KIDNAPPINGS IN ATLANTA! ALL OF YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
To all of you who don't know me, outside of being the guy that runs this Atlanta page, let me introduce myself. My name is Michael Jackson, but I am pretty well known in the Atlanta club and party scenes as "mj". I have been a local party promoter here in Atlanta for over 14 years. I consider myself VERY street smart and for the most part, a badass, but as I learned last week, even a bad ass can get put in checkmate. As some of you may have seen on the news this week, a young lady was kidnapped in East Atlanta Village last week. There was a guy there with her when it happened. That guy was me.
I was up @ a bar called Cenci last Tuesday, where my friends were doing an event there. I was also there to promote for my then still upcoming Birthday Bashment, which happened this last Saturday Night. As I was leaving with my friend Chelsea, we were run up on, at her car, by four men wearing ski masks. Two of them had guns. I was sitting in the drivers seat getting ready to unlock the door for her when she was grabbed by three guys from the back and was told to "get in the fucking car bitch". I jumped out of the car and extended my "ASP" (telescoping baton). I ran around to the back of the car, and yelled at the men "Come on Mortherfuckers!" and rushed at them. That is when two of the guys both touched my forehead with two separate guns and told me to "back the fuck up bitch". Check mate. One guy with one gun? I may have thought about it. But two guys with two guns? If one misses, the other one surely wont. Me getting killed would put my friend in more jeopardy, as she would then be witness to a murder, and would probably be more likely to be killed herself. So I had to stand helpless as I watched my good friend get stuffed into the backseat of a car and driven off by four guys that neither one of us knew. That is a heartbreaking, and excuse my french, a cock shriveling, feeling.
Chelsea was then driven to an abandoned house and kept there for several hours. While she was there, she was beaten, choked, a rape was attempted on her, which she fended off, and she was terrorized. The kidnappers then decided to take her to an ATM, where she was able to flee when they let her out of the car to get them money.
Here are several news clips from the past week:
The first link aired @ 6PM last Wednesday and has interviews with Whitney and Eric ZBD (the promoters of the Tuesday Nights @ Cenci), along with off camera comments by me. Then, the YouTube video below is me talking on camera and that piece aired @ 11PM last Wednesday.
The next link is Chelsea and me being interviewed in WSB's studio yesterday, with her giving her account of what happened first hand. We were asked to come in and do another interview after learning that yet another woman had been kidnapped by four men on Auburn Avenue this past Tuesday night. This time the woman was raped and beaten badly. This piece aired last night @ 6PM.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ALL OF YOU BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! This kidnapping shit has got to stop. We were VERY lucky that our situation did not end up completely different and much much worse. THIS IS SERIOUS! If it can happen to me, it can happen to any of you! Please be aware of your surroundings especially when entering or exiting your vehicles. Stay safe out there guys. Its getting pretty hectic. This is the fifth reported kidnapping in Atlanta in the past month. Luckily again, in our case, the police were diligent, and now all four of our assaulters are in jail, and all four have confessed to the kidnapping.
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful summer. This is one of the best cities in the world, but with economic downturns, people get desperate. Please be careful and pay attention to whats going on around you. I didn't for 30 seconds, and that was all it took to turn around and bite me and my friend hard, and put our lives in severe jeopardy.
blessings to all of you, mj Michael Jackson Atlanta MySpace Page Admin
ATLANTA MYSPACE PAGE UPDATES AND NEWS!! READ THIS!!
Current mood: rockin
Hello all of my fellow ATLiens!! Its been a minute since I reached out on here due to a very hectic schedule lately, so I just wanted to take a minute and let you guys know some things that have been going on with the page. First and foremost: DO NOT SEND US MYSPACE APPLICATION INVITES!!! I hate to be a dick, but with almost 10,000 people on our page we cannot take the time to delete over 200 application invites every time we log into the page. We don't care if you bought us for a pet, or want us to play online poker with you. We don't have time, and you should leave those requests for your actual friends. I know people think its easy to just send us a request to make your value go up in whatever app you are using or whatever but seriously, when 200 of you a week think the same thing, it causes me a LOT of extra time to sort through everything here. I am never going to add an app to the page unless if and when someone come up with one that has something to do with Atlanta and I think all you guys will enjoy it. But until that day we are never going to accept any app invites, so stop sending them. If you guys keep it up, i will have no choice but to delete the repeat offenders from our page.
