WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:08.080 I'm Ali. I came out after twenty years of marriage 2 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:09.359 and I have three kids. 3 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:12.359 I'm Melissa and I have two kids, and I came 4 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.960 out at thirty seven after an eleven year marriage. 5 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:19.239 This podcast is about coming out later and the struggles 6 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:20.199 and victories that. 7 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:20.640 Come with it. 8 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:22.920 When coming out feels like the end of the world, 9 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:24.920 but it's really just the beginning. 10 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:39.000 This is the Lesbian Chronicles. Welcome to the Lesbian Chronicles. Hello, 11 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:43.920 we're so excited to have Liliana Baktiari with us today, 12 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:48.759 who we've been talking about getting forever because I see 13 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:50.880 you at my local coffee shop and every time I 14 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:52.920 see you, I text Melissa and I'm like, I saw 15 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.520 her again. I got another chance. I should have walked up. 16 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:56.399 Yeah. 17 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:58.960 Oh, and I've seen you around two and I've wanted 18 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.439 to say hello, and then, like I said, next thing, 19 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:02.119 I know, you're gone. 20 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:05.519 So but we're happy to have you on. 21 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:07.719 Yeah, we're very happy to have you on. Thank you 22 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:08.799 for making time for this. 23 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:12.400 No, I appreciate you guys asking me to be a guest, 24 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:13.439 Very very honored. 25 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:15.719 Every time I see you though at tap room, you 26 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:17.799 are like deep in a meeting and I was there 27 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:19.680 a couple of weeks ago with my son, and I'm like, 28 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:21.120 I'm just gonna go up to he or he's like, 29 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:23.760 you are so annoying if you walk up to that 30 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.079 table right now they're clearly having like a business meeting. 31 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:29.680 I'm like, it'll take two minutes, and I'm a constituent, 32 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:31.400 Like I'm gonna just like pop over. 33 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.519 But he's like, like, can I get a picture too? 34 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:41.799 That happens people pop over in the middle of the meetings. 35 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:42.879 Yeah, all the time. 36 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:45.519 Really, I'm going to be a popover next time. 37 00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.519 You ran for city council in what twenty twenty one? 38 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:49.400 Is that correct? 39 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.640 Yes, that's that's one in twenty twenty one, and officially, 40 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:56.280 like I think a thing officially kicked off in twenty two. 41 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.159 I always get the years confused it did? 42 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.439 It did kick off in twenty twenty two? Yeah, tell 43 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:02.959 us how that even? How did you even get to 44 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.079 twenty twenty one to be like I'm doing this. 45 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.680 First ran in twenty seventeen against my predecessor, Nadaliine Archibaum, 46 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:15.039 who is wonderful and I've since become like it has 47 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.800 just become a friend and has always been a wonderful 48 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:21.400 human being. So she did this job for twenty years. 49 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:24.680 Don't know how she did that, Yeah, while also being 50 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.080 a while also having a private law practice. So when 51 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:32.599 I first ran, I never had aspirations of being in office. 52 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:34.319 In fact, I was very much raised in the household 53 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:39.039 that was did not trust politicians, immigrant families, refugee families 54 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:41.759 like one. You're taught keep your head down, do work, 55 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:45.280 achieve the American dream. The running joke in you know 56 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:47.919 Iranian community, as you can go into one of three fields. 57 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:53.319 It can be medicine, dentistry, so you can be a doctor, 58 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.840 you can you can be a dentist or dental hygienist, 59 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:58.039 and you can be and you can also be a 60 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:00.680 real estate agent. Those are the way of real estate. 61 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:03.280 Have you been to La they owned? 62 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:04.800 That is so true. 63 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:09.159 Actually my MoManI and that she was both a dental 64 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.000 hygienist and a real estate agent at the same time. 65 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:18.360 So all but we've gotten, you know, it's gotten more 66 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:21.319 progressive over the years. Now, we've added lawyers and in 67 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:25.080 jis okay, literally all of my cousins are either pharmacists 68 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:27.960 and the medical profession or lawyers. 69 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:31.439 So what would you have been doing had you. 70 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:34.000 Not been done that none of those things. 