A fire keeps the bugs away from a dice game in the Brannon Hill parking lot. All photos by the author
Advertisement
Shahid (right) and his son, Taha
Brannon Hill represents the result of several levels of institutional failure, starting with the condominium association and rising up through the county government. It's outside of incorporated city lines, leaving DeKalb County with jurisdiction over it. Up until this year, when confronted with the increasing social disorder of Brannon Hill, county leaders have cited the legal complexity of negotiating with more than 100 separate property owners, the futility of enforcing housing codes when those owners have no money to pay fines, the sensitivity of displacing a poor immigrant community, and the financial cost of eminent domain or condemnation. Meanwhile, things have continued to get worse.On VICE News: What I Learned About al Qaeda from Analyzing the 'Bin Laden' Tapes
Advertisement
Advertisement
One of Brannon Hill's burned-out buildings
Advertisement
Advertisement
Gang graffiti that peppers the outside of the complex
Advertisement
A mirror has been placed in the Brannon Hill parking lot so residents can watch for police
Advertisement
A Brannon Hill squatter named ASAP enters his home