Secondly, I posted a blog a couple weeks ago letting you all know that we have a new MUSIC PLAYLIST on the Atlanta Page. A lot of you have emailed me saying things like "shouldn't it be all rap or all crunk music in the playlist?". No it shouldn't. The playlist is there to represent every song I could find that was about Atlanta (or Georgia at least). There are many genres of music that extole the virtues of Atlanta in song, so we included all of them. Just because ATL is known for HipHop right now, doesn't mean thats the only music that reps Atlanta. Just because it may be yours or my preferred genre doesn't mean it is everyone's. This page if for everybody. Not just HipHop fans in Atlanta. I hope you guys still enjoy it, because it took quite a while to put it together. There should be enough different musical styles for all of you to enjoy. There is PLENTY of HipHop in there though, trust me.
Thirdly, and I know it sounds like I'm bitching, but Im not, WE WILL NOT ADD YOU if you have a private page!! I have no way of knowing who you are, whether you belong on our page or not, or what you are about. We try to limit who we add to this page to people that live here, love here, or atleast used to live here or have family here. We only add ACTUAL people. If you are trying to add your company or your band to get access to the several thousand members on here, we probably wont add you. So if you have a private page, do us a favor, and at least send us a message along with the add request, and let us know whats up and who you are. Otherwise I will deny you.
Ok thats about it. I hope all of you guys are doing well. The weather is turning beautiful out, and I am looking forward to another wonderful summer in the best city in the world!!
Also a quick shoutout to all the beautiful ladies that sent us add requests this week! I don't know what was up but this week there was an abnormal amount of beautiful women moving to Atlanta, and adding our page. Atlanta gets more and more beautiful every year! Welcome to all of our new members! We hope you enjoy it here!
NEW ATLANTA & GA MUSIC PLAYLIST ADDED TO THE PAGE!!
Current mood: busy
We just added a music playlist to the page today and stocked it full of nothing but songs about The ATL, and The State our fair city is in, Georgia! Go check out the profile page and let us know what you think!
I apologize to you guys that I haven't checked in on the Atlanta MySpace page in about a week or so due to Halloween and then a very good friend of mine passing away last Saturday Morning. It has been a devastating few days to say the least. Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that the sheriff is back in town now, and we just added a SLEW of people to our ranks here! We are now only a hundred or so people short of 9000 friends!! Can you believe it? 9000!
I also want to take this time to announce that we are going to start up a new contest next week. Only people that are "friends" of Atlanta will be eligible to enter the contest, or to win any of the prizes! I am not going to tell you what it is yet, but I think some of you will really like it. Stay tuned for details. Anyway, its good to be back. I missed you guys!
In Regards To The New "Under 21" Atlanta Nightclub Ban
Current mood: contemplative
Recently the AJC posted an article called "Under 21 Crowd Shut Out" outlining the Atlanta City Council's new ordinance it just passed regarding the banning of people under the age of 21 being able to continue working in establishments that serve liquor.
The days of nightclubs hosting "18 to party, 21 to drink" events may soon come to an end in Atlanta.
The Atlanta City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday prohibiting anyone younger than 21 from entering or working at businesses where alcohol is consumed. It should go into effect next week.
Councilwoman Cleta Winslow, who wrote the ordinance, said she is troubled by the city's law that allowed 18-year-olds to work in businesses where people are drinking. It does not affect restaurants where alcohol is served, nor supermarkets or convenience stores.
Winslow worries about teenagers drinking in strip clubs or bars and endangering themselves.
"Since a person under 21 can't drink in a nightclub, they should not be in these establishments," said Winslow, chairwoman of the council's public safety committee.
Greg Pridgeon, chief of staff to Mayor Shirley Franklin, said she would not veto the ordinance. Pridgeon said Franklin was concerned that the old rules allowed teenagers to drink and harm themselves or others.
