MACON, Ga. — Vineville and Pleasant Hill neighbors had a burial Wednesday morning.
However, there were no tears for the Bateman and Wade corner grocery about to be torn to pieces.
“Time to make something better out of it. This is a great day,” said Lars Anderson, who watched machines rip through the dilapidated building.
Anderson has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years.
“This store was something great at one time and it was something important for blacks and whites to come and shop,” he explained.
Anderson says the shop was the first place where his daughter could walk by herself to buy candy, but that part of the business died long ago.
“It became a haven for crime. When the store closed, we fought against it being modified because it basically became a distribution point for alcohol, lottery tickets and potato chips. It really lost what positive it had,” he said.
Another group watching the demolition was Mandy Bombard and her five kids.
“Yeah, I heard the loud booming and I was looking out trying to figure out what it was,” she laughed.
They only live a few doors down, but Bombard says they’re used to hearing gunshots instead.
“There have been gunshots at this intersection. There have been drug deals in this parking lot. So, hopefully, whatever replaces it will discourage further criminal activity,” she explained.
Macon-Bibb Mayor Pro Tem Seth Clark says this was a well-loved grocery store.
“My mother took piano lessons on Rogers Street. She remembers being dropped off for lessons and walking up the street to meet my grandmother who was here getting ground beef and pimento cheese,” he said.
He says it became a site for crime and illegal gambling.
“This Macon store is a crime magnet,” Clark said. “As violent incidents on this site stacked up, it only served to further divide these two neighborhoods."
Vineville and Pleasant Hill– one side blamed the other for crime. However, Clark says with housing and a small park planned for the site…
“We can repair the camaraderie between these two neighborhoods. A park is a healing, open space and that is what will rise from this rubble."
Caitlin Mee, who moved into the neighborhood three years ago, doesn't deny the crime there.
“There are bullet holes in the front door, so there’s no argument there, but was demolishing the building the only option? No,” she said.
Mee said she wishes there was more of a discussion with neighbors and not just the neighborhood association before the decision was made.
In a food desert, she says she'll always mourn the building's potential.
“I don’t know if that's the best solution having a green space there if crime was what they were trying to remove,” she said.
Anderson says while it’s sad to see a building go, they’re excited for this new chapter.
“This is an opportunity for a wonderful greenspace so that both neighborhoods have a gateway and I think that’s what we want to see. It’ll be a shared project, a shared development, and hopefully something all of us can be proud of,” he said.
Mayor Lester Miller says housing will be built on the site with a green space or park alongside it.