71 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.280 None of those things. Okay, you were already doing something else. 72 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:42.680 Yes, And so when I growing up in my family's household, 73 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:47.000 my father, I actually come from on my father's sign 74 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.599 a line of revolutionary So my great grandparents fought against 75 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:56.280 USSR occupied Ositur, Bijan. So they fought against Lenin and 76 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.039 we're given twenty four hours to leave the country. Stript 77 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:02.439 of all their wealth left my grandfather behind. He actually 78 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:05.080 didn't know he had parents until he was twelve. He 79 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:09.360 thought they had died when Hilar was getting ready to 80 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.400 invade Russia. That's when my great grandparents sent for him. 81 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:14.800 He my grandfather told me the story. He said, when 82 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.279 he got off the train, he hugged the wrong people 83 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:20.600 because he didn't know what his parents looked like Tabriz 84 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.600 and they were farmers. And then my grandfather, uh, you know, 85 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:27.680 politically active family. Tabreeze is very It sits up in 86 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:33.439 northwestern Iran. It's very very very leftist and considered kind 87 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:35.519 of the cradle of revolution and Iran. A lot of 88 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:38.920 a lot of like a lot of revolutionary action and 89 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:41.680 protests has come out of that city still to this day, 90 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:48.160 still to this day. Okay, and uh, my My grandfather 91 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:53.279 fought against the shaw Uh and then the Ayatola and 92 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:58.160 which is you know, the show was. My grandfather was 93 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.600 a Mosad Loyalistad a prime democratically elected prime minister of 94 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:09.120 Iran for the Shaw was overthrown for being a by 95 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:11.959 access powers, for being a fan of Hitler, and they 96 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:14.600 mosadek Juan the democratic election. And when he tried to 97 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:19.560 nationalize oil, he was overthrown by the US and and 98 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:23.240 Britain for oil. It's so because they wanted they they 99 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:25.480 thought they deserved it. So he they funded a coup. 100 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:30.680 They reinstated the Shaw's son to absolute monarchy, and that's 101 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:33.040 really celebrated. The Shaw is really celebrated in the US 102 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:37.199 because a lot of Shaw supporters escaped here when he 103 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:40.120 was overthrown. It's very different for the people in Iran, 104 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:42.319 very different for people like my family. My grandfather was 105 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:46.800 tortured for thirty years by the Shaw seper police called Sabach. 106 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:50.920 So you know, for families like mine, that classist hierarchy. 107 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.480 You know now that we have this war happening where 108 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:59.639 you have the US trying to force another Shaw and 109 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:01.959 to power, and there's you know, a war over it 110 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:05.759 and it's just a battle my family has been involved 111 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:08.800 in for a very long time, fighting for democracy irun 112 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:11.199 and so that kind of that led me not into 113 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.360 political but I've just been politically active from a very 114 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:17.519 leftist perspective in my family. I've protested with my dad 115 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:22.560 all over the country, parts of the world, Paris and 116 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:25.759 started really doing that all throughout my life, and then 117 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:28.759 started traveling internationally to do that work when I was 118 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:32.240 first time was twenty years old, and then went on 119 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:35.519 from there pretty continuously throughout my twenties. Decided to run 120 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:41.360 for office because I traveled to parts of Africa, South backpacks, 121 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:44.879 all throughout Southeast Asia, uh and you know, Central and 122 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:47.120 South America. So everything from like I was in Cambodi 123 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:51.079 for the war, tribunals for the you know, the the 124 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:54.079 finally the trying of those who were involved in the 125 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.360 killing fields in the Polepot regime. Oh, my goshow was 126 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.720 there for that. I did archaeological digs in Kenya, culture anthropology, 127 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:06.120 Southeast Asia, human trap combating human trafficking, Central and South America, 128 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:12.319 indigenous informed grain building. It's a very long list, and 129 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.800 international crisis relief work was always what I wanted to do. 130 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.399 When I came back from a backpacking trip in my 131 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:25.000 mid twenties and started seeing like the same levels of 132 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:30.879 the increasingly same levels of poverty, the you know, people 133 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:35.240 squatting in homes without electricity, like without water down the street, 134 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.399 from homes that were starting to go for six seven 135 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:43.439 like high up six figures seven