"It seemed a little inconsistent you had people [under 21] working in these establishments and people who were patrons having to show ID to get in," Pridgeon said.
Winslow said teenagers working in strip clubs are more likely to fall into prostitution or taking drugs.
"We need to help our young ladies feel like they have some self-worth," said Winslow, 55, who said she worked three part-time jobs while in college. "We need to be more about protecting our young people. Even at 18 because the mind is not as mature at that level."
Pete Carver, an employee at the House Nightclub in Underground Atlanta, disagreed with Winslow's thinking.
"A lot of 25-year-olds act like they're still in high school," said Carver, 31.
Carver described the ordinance as the latest attempt by local government to "micromanage" the area's nightlife. DeKalb County commissioners are considering rolling back last call on most days from 3:55 a.m. to 2 a.m. After a string of fatal shootings in the Buckhead party district, the Atlanta City Council in 2003 ordered bars to stop serving alcohol at 2:30 a.m. and to close their doors at 3 a.m.
Although the House Nightclub does not permit anyone in under 21, Carver said decisions about age limits should be left to business owners.
"The city can't make the best judgment for every individual nightclub," he said.
At Goosebumps, a strip club in downtown Atlanta, the management said it would comply with the ordinance, although it has some dancers younger than 21. The club requires dancers older than 21 to wear plastic wristbands to prevent anyone younger from being served alcohol.
Since then, this humble Atlanta MySpace Page maintainer has been DELUGED with messages and emails calling for me to "spread the word", or to "sign petitions", or simply to repost the article. So in light of all the hubub, let finally address the situation. However, first let me apologize for not doing so earlier, as I have been out of town playing a gig in Los Angeles and just got back in town.
This law mainly affects WORKERS in bars etc... and even more specific exotic dancers. Basically its saying, for example, that you can no longer be an exotic dancer and be under 21 in a place that serves liquor. In other words it is geared towards the employees of these places, not the patrons. It however makes several loopholes within itself, as well for people who are "entertainers" to be able to legally work in such establishments. So now we know bands, djs, and the like who are playing at these venues are still legally allowed to be inside them. But are not exotic dancers defined as entertainers also? The ordinance even goes further to say you can still be a waitress, bartender, bar back, etc..., and still serve liquor, and be under the age of 21. So long as you are an actual employee of the establishment.
Now onto what everyone is freaking out about. The "I am 19 years old and will no longer be able to go see my favorite band anymore!" guys.
Due to the licenses that most of the establishments in Atlanta already have (ie. Masq, Tabby, Center Stage, etc...) there will be no change in the age allowed to attend shows there, and they will almost all stay 18+ to enter, so long as they also serve food. Which they all already do. So basically this whole thing with a few exceptions is basically a non-issue. It was intended to get rid of under 21 year old strippers within the city, and thats about it. In usual inept City Council fashion though, it fails to do even that by allowing an "entertainer exemption" to the ordinance. So in summary this law does about hardly anything, and most of you wont even notice a change whatsoever between now and what has already been going on for a couple of years with the club laws in Atlanta. I hope that clears up what is happening with this law a little bit more for you guys.
I however do not want my explanation or downplaying of this law to be taken as in any way agreeing with it, because I don't. I am a promoter in town and am very active in the club scene here. I personally think all of these laws restricting closing times, age limits, etc... are ridiculous. Adults, and by adult I mean people over the age of 18, should be able to chose where and when to go dance, or get a drink, without the Government infringing or interfering. I think these laws have done nothing that were in their intent (which was to curb violence) and have been nothing but devastating to the local Nightlife. Perhaps the City Council should start worrying about things that are really the cause of certain problems in this city, and stop scapegoating the nightlife scene over and over. But then who would worry about kids wearing their pants too low off their waist, if the City Council actually had something to do that was meaningful?
Lets Get Some Things Straight Regarding Mike Vick.
