Summary

In preparation for the Olympics, the city removed residents and homeless alike through various laws and reconstruction. When it came to laws that sought to remove homeless people, Atlanta was eventually ordered by a federal court to “‘cease and desist’ the pattern and practice of arresting homeless people without probable cause”(Gustafson, 2013) after the case of Williams vs. The City of Atlanta (Gustafson, 2013). 

Many of the homes in Techwood park were destroyed before the olympics. There were ninety seven buildings. One building was beyond repair. Seven eighths of the buildings were in good condition. The reason they were destroyed was to make Atlanta look wealthier during the olympics. Within this source, there is a great bibliography to investigate further into the displacement caused by the Olympics and other policies in Atlanta. The way that this is relevant to disparities in ecology is in the ability to move low income communities around. The Centennial Olympic Park is not a green space for residence in the oldest federally subsidized housing district if the residents are removed. 

Even though the residents of Techwood park did not manage to keep their homes, they fought to do so. Many protests against the Olympic “renovations” took place. One advocate was Ethel Mae Matthews. Material on her career is in the second source.