figures, homelessness, population, food, apartheid, 136 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.040 And just decided to stay here and start doing mutual 137 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:50.279 aid programs. And in twenty seventeen, you know, Trump took 138 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:52.199 office and the Muslim ban happened, it kind of felt 139 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:55.000 like the only it's kind of a desperation thing, felt 140 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.079 like the only way to protect my family. You're not 141 00:07:57.160 --> 00:07:59.560 at the table, then you're on the menu, and my 142 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.120 family from one of the seven banned countries. So just 143 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:04.959 if I can work on a local level and understand 144 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:08.639 what's going on, then I can better protect them. Run 145 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:10.519 for office is not kind of the way many people 146 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:14.839 would approach that, but really, really, really, I mean it 147 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:17.000 was a very close race, knocked a lot of doors, 148 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.199 got a lot of perspectives, and just stayed engaged after that, 149 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:21.759 especially after the pandemic. 150 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:26.839 Did you feel like your queerness or being a Muslim 151 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.600 like was that in the end helpful or hurt you 152 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:31.879 with getting elected? 153 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.519 Mostly helpful because it got the story out there. I 154 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.200 mean it was a clickbait title. It was very much 155 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:44.080 reduced to political identities. And I think that that's something 156 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:46.120 that we tend to do as a society that's very flawed, 157 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:49.159 putting people up on pedestals based on a political identity 158 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:51.600 without actually knowing their politics. Kind of like when we 159 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:55.200 call somebody progressive, nobody's progressive. People are progressive on issues. 160 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:58.679 Nobody's conservative. People are conservative on issues overall, you might 161 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:05.480 be when your people are people should ideological different, ideologically 162 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:07.639 differ on issue to issue, They should argue those things out. 163 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:09.679 It should never be a blind following or blind trust. 164 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:13.879 And I think because of the inundation of information we have, 165 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:19.639 we just have started evolving and are looking for simplicity 166 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:21.919 and trying to reduce things to black and white, and 167 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:22.440 they're just not. 168 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:25.799 I relate to that so hard, because I do think 169 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.440 and there's so much happening that you can't decide, like, yeah, 170 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:31.360 I guess I'm a liberal. Of course I'm a liberal. 171 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:32.919 But then there were more things that come up that 172 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.120 I'm like, I don't know about that, and then it's 173 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:37.240 like you're right, like you can't it's almost like you 174 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:40.960 it's so polarized. It's are you this or are you that? 175 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:44.840 And that's a sperist ideology and that's like, I'm sorry, 176 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:47.120 but that's really cool, like and it's just not sustainable 177 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:51.879 and you can't be purest on things when compromise is needed. 178 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:57.320 I think compassion and empathy are a cornerstone human evolution, 179 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:00.679 and when you lead with that, which not which is 180 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:02.240 a very hard thing to do. I think the bravest 181 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:04.039 thing someone can do right now is care because we're 182 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:06.840 also exhausted. But when you lead with that, it gives 183 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:08.919 you different perspectives and gives you the ability to look 184 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:11.000 at things through different lenses. Most people don't want to 185 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:14.600 look at things beyond their own bubble, I think more 186 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:18.039 so now than ever because of the exhaustion. But also 187 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:21.240 there is a humanization of different perspectives too, so it's 188 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:23.039 kind of a give and take. But I think people 189 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:25.639 are just like I think, we're just bombarded with too 190 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:29.039 much information. We're just not We're just not evolved enough 191 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:32.759 to be exposed to this much information and levels of stress. 192 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:36.919 The belt line is a great example of like there's 193 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:40.840 so much good and now people can't afford they can't 194 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.120 afford to live anywhere near the belt line in neighborhoods 195 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:48.080 that were the most affordable neighborhoods in Atlanta are now 196 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.320 completely unaffordable. Well, I mean, but it's a beautiful thing, 197 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:53.759 the belt line. 198 00:10:53.639 --> 00:10:55.879 It is. But we also have like the people of 199 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:57.759 Atlanta got sold a lie. They got sold a lie 200 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.879 of you can't have economic development and all so affordability. 