Created in 1970 and bulldozed in the mid-1990s, over the 25 years of its existence Atlanta’s East Lake Meadows was home to thousands of mostly African-American, low-income residents. Soon, however, shoddy construction and a lack of funding had made it nearly uninhabitable.
Drawing upon former residents’ stories, this documentary explores their lives and the struggle to overcome violence and neglect, raise a family, and find work and happiness in such a challenging environment, as public housing in America became increasingly stigmatised and a crack epidemic overwhelmed the area. giving a voice to some of American society’s most marginalised citizens, East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story (May 29th, 8.35pm) raises a series of critical questions – and demands answers.
