Atlanta Against Amazon
Atlantans have mixed feelings about the possibility of Amazon HQ
Last year amazon announced they’d be looking for a location for its new headquarters as the company has grown tremendously in the last few years. Atlanta appeared on a list amongst 19 other cities as a possibility of Amazon’s new “HQ2” location. This announcement promised 50,000 jobs and state officials are trying to lure the company.
Jasmine Adenuga moved to the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta one year ago. Adenuga may be new to Atlanta, but she isn’t new to Amazon. She has been an Amazon Prime member for four years and so the idea of HQ2 being down the street excites her.
“Amazon Prime has saved my life more times than I can count. You can’t beat 2-day shipping,” Adenuga said.
While some Atliens are excited about being nominated on the list for Amazon’s new HQ, others are not happy with teven the thought bad the move could mean for the city.
Colorful flyers that read “F*ck Amazon” are plastered all over town beckoning viewers to visit AtlantaAgainstAmazon.org. The site was launched to educate visitors on the negative impact “HQ2” could have on Atlanta.
The website provides a numbered list about the group’s beliefs. The consensus is that “HQ2” will ultimately result in further income inequality, unaffordable housing and traffic congestion that is not worth the said 50,000 jobs. They consider the move an invasion that will “turn employees into robots” and wreak havoc on the city.
Flyer posted on a pole on Georgia State Campus
“No, we don’t want Amazon here. In fact, we don’t want Amazon anywhere. We believe that Atlantans and all people of good conscience across the country should oppose the HQ2 proposal before the decision is made,” the website says.
Atlanta native Chris Thompson, 27, is not interested in what those against Amazon have to to say. Thompson grew up in Atlanta’s West End community and has seen it go through many changes like gentrification.
“All of a sudden these issues matter to white people but this stuff has been happening for years,” Thomson said.
One of the points made by #atlantaagainstamazon activists is that those who will work the blue collar jobs offered by the company will have to commute long hours into the city for minimum wage. Thompson says the activists against amazon already benefit from a history of displacement infrastructure in atlanta that was built on inequality.
“These have always been issues, but now since the gentry’s juice shops are at stake, they want to make a website and plaster lame stuff around the city,” Thompson said.
If people want your product, they’ll buy it.
When it comes to the likelihood that Amazon will chose Atlanta as their new HQ, Representative Roger Bruce doesn’t think the chances are high.
“People in Atlanta are talking about Amazon more than Amazon is talking bout Atlanta,” Bruce said.