201 00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:05.799 That's not true. That is a moorly because Ryan Gravelle 202 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:08.559 and Kathy Woolerd another started this initiative of you know, 203 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:12.519 friends of the Beltline and the the way Ryan envisioned 204 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:18.360 it his creation affordability first, affordable housing first, then the transit, 205 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:25.320 then the sidewalk, and you know, the establishment came in 206 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:30.080 and sent in a suburban developer named Ray Weeks, and basically, 207 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.600 you know when in they won't tell this story, but 208 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.799 the people that experienced the crushing of their dream will 209 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:39.559 tell you the truth, which was that Ray Weeks came 210 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.120 in as a suburban developer and basically told them at 211 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:45.159 the ordering of the city and basically told them, we 212 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:47.320 know the way the world works. We have the money, 213 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.799 you can either come work with us or we can 214 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:52.600 starve every dollar you have. Essentially was the gist of it. 215 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:55.679 Tell me the you said first comes the last comes 216 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.480 the sidewalks. Talk me through that those first, because I 217 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.120 want to be understanding. 218 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:02.519 That if the city went in with the belt line 219 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:05.039 and they told they talked about the beachfront property before 220 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.159 they actually stabilized the land. If the thing about the 221 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:10.559 market is that it is inherently racist, it is a 222 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:14.000 beast you have. You have entities like what is it 223 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:19.039 red Robin and or and U Zillow and others that 224 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.399 are able to is it Robin? What is the name 225 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:25.399 of that one? I can't remembersident red where the hell 226 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:29.600 Robin came from? But again like Villa and others are 227 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:33.159 actually able to go in and curate what an Ami 228 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.600 area media and like Index is going to be in 229 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.799 a community by buying up, you know, houses, and the 230 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:40.279 hedge funds are doing this as well. They can buy 231 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:42.879 up a string of houses at a certain cost, and 232 00:12:42.919 --> 00:12:45.080 then that last house they'll buy for a higher amount 233 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:48.320 to raise the cost of these houses to the value 234 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.279 of these houses so that they can sell and flip 235 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:54.159 them for a much and make a massive profit, and 236 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:55.320 so they know do. 237 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:57.879 They know they're doing it or do they they know 238 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.440 that's happening. It's not like they're just like buying it 239 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:02.320 up and then this is just a repercussion. 240 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:04.440 The thing about a lot of this that hasn't been 241 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.720 calculated for a very long time, there have been predatory 242 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.360 lenders and buyers working in the communities like Old Fourth Ward. 243 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:12.320 When we saw Old Fourth War change and parts of 244 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:15.639 Reynald Sound these other neighborhoods change overnight, it's because the 245 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:20.120 groundwork had been laid by going to poor, lower income 246 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.360 families that in Atlanta are predominantly black and getting them 247 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.399 to you know, Uncle Joe that kept showing up to 248 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:28.120 the birthday parties and was around that got their trust 249 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:30.440 to sign up for a loan that they never should 250 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:32.799 have qualified for because they don't have the income to 251 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:35.200 support it, and so they end up paying the value 252 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.720 of their house over and over and over again because 253 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:40.120 the interest rates get higher and higher, and then until 254 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:43.720 Chase Bank ends up with it or you know, another entity. 255 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:49.360 So those types of things we saw on the belt 256 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.960 Line that they didn't go through. It was economic development 257 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.039 and economic development to me in the United States means 258 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.399 the fastest thing that you can possibly capitalism. How can 259 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:00.879 we move the fast is how can we get the 260 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:03.120 fastest return? How can we have the most profit the 261 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.039 most quickly. And the thing is is if they had 262 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.720 built it the way it was envisioned, yes, it would 263 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:12.279 have taken longer, but we would have had a much healthier, diverse, 264 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:15.240 economically diverse city with a working class that still existed. 