Vine City Church Battles BB&T Bank

Video

 The Higher Ground Empowerment Center is a small church that has served the Vine City community for 108 years.  Higher Ground has provided job fairs, a food pantry, after school activities, and a summer camp for kids in a part of Atlanta that has few resources.  It is a source of pride and hope for many people in Vine City and other surrounding neighborhoods.

In 2008, a freak tornado went through the center of downtown Atlanta.  It hit Vine City first, and damaged the steeple of H.G.E.C., but otherwise this strong church remained standing.  The church leadership went to BB&T bank for a loan to make the needed repairs.  Then the economy tanked.  As the Vine City community struggled to pay their bills and put food on the table during the recession, less money was available to give to their beloved church. Three years and one Wall Street bank bailout later, the church could no longer make payments on the loan.  It looked like 108 years of community service was coming to an end.

Then the church reached out to Occupy Atlanta.  Armed with tents, the internet, and a belief in people power, O.A. joined the fight to save Higher Ground Community Center.  After one week of occupying and community organizing, things began to change...fast.  This film is the press conference on Tuesday, January 17th at the church one hour before their meeting with BB&T, perhaps their last chance to save this pillar of Vine City.

It runs 42 minutes.