally nailing down, sanding and finishing good old-fashioned hardwoods on every floor up and down, putting in a self-contained basement apartment, landscaping, etc., etc. Though the builder was crappy (his full name rhymes with "Bad Lumber"--which he used), the place is now very comfortable--even charming. Heck, I even have a pond full of large bass and my own private "beach"! I don't really want to move.

When we chose this neighborhood, we knew that it was racially mixed--perhaps 50/50. Indeed, as we toured this house, our neighbor was in his yard, and the realtor nodded over and asked me, "Does that bother you?" (((GET THIS: We knew this realtor from another connection, so I guess she thought she could confide in us. She said she can't "steer" customers towards or away from areas, but she would intentionally fall in behind a school bus as she drove clients around so that they could see "who" (racially, of course) was getting off.))) Anyway, "that" turned out to be Larry, my black neighbor whom I have come to know and appreciate for nine years.

This neighborhood has remained relatively stable. Two homes on my street have changed hands two or three times--each involving foreclosures. (The man across the street walked away from his mortgage and his dog that he left chained out in the yard. Unbelievable.) With those exceptions, I really *like* the neighborhood. Most of the homes and yards are well maintained. Several on my street are absolutely immaculate showcases, all owned by black families who were in here before me.

Our next door neighbors, who were here for eight years, moved away last year to another state. They "reflected light" the same as me, (as another poster put it). The house was purchased by a black family. I've met and interacted with them and, darn it, they're just *good people.* Their son, like the other kids, black and white, that I've watched grow up here for nine years, is polite and friendly, and the parents are hard workers. I'm pretty sure they are here from--you guessed it--Clayton county.

Now, if I haven't lost your interest by now, let me try to move to my point.

One more door down is another white family that has lived here for years. (Until our next door neighbors moved last year, there were four honkey houses in a row!) When they saw that the home between us was going to a black family, they expressed some anxiety about the neighborhood. Now, I see that they, too, have taken to our new neighbors and get along well with them. And, like me, when they bought, they knew that there were black families all around and found it perfectly natural to have them as neighbors. So I don't think the nervousness is any sort of blatant racism.

I learned just yesterday that they plan to be out by the end of this year.

Now, I'm not blind. I go through Riverdale or Union City, College Park or East Point, and I see the features of those communities that people here are complaining about. People have bars on their windows in East Point. At the gas stations, not only must you pay before pumping, but there are extra security measures to prevent your using a stolen card. Riverdale is ugly, with litter, too much oil-stained asphalt, and sleezy, run-down businesses. I will not venture any theories on why these communities are as they are. I don't want Fayetteville (and N. Fayette) to look like that.

But please tell me: what is the real worry? If I not only don't mind, but actually LIKE my black neighbors, have I nevertheless some incentive to "keep moving south" as someone here has said?

For a long time, I was hearing from people that they are noticing more and more African Americans at the grocery, etc. I tried to see what they meant, but did not think I detected any significant difference in percentages. I think I see it now at, say, the Banks Crossing Kroger. But what's the big deal? Really?

Why would you not stay here another ten years if you were me?

And one more thing: Where is the Fayette Mason-Dixon line, anyway?

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"Every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace."
--Duane Allman

range go a long way to determining the demographics of buyers. Black or White really doesn't matter, you will see a difference in folks, when you look in different priced areas.

I agree, the quality of folks I've met in Fayette County is second to none compared to Henry County that I moved from over 2 years ago.

Clayton doomed itself to be the bottom run on the ladder in the Metro Atlanta area when it allowed the cheapest housing to be built. You can blame Charley Griswell and Company for this. It's also a good reason to be very careful who we elect to be our Leaders in Fayette County, we need folks who will stick to the Land Use Plan.

Maybe a wall between Clayton and Fayette would work, Then we could keep out those undesirable people. If we scrapped the park we would have enough money to build the wall.

The Soviets once built one in Germany and King Ronaldo said: "Mr. Krushchev, tear down this wall." And he did. The Chinese once built one and it didn't work. The Romans built one in England, and it didn't work either. This is only for the election and the contractors who will built the stupid thing. (Same people working in Iraq). PUT THE EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE THEM IN JAIL, JAIL, I SAY, AND THEY WON'T COME, AND WHAT ARE HERE WILL GO HOME, IT IS THAT SIMPLE. DON'T GIVE ME THAT STUFF ABOUT FALSE ID PAPERS EITHER, SS NUMBERS ARE EASY TO CHECK.

You just love to stir the pot, don't you, Bro.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

A friend of ours saw a black lady in Fayetteville the other day who was wearing a shirt that said, "We took Clayton county. Fayette is next." I swear I am not making that up. Makes me so angry!

Sure doesn't sound consensual to me.

Kill the park.

(And I am within walking distance of the location.)

Muddle, I enjoyed reading your post about moving into North Fayette and your neighbors. When I come down to visit family (which is at least twice a month), I drive down Fayetteville Road and think of all the changes the area has gone through. Except for the bars on some of the doors and windows, I can't see a huge difference. But I have to wonder what prompted people to put them there. Riverdale is just plain sad. I won't drive through it any more.

Having read the article on this incredible jump in expense for this proposed Kenwood Park, I am amazed. It's not even built yet and already they've been determined that it will have "security problems" so we've got to hire marshalls to protect it? Marshalls???

Can the folks planning this park not see the forrest for the trees? Why build a park when it already seems doomed to failure? Are we going to have to read about the next four-year-old child who dies in gang crossfire, watch the child's grandmother cry as the arrogant thugs who did it stare blankly in court?

Or is it a matter of "Let's throw as much money at this so nobody can yell at us that North Fayette never got a park"?

It just looks bad no matter how they try to sell it.

Where are the reasonable heads? If we let them do this it will be $10 million which Peachtree City residents will mostly pay for and never get any benefit from it.

Your arrogance and elitism is under-whelming. PTC residents will pay for most of it and not get any benefit? Yeah, I want hard numbers on contributions from the cities' residents and the county residents. I will have to do some research on that, as until now I have not given it much thought. I don't care if me and my neighbors pay more or less than you and your neighbors. But I am curious none the less.

Even if it is built, and I hope it is not, everyone in PTC could benefit from it by getting in their cars and visiting it. Not deriving any benefit is a choice. Your argument lost steam when you indicated PTC residents are the ones paying for it.

Do you reasonably beleive PTC residents will drive to gang bang city to enjoy sitting at the picnic tables with the fam watching drive-by shootings? Survival is not elitism. I hope you do the research on who pays for it. I admit I'm not sure if PTC will pay the brunt of it, but even if we only pay half of it, it is money poorly spent. I don't know of a park in PTC where 10 mil was spent but if it was, you wouldn't need a guard shack at the front gate!