265 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.080 And so if you the same thing with my concern 266 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.960 about the tads, we've told people where they're going to go. 267 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.080 I guarantee you that once when once we started talking 268 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:27.200 the city and the executive started talking about tads last 269 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:30.759 year publicly, if you went and looked at I bet 270 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:32.279 if we went and looked at properties, we would have 271 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:33.960 seen that a lot of the properties in the area 272 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:35.919 have already been snatched up by some of the developers 273 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:39.120 that know that that infrastructure, that economic development, that money 274 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:43.759 is coming. What is like for our people Qullocation district. 275 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:46.320 We currently have eight of them. The belt line is 276 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:50.639 a TAD. That's how it is funded. Council just passed 277 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:53.159 legislation on Monday. I voted against it. I was one 278 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:56.480 of two no votes our district was really engaged on 279 00:14:56.519 --> 00:15:02.200 this and not in favor, and it voted through. But 280 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.120 it's an extension of six tabs instead of eight. So 281 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.799 the Beltline tad will not exist past it will not 282 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.039 exist after the next five years. It'll close, which I 283 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:16.279 think will be a very good thing, because when you 284 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:19.720 have an inherently racist market and you already have change 285 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.440 coming and you have massive economic development, and it's like, 286 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.159 you know, it's trying to like punch a tidle wave. 287 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.639 So if the intention is to bring economic development, which 288 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:30.120 is a good thing, but we live in a state 289 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:32.480 that is preempted, that preempts a lot of what the 290 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:36.360 city can do, so rent control, capping, grints, those types 291 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:39.240 of things, addiction defense, which we have to go through 292 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:42.159 nonprofits to do. We are preempted from doing a lot 293 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:45.879 to protect our residents, which is why you cannot do 294 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.360 things the quick way, which is why Atlanta has to 295 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:51.879 go the extra mile to ensure that we are stabilizing 296 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:57.080 land values quietly first before doing these massive development So 297 00:15:57.159 --> 00:15:58.799 like with the belt Line, it should have been a 298 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:02.240 quiet buy up of property than the announcement, because at 299 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.559 that point you have the city owns the land, and 300 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:07.919 can actually dictate the value. But you know, we haven't. 301 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:10.919 We keep making the announcements before we've done the work, 302 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:12.840 and that displaces the people that are there. 303 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:16.639 Could the city have actually done that? Like sometimes I'm 304 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:19.600 so curious, like how that works anyway, Like do they 305 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:21.759 have the money to even do that or is it 306 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:22.600 like they're just. 307 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.720 Political will last lack of political will? You have to also, 308 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:28.559 I mean, I would also imagine there's a lot of 309 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:31.960 private private partners in film dropic groups that are putting 310 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:35.559 a lot of pressure on them. I mean AJC article 311 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.080 just a couple of weeks ago. I think it was 312 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:41.559 Alex Taylor, who owns who family owns the AJAC I believe, 313 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:43.919 did an op ed in his own paper about how 314 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.200 the beltline loop had to be finished that you know 315 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:52.039 that reil basically saying supporting the idea of continuing the sidewalk, 316 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.519 of not doing transit and things like that. And I 317 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.519 think that that's such a perfect synopsis of why people 318 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:00.759 are so frustrated in Atlanta. That you have somebody that 319 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:06.440 comes from an empire, a billion family that's worth billions 320 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.319 of dollars, that heads up journalism in a city where 321 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:16.519 journalism is practically dead and is using his own paper 322 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.680 to tell people that how the belt line should be developed. 323 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:21.599 That a billionaire is using his own paper to write 324 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.680 an op ed on how many things transit should be 325 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:27.720 designed in the city. That is a perfect example of 326 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:32.160 why our constituency, our district believes that corporations are in 327 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:36.880 control of the city. That that is a perfect example. Yeah. 328 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.119 And I don't think people fully understand, like even I 329 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.799 pay attention I live here. Like the way you just 330 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:47.799 explained it is so much the whiteboard. I understand it now, 331 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:49.240 like in a way that I don't even know that 332 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:50.240 I fully did. 333 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:51.839 I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm really 334 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:53.640 sick of billionaires telling me how I'm supposed to live 335 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.119 