A.T.L. N.E.W.S. Editorial: Public TAD Grants, Election Accountability, and the Funding Trail Behind the Publix Fortune
Belvedere Park, Georgia – For years, Art, Trade & Lifestyle Media Group and A.T.L. N.E.W.S. have operated with a singular, unyielding mission: to document, celebrate, and preserve the rich cultural architecture, creative industries, and lived histories of Black communities. We don’t just report on the metro Atlanta area; we live here, we invest here, and we breathe the same air as the neighbors walking down Glenwood Road.
So, when a $28.9 million development like Candler Crossing comes to the intersection of Glenwood and Candler Road, we look past the glossy architectural renderings. We look at the economic reality. And right now, that reality is an insult to the very history we protect.
The Uncomfortable Truth on Glenwood Road
Over a decade ago, grassroots neighbors used to gather monthly to clean the litter and care for the dirt at Glenwood and Candler when the county wasn’t looking. We put our own sweat into this soil. Today, local politicians are celebrating a $3.82 million public Tax Allocation District (TAD) grant to bring a “high-end” Publix shopping center to that exact corner.
They say it solves a food desert. We say it introduces an ethical desert.
As a Black-owned media organization, we cannot remain silent while our public tax dollars subsidize a brand tied directly to the pocketbooks of right-wing extremism. Julie Jenkins Fancelli, who pulls an estimated $10 million to $30 million annually in passive dividend wealth from Publix, was the single largest financial backer of the January 6th insurrection, funneling $650,000 into the organizations, ads, and robocalls that mobilized the attack on our democracy.
Worse, she used that same grocery-backed wealth to bankroll Moms for Liberty—a radical PAC dedicated to stripping Black history out of our classrooms, banning literature by Black authors, and dismantling the educational legacy our ancestors fought to build.
The Ultimate Contradiction
Think about the systemic irony: A majority-Black neighborhood buys groceries at Publix. Those profits turn into corporate dividends. Those dividends land in the private trust of an heiress who cuts a check to politicians trying to ensure your grandchildren never learn about the civil rights movement in school.
Why should a Black community spend its hard-earned money to finance its own erasure?
Hold Local Leadership Accountable — Contact Them Today!
Our county leadership approved the millions in public funding making this development possible. We must flood their inboxes and phone lines to let them know we object to our tax dollars enriching a brand tied to anti-Black, anti-democratic funding.
⚠️ AN URGENT NOTE ON DISTRICT 3: Commissioner Nicole Massiah is currently up for reelection. She must do what is right for the people of this community if she expects to earn our vote at the ballot box. Let her know that her actions on Candler Crossing will directly impact her political future.
Reach out to these three key decision-makers immediately:
- DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson
- Email: LCJohnson@dekalbcountyga.gov
- Phone: 404-371-2000
- District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah (Up for Reelection!)
- Email: district3@dekalbcountyga.gov
- Phone: 404-371-2425
- Dorian DeBarr, President & CEO of Decide DeKalb Development Authority
- Email: info@decidedekalb.com (Attn: Dorian DeBarr) or marketing@decidedekalb.com
- Phone: 404-687-2730
Our Call to Action
A.T.L. N.E.W.S. is putting its media resources behind the movement. We are partnering with local grassroots initiatives to turn BelvedereParkGeorgia.info into an educational fortress. Instead of a rushed, immediate protest, we are playing the long game to ensure every neighbor understands this pipeline before a single brick is laid.
We are calling on our audience—the creators, the business owners, the faith leaders, and the everyday residents of South DeKalb—to reject the narrative that we must compromise our dignity just to buy fresh produce.
We demand a grocer that aligns with our values. We demand accountability from Venture South Investments and DeKalb County leadership.
The groundbreaking might be scheduled, but the community’s conscience cannot be bought. Join us, read the facts, download the tools at BelvedereParkGeorgia.info, and let’s protect the neighborhood that built us.
