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Little 5 Points!
The first time I saw Little Five Points it shocked my suburban sensibilities. Where
were the malls? And these people! Skinheads and 60's types milling around together
only happened in the movies, and then only in the past. At that point in my life, there
seemed to be only three types of people; all generic, all bland, and all named Bob,
Susan, Molly or Chip. When / recovered, I realized how narrow and limited my
world was, and that it wasn't only my world. Little Five Points became a symbol of
change, of difference. The people of Little Five Points have their own goals, ideas,
and priorities - they make their dreams a reality by their own standards, not mine or
yours. They accept each other, and they live together, and isn't that what it's all
about?
"There just has to be more to life than going to work
and making $20,000 and paying outrageous rent” -
Doug Shoemaker, recent resident of L5P.
L5P "Energy" Draws
Diverse Crowd
Our heroine is standing in the brilliant
springtime sunshine at the Virginia-Highlands
Shell station, pimping gas into ha 1987 candy
apple red Z28 Camaro, and looking father
dashing in her Bruce Willis shades and
highwaisted British safari shorts. Up pulls a
L5P HAS ATTITUDES, OR CONSISTED
THEMES THAT SEEM TO BE THE RULE,
RATHERTHENTHE EXCEPTION:
• NATURALISM - A respect for the earth, aid
its resources. The ambience in many local
businesses reflect naturalism in their decor,
ranging from the use of wood, and natural
lighting, to the products sold, ranging from an all
natural grocery co-op, to all natural clothing
stores.
•EGALITARIANISM -The idea that all
people are equal in all facets of life. This concept
is evident in the tolerance of people of different
with little or no hostility.
• HUMANITARIAMSM -A concern for
human welfare. From die peaceful existence oi
shelter for the homeless, to die more eccentric
own. As long as the behavior isn’t anti-soda!,
people seem to be somewhat ftiendly, and helpful.
Food baskets fa the elderly, and a Crime Watch
also show a community working within itself, to
take care of its people.
• ACITVISM-An active role in political
causes.
such as the Presidential Parkway and
homelessness are evident cm flyers, bulletin board
announcements and graffitti throughout the
community.
- Joe Vindich
black Rabbit convertible
transporting two of Emory's
finest female victims of
fashion. "Excuse me," one
says giggling and jiggling, "but
can you tell us how to get to
Little Five Points?"
Can I tell then how to get to
Little Five Points? Does the
pope wear a beanie? lean
remember when driving
through the intersection of
Euclid, McLendon, and
Moreland was a dangerous
and undone thing. Now it
can be done in an open convertible.
For years, Little Five Points has
provided an atmosphere of tolerant for
minorities of every descriptiore Gays,
feminists, blacks, skinheads, Rasteferians,
Hare Krishnas, vegetarians, and hippies, all
feel comfortable here. Even yuppies.
What energy draws so many different
people to this area?
"The first time I came to Little Five
Points I thought, what is this place?" said
one woman resident "But for some reason, I
liberal literature, health food, and low rent to
Little Five Points. They brought their
philosophies of peace and goodwill with them
and began to incoiporate
their ideals into the
community. Then, in
1976 the Little Five Points
Community Pub replaced
the crime-ridden
neighborhood bar. How
bad was the crime in this
pre-Pub bar? It was so
bad that the front windows
were boarded up to
prevent patrons from
being thrown through
than.
But the windows are
wide open now and Little
Sharon Kettering, obviously a
fashion follower, eyes the
wares outside Renb Renb.
Devoted Dead Heads and people-
watchers Amy Nease and Don Donnelly
fear L5P is becoming "fashionable".
just kept coming back and caning back.
There's lots of life and spirit and good stuff
here. Charishas
helped mealoL
It's helped me find
beauty as a woman
rather than as the
other half ofa
couple."
The residents of
Little Five Points a
mere 15 years ago
were mostly
transients, hookers,
and criminals. But
in 1974, Charis
Books and
Sevenanda opened
their doors, and the
flower children
followed the
Five Points has
become, shall
we say, trendy.
Doug
Shoemakais
moving to Little
Five Points in
two weeks.
Why?
"There's a lot
. of hip people
here. I started
working for
GreenPeace,
and this is very
convenient. There just has to be more to life
than going to work every day and making
$20,000, and paying outrageous rent I
spent one year making a lot of money,
are! it was the worst year of my life. I'm
also a juggler and a freelance poet and
this just seems to be the place for me."
"I think the whole country is
becoming more aware, like during the
post-Eisenhower era. You have to woric
within the system, you can’t really woric
against the system anymore. And you
can't change the system, you can only
change the individual and that
hopefully, that will change the system."
Amy Nease lives in Stone Mountain.
She likes to cone to L5P to watch the people.
"It used to be like this at Lenox," she said.
A peaceful man on the plaza told me:
"This is the best place in the city to live.
When Tm not climbing mountains I'm living
down here writing songs. I've been working on
this song about three years. My name is
Mountainwalker."
Don Donnelly and Amy Nease spend their
spare time at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Gub.
Don says he likes the scenery in L5P. He says
this as several petty girls go by. "And the beer
is really cold here," Amy adds. Don and Amy
are devoted Grateful Dead fans and longtime
L5P residents. They
X, fear that, like the Dead,
Little Five Points has
become "fashionable".
Donald Head said,
"It's peaceful. My
sister went to high
school here. I've lived
here all my life and I sit
here all the time. I
think it's the only shady
spot around today. I
live across the tracks
now, but I always come
back hoe."
Everett Smith drives
a taxi-cab in Little Five
Points. He says business is good. He sits at the
taxi stand on Euclid Avenue in a cane-
bottomed chair and watches the whole show.
"Yeah, there's been a lot of changes around
here," says Smith, a 30-year resident of Little
Five Points. "Same buildings, different people.
Most of it's for the good. Do you rememba
Peachtree and Tenth? Remember all those
hippies they had down there? That's what we
got here. ItH probably die out like Peachtree
and Tenth did, you neva know."
You neva know. Whatever the source of its
energy, Little Five Points is one of the last
places on earth that encourages alternative
"Mountain Walker" is convinced that
L5P is the best place to live in the
city.
For many, shopping is what it's all
about.
■;»-
lifestyles. Perhaps this is its greatest attraction.
In this fearful world that would rather kill us
than allow us our differences, the community
of Little Five Points
nurtures and displays
these differences. It
provides a place where
it is safe to be ourselves,
to be openly unique,
and to walk outside in
the sun for all to see.
And it is, after all, our
similarities that make
this possible.
• Pamela J. Cote
Donald Head, a life-longresident, chooses his favorite shady spot - and comic book.
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