my life. Yeah, dictating the world that I should exist in. 336 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.960 Would you say the beltline overall, well, if you could 337 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:03.000 change it, would you go back and not do it? 338 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:05.640 No, I would go back and do it, but I 339 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:06.920 would go back and do it the way it was 340 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.400 envisioned by the creator of it. And I can't imagine 341 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.440 being Ryan and walking out of my house every day 342 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:15.200 and seeing my vision entirely bastardized, and knowing the people 343 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.839 that I could have saved, that could have enjoyed that 344 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:21.160 property and that experience and that entry into their city. 345 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:24.039 Because the idea of the connectivity was to combat our 346 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:28.039 racial infrastructure. You know, highways that divide that were intentionally 347 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:30.920 put into the city to divide black and white neighborhoods. 348 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.119 The belt line had the ability to combat that. The 349 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:37.480 beltline had the ability to connect those neighborhoods, to bring 350 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:40.039 people together. And in some ways the belt Line is 351 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:42.200 abolutely beautiful. Shouldn't sit here and say that everything about 352 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:44.319 it is bad. I mean, you go out on a Saturday, 353 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.039 Sunday and afternoon, there's people out, People are playing sports, 354 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.559 people are talking to each other, people are checking out restaurants. 355 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:53.359 People are out and about. But if you're looking for 356 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.599 high capacity transit, that's not the belt Line. If you're 357 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:59.880 somebody that's experiencing a disability or completely dependent on a wheelchair, 358 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:01.960 how are you going to get from point A to 359 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.519 point B. It's completely disorganized right, People don't know which 360 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:07.799 way to walk. Bicyclists I almost got taken out the 361 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.839 other day. And so, yes, it's beautiful, but it's also chaotic. 362 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:13.640 And what people of Atlanta were promised was high capacity 363 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:19.279 transit and connectivity throughout the city and equity, And frankly, 364 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:21.200 in my opinion, I don't mean to diminish people who 365 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:23.640 enjoy the belt line. I love it. Yeah, that Lin's 366 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.720 brought great benefit to my district. It's come a great 367 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:28.799 cost too, and so I don't want to diminish it. 368 00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:32.759 But like, we were promised high capacity transit and we 369 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:36.400 were lived to right and keep and they keep telling 370 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:38.720 us that beltline real can happen, but then they keep 371 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.039 shutting down the projects after pouring millions of dollars into 372 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:41.680 designing them. 373 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:46.079 Talk a little bit more about what that vision is 374 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:48.559 for people who you know, aren't from Atlanta or maybe 375 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:50.839 just visited, don't know a lot about the belt line. 376 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:52.839 What was it supposed to be. 377 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.279 In Ryan's vision? 378 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:56.599 Yeah, I mean Ryan should I shouldn't speak on his 379 00:19:56.680 --> 00:20:01.799 behalf because he's brilliant and wonderful and that was, you know, 380 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:04.200 his creation, and I'm not well versed enough in his 381 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:07.720 dissertation to speak fully on his behalf. But what I 382 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:09.359 do believe was that it was supposed to be an 383 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.519 equity tool, something that was supposed to connect people who 384 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:16.599 had been separated from progress in the city. For a 385 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:20.079 very long time, you know, white flight, white flight into 386 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:22.640 the suburbs of Atlanta and surrounding it to cut off 387 00:20:22.680 --> 00:20:26.039 progress and into the city, only to now have people 388 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:28.519 coming in to buy a bland and to flip now 389 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:30.440 that everybody wants to live in Atlanta, I mean into 390 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:32.599 during the recession. I think we are the second emptiest 391 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:36.400 city in the country after Detroit, and you know, so 392 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:40.599 like and the funny thing is is that we're not 393 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:42.599 even as dense as we were in the nineteen fifties, 394 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:46.000 but the level of traffic that we have exists because 395 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.400 we don't have any public transit. We do have, I'm sorry, 396 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:50.240 we do have some public transit, we take no pride 397 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:54.039 in it, and we haven't expanded it since nineteen seventy nine. Again, 398 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.440 not in a way that actually I mean bus routes 399 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:00.000 and some improvements on infill stations and things like that 400 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:03.000 in pedestrian bridges, but in terms of an expansion of 401 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:05.119