Current mood: pissed off
Apparently we here at the Atlanta MySpace page have, for some reason, become the brunt of a lot of people's anger @ the Federal Indictment against Mike Vick. As if by running a page about the city of Atlanta somehow makes us guilty of Dog Fighting ourselves. We have had over 100 messages this week telling us we "should be ashamed of ourselves" for representing a city that would allow this to happen. Well let me reply to all of you at one time instead of replying to ignorant message after ignorant message. WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH THIS PAGE, OUR CITY, OUR FOOTBALL TEAM, OR EVEN OUR QUARTERBACK (AS OF YET)!! I know its real trendy to jump on the bandwagon and its all cool now to simply say "Fuck Vick" without having to actually think about what you are saying, but lets clear a few things up first...
First of all, this ALLEGED crime didnt even happen in ATLANTA, or even in the whole state of GEORGIA! It happened in some backwater town in frickin Virginia, so maybe you first need to take your pious cause up with whoever runs that MySpace page, and not me.
Next, and more importnatly, I would like to also point out that a Federal Indictment by a Grand Jury is NOT proof of guilt. Its not even close actually. I could indict an apple for committing capital murder in front of a Federal Grand Jury, and I am not even a lawyer. Basically what happens is that the prosecution goes in and tells their story to 18-24 people. If those people believe it is LIKELY a crime was committed, then they hand down an indictment to bring the case to trial. There is no defense allowed whatsoever in a Grand Jury hearing. The defendant is not allowed to be there, or present witnesses, nothing. Having said that, I want to make my motives clear so no one thinks I am sympathizing with someone who hurts dogs. I have been through the Federal Trial process myself personally. I was convicted of a first offense misdemeanor and spent a year in Federal Prison because of it, making me the FIRST PERSON IN US HISTORY to serve a term in Federal Prison and not be a felon (I am still not a felon to this day). However, I was ACCUSED and INDICTED for ALL KINDS of shit I didn't have anything to do with, all because some witness pointed their finger @ me to get themselves out of trouble. Thats all it takes in The Federal System to have an indictment brought down. It basically like the Salem Witch Trials. Once a finger has been pointed at you, you are tried, no matter what the motives of the person pointing their finger. The Feds have infinite budgets, and lifelong appointed Judges who don't have to answer to anyone (except the occasional Appellate Court). So they usually bring every case that lands within their grasp to trial, no matter how strong the case.
Having said all of that, if Vick is guilty of what he is accused of, he should get whatever punishment is coming his way, including never playing in the NFL again. But we need to be careful with just assuming someone is guilty just because the Feds have indicted them. Have we already so quickly forgotten about the Duke Lacrosse players who everyone assumed were guilty only to find out they were accused by an overzealous prosecutor, who withheld evidence that proved their innocence, and ultimately wound up losing his job?!
I just think the "Fuck Vick" bandwagon everyone is on is a bit lame, and is certainly premature. I am not defending dogfighting at all, I personally think it is at best abhorrent, but I am defending someone's Constitutional PRESUMPTION of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his or her peers. But I guess all you guys want to forget all about that right when the subject of the accusation is a bit distasteful to you. That, to me, is FAR more worrisome than ANY debate about animals, their welfare, or the cruelty to them, thereof.
So having said all of that about my PERSONAL opinion about this matter now let me tell you what the ATLANTA MYSPACE PAGE'S policy is going to be regarding this. We will NOT approve any comments whatsoever that slander our city, or The Falcons, or Mike Vick (until if and when he is proven guilty of something). As a matter of fact, if you are stupid enough to think that I, or this Myspace page, have anything to do with condoning Dog Fighting just because we are in the same city as someone who is accused of it, I will probably just delete you from our friends anyway. If you don't want to be here, you don't have to be, but while you are here you are not going to diss ATL! That is all.
Dave Matthews Band will headline a historic evening on the green in Piedmont Park on September 8. Opening the show are the legendary Allman Brothers Band, who last performed in the Park more than 30 years ago.
With an anticipated 50,000 fans, the benefit concert will be the largest show on Dave Matthews Band's 2007 U.S. Tour. The event will raise funds for the 53-acre expansion of Piedmont Park.
