These last few weeks in Dahlonega has been rocked by a prominent but notorious resident known by both the townsfolk and students that live and work here. I am, of course, talking about the number one landlord (or landlady in this case) Roberta Green. In case you were wondering what it was that she did, to put it plain and simple, she posted a sign on a building that she had been trying to tear down and replace with an unaesthetic luxury hotel and a parking deck right in the middle of the downtown area. Now, many of you may be thinking OK, big deal, but here’s the thing the city’s Preservation Society and the city council pretty much shut down that idea since she first introduced it a few years back. Now here’s the thing that has so many of the folks here angry at her. The sign that was posted up two weeks ago on the building in question had the words “Historic Ku Klux Klan Meeting Hall."
Many people originally believed it to be an act of vandalism, but it soon came out that Mrs. Green did in fact approve of the sign being placed there. Many students and residents see this as an attempt to intimidate local businesses into pressuring the city council to allow her to get her way by driving business away. What is even sadder is that many of the students that live off campus in and around the city live on property owned by Roberta Green, which I can only imagine how difficult their lives must be. As for me, I heard enough horror stories about how bad she treats and screws over her tenants that I looked for somewhere not owned by her when I moved off campus. So why should I care about a sign plastered on a property owned by some horrid lady that thankfully is not my landlady?
Simple, I love this town, I love the people of this town and I’ve seen firsthand that the display of hatred posted up by Roberta Green is not what Dahlonega stands for. I have spent the majority of the last five years living in this town, whether it was on campus or in an apartment. I’ve shopped and eaten at many of the stores and restaurants in the downtown district and I know that everyone that works or owns a business there is upset about these recent actions. Thankfully, it seems that everyone is fed up with this lady’s crooked antics to have her way by boycotting her businesses, and you know what, I will ,too. So here’s all I’m asking you as students and people in and around the Dahlonega area. If you or someone you know is looking at an apartment or real estate in the town that Roberta owns, I encourage you to not sign any lease, agreement or purchase from this woman. If making her business suffer because of she won’t denounce that display of hatred on her property then fine by me, I’ll stand with this community and support them.
