Community activist, elected officials threaten to protest Atlanta facility where 15 died

ATLANTA - Community activists and elected officials said it is time to intervene and protect the remaining residents at a southwest Atlanta assisted living facility where 15 people have died from the coronavirus.

"You think if the governor's mother was in there, they wouldn't find the appropriate response to this?" community activist Derrick Boazman asked.

Boazman and many other leaders are outraged by the number of deaths this one facility has had. The former member of the Atlanta City Council is challenging Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Governor Brian Kemp to do more.

"The one place that needs the emergency response is not getting it. The mayor knows 15 people have died and 80 percent tested positive, the governor should know by now and the only response is...what to sit back and do nothing. These seniors deserve better than that," an indignant Boazman exclaimed.

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Call to close southwest Atlanta senior living facility

Many people are calling for the state to step in at a southwest Atlanta senior living facility

The governor did weigh in when he sent the Georgia National Guard to decontaminate the building off Cascade Road last week, on April 7.

The Arbor Company, which owns 40 upscale senior living facilities nationwide, sent families at the Cascade location a letter dated April 9.

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It indicates the facility initiated conversations with the Georgia Department of Health before the first positive COVID-19 case surfaced. The facility stopped visitors from coming inside Arbor Terrace on March 11 and had every resident tested for the deadly virus. They also hired a private cleaning company to sanitize areas in the building. However, Mr. Boazman wants the facility temporarily closed to ensure another resident does not die.

"We have talked about creating a space at the World Congress Center or creating a facility or finding a facility. If we can shut down interstates, state parks, the entire government, you mean we can not find a place to treat some of the medically fragile individuals," Boazman demanded.

Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington said he is disgusted by what he has seen. Arrington said he and other leaders want more information from the Arbor Company about the personal protective equipment supply on hand, the 15 deaths, and the remaining residents.

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