Dear Mayor Johnson,
I am writing to you on behalf of a petition filed back on April 3, 2020, currently 339 people have signed (see attached link). The petition requests that the Savannah City Council stop, and repurpose the development that is currently underway for a City Maintenance Facility. Historic Carver Village is a part of Savannah's Black Heritage, and should be embraced as such. The development does nothing to help compliment the Historic Landmark status the community has been designated as. I would like to also bring to your attention a known, but not widely acknowledged part of history as it relates to the development location. According to the article attached and citizens of Carver Village witness testimony, the United States Army Chemical Corps released millions of mosquitoes infected with yellow fever over Historic Carver Village in Savannah, GA during 1956-1958, just 64 years ago. This experiment was done in secret, and classified as a biological and chemical warfare weapon imposed upon American Citizens, by the American Government. The development location is unmarked with this history attached to it, and needs to be officially documented to encapsulate this horrific history. The Black citizens living here were swarmed by mosquitoes, developed fevers, bronchitis, typhoid, encephalitis, and still births because of it. After each release, Army agents posing as public health officials photographed and tested victims, and then vanished, this was labeled as Operation Big Buzz. Placing a city maintenance facility on this sacred land, and next to what was once known across the world as the largest individually owned housing development for color people in the world, is a dishonor to the unique Black History and perseverance of Savannah Black citizens.
Significant development is underway simultaneously from the front and back end of Historic Carver Village. The village front location that once housed the village grocery stores, gas stations and other merchants will now be home to the arena development around Stiles and Gwinnett. Understanding that this development will attract more people to the area, and will change the way of life for many residents from noise pollution to backed up traffic, the only way to maintain the quality of life of Historic Carver Village is to grow from the other end of Colat where the Community Center and Community park resides. However, somehow shortly after receiving its Historic designation, plans to place the city maintenance facility accompanied it, ultimately killing any future growth for the community. The Carver Village president Chester Ellis has conveyed that this is the wishes of the community,and have been planning this development for over 15 years. Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier the new 1st District representative has taken a position to respect the neighborhood president wishes. In canvassing some of the neighborhood, many citizens have expressed they did not know about the development and would like to see a development for the community. If these actions are not feasible, and you do not see the urgency of rectifying the detriment this development will bring to this Historic area and bury the horrific history attached to the development then please provide clear guidance as to why. We have seen the city lose money on other developments, and add money to development. We are asking that you look at the long-term future, and not just the short-term. We feel the actions to place the city maintenance facility are discriminatory towards this African-American Historic community, and is not the common practice in any other historic areas of Savannah.
Savannah is widely visited because of its history, and culture this historic area should be protected and respected. This development is wrong for the community, and impedes the community growth. We are requesting that all of our representatives putr a motion to stop the development, take whatever financial loss, and give Historic Carver Village a vibrant future by repurposing the development with a community development that the community can use.
We anxiously await your response,
Natavia Sanders
Human Rights Activist
Petition
http://chng.it/N9mZchMB
References
http://nospray.org/the-u-s-governments-secret-experimentation-with-biological-and-chemical-warfare/