Ticket Information Pre-sale tickets will be available May 31st thru June 8th. To purchase your pre-sale tickets, visit this page tomorrow after 9:00am, register for the Piedmont Park Conservancy e-NEWSletter, and you'll get the pre-sale password and ticket link.
General Admission will be available Saturday, June 9 through TicketMaster, the band's fan website Warehouse Fan Association and the band's website.
Ticket Prices General Admission: $45 VIP Experience: $250 Purchase your VIP tickets for the hottest concert ticket in Atlanta this summer. Thanks to presenting sponsor Anheuser-Busch, VIP guests will enjoy: • Private hillside view adjacent to Meadow • Open bar – beer (courtesy of Anheuser-Busch) and wine only • Budweiser's B-Lounge with rooftop viewing deck • Catered buffet • Covered tents & private restrooms
Day of Show Agenda 3:00pm – early entrance for VIP and presale ticket holders 4:00pm – gates open to general admission 5:30pm – Allman Brothers Band (until 7:30pm) 8:05pm – Dave Matthews Band performs (until 11:00pm)
Getting to the Park By MARTA There will be no on-site parking for this event. Fans should use MARTA to get to the Park.
The nearest MARTA station is the Midtown Station, located on 10th Street, and just a few blocks from the park. Upon exiting the Midtown Station, take 10th Street towards Peachtree Street and continue on 10th until you reach Piedmont Avenue. Either turn left on Piedmont Avenue and walk two blocks to the 12th and 14th Street gates of Piedmont Park. Or you can continue walking on 10th Street and the park will soon be on your left side.
Park Entrances (all wheelchair accessible) • 10th Street & Charles Allen • Piedmont Avenue & 12th Street • Piedmont Avenue & 14th Street
MARTA has extended their train services until 1:30 a.m. to accommodate concert goers. Download a route map (PDF 384KB) or visit www.itsmarta.com for more information. Learn about Marta's new Breeze Card, it's free before July 1.
TO ALL OF YOU ATLANTA HATERS!!
Current mood: aggravated
Yesterday, I posted a bulletin and a blog telling you guys about the recent numbers that say Atlanta has the fastest growing population in the country over the past 6 years. A lot of you felt the need to send me messages and comment about it. For the most part these messages were were negative and whiney. Almost all of you said something about the traffic. Ok, well we all know the traffic sucks here already. I personally make jokes about it all the time on here, and even have PICS of the traffic on the MySpace page. But that is the fault of the GEORGIA STATE DOT not knowing what the hell they are doing and their poor planning after the 1996 Olympics to handle the impending population surge, we all knew was going to come afterward. I don't see that as a reason to hate on the city, or to bitch about living here. EVERY major metro area in the US has traffic issues. NYC, LA, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Houston, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, etc.. all these cities have horrible traffic problems. (As a matter of fact Atlanta ranks 6th overall in worst US traffic cities according to Forbes Magazine). Anyway as I just said I don't think that is a reason to hate on the city. If you don't like the traffic, move to frickin Paducah, Illinois. I am sure the cows will welcome you with open hooves.
The rest of you sent me messages bitching about everything from long lines @ Six Flags, to the crime rate rising here in Atlanta due to the population surge. Well, if you don't know you have to stand in line @ an amusement park, I don't know what to tell you. All you do @ DisneyWorld is stand in line, and Orlando ain't exactly Tokyo. Next.
As for the crime rate, although we are ranked by the FBI 5th highest in the nation for homicides, for Atlanta's 2005 rate of 54 homicides per 100,000 people living here. That ranking drops to 40th in the nation if you take into account socioeconomic factors, according to a study by a Georgia State University criminology professor and two experts at other universities. That means violent crime in Atlanta -- a city image problem that most of us want to fix -- is driven largely by factors like poverty and unemployment, just like it is every where else on the globe. Growth, both of population and of resources, helps to fix this problem, just like it does every where else on the globe.
I guess all in all it just troubles me when people hate on a city they supposedly love because it is growing. Change is good and growth is great! Sure at times it may be a little inconvenient, and we may experience some growing pains, but seriously, quit your bitching already. You sound like a bunch of babies. This city could be a WHOLE lot worse off and we could be having problems that make our "lot of traffic" problem look silly.
Besides, why are you even friends with "Atlanta" on Myspace if you are going to send us comments dissing the city, and telling us thats why you left already, or why you are leaving soon? You know what? Leave. Oh, and delete yourselves from our friends here on MySpace on your way out. We represent the A around here.
Blessings Atlanta
Currently
listening
:
Hater
By
Hater
Release date: 21 September, 1993
By BRIAN FEAGANS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/05/07
When Detroit accountant David Gibson married a Midtown Atlanta legal secretary a couple of years ago, his bride began preparing for a move to the Motor City.
Then it snowed.
"She changed her mind," Gibson said Wednesday, pumping his fist up and down at a Subway restaurant in Gwinnett County. "I was like, 'Yes' "
Gibson, 46, wasn't the only one who said "yes" to Atlanta.
No other metro area in the country added more residents — roughly 890,000 — between 2000 to 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau city rankings released today. Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Riverside, Calif., rounded out the top five.
Atlanta's surge has pushed the area above the 5 million-person mark, the census reported last month, to an estimated 5,138,000 in July 2006. That has led to less desirable No. 1 rankings — in average commute time increases, for example. But the region's continued magnetism speaks to its resilience in the face of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and dot-com industry woes, forces that since 2000 have crippled growth in many other cities.
"I think there was some talk a couple years ago that the bloom was off the rose in metro Atlanta," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "I think these numbers show that's not true."
Atlanta is now the clear leader in a national population shift toward the South and Sunbelt, Frey said. Many newcomers to the 28 counties of metro Atlanta have arrived from old economy cities around the Great Lakes. Others are fleeing the expensive housing bubbles of the Northeast in favor of Atlanta's comparatively cheap houses, Frey said.
As a result, since 2000, metro Atlanta has vaulted to No. 9 nationally in total population, passing Boston and Detroit.
Even New York, the nation's most populous metro area at 18.8 million, has mustered only half the increase that Atlanta has this decade.
The growth has challenged school systems and transportation officials to keep up, said Mike Alexander, chief of the research division at the Atlanta Regional Commission planning agency. Trailer classrooms and traffic jams are a daily reality in many parts of the region.
But the good news, Alexander said, is that people have had enough confidence to move here despite slower job growth than in the late 1990s. And now there are signs that employment is catching up, he said, with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport recovered from the post-Sept. 11 slump and Delta Air Lines expected to emerge from bankruptcy this spring. "We've honestly already taken our hit on the tech sector," he said.
While roughly a third of metro Atlanta's growth came in the form of births, newcomers from outside the region drove most of the increase, the census figures revealed.
Soo Kwon of Duluth said she and her husband spent a decade in Chicago before moving to Atlanta last year in search of investment opportunities in the region's growing Korean community. Now Kwon, 36, is working as a clerk at Maum, an upscale cafe near Doraville filled with Midwestern transplants. Her husband works in commercial real estate.
Kwon recalled hearing about Atlanta's fabulous weather from friends who moved here four years earlier. Chicago, she said, was simply too cold.
Chalk up another one to the snow.
Blessings Atlanta
Currently
listening
:
The Atlanta Years
By
Humble Pie
Release date: 01 December, 2005
ATLANTA CROSSES THE 7000 MEMBER LANDMARK!
Current mood: happy
Congratulations Atlanta! We have now become one of the longest running and most active "city pages" on MySpace! We now have over 7000 members and we keep growing by leaps and bounds every day! We have become VERY selective of who we will even add as friends on here. We don't add bands, and we don't add private profiles all in an effort to make our city page the very best it can be! Its about quality not quantity! Now what other "city" have you seen on MySpace that can claim that?! This page is for you guys: the people of Atlanta, and the people that love Atlanta! So thank you all for being an active part in what is now one of the biggest and best pages on MySpace! ATL is truly the home of the pimps and players! Rock on Atlanta!
blessings mj
Currently
watching
:
Earth to Atlanta Release date: 14 November, 2006
rockin
busy
cold
contemplative
pissed off
aggravated
