Is Atlanta ready for the World Cup? That depends on who you ask
Cyberattacks, water system disruptions, mass protests, unruly fans — even a terrorist attack. These are just some of the potential crisis scenarios city officials say they’re prepared to handle during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
With just 54 days remaining until the international soccer tournament arrives in Atlanta, city leaders say they’re ready for the influx of visitors and the global spotlight that comes with hosting the major event.
But not everyone seems so sure.
“We want to make sure that we’re taking care of all of our residents during the World Cup,” East Atlanta resident Cat Leatherwood told City Council members on Monday. “Not just the visitors who come into town.”
She was among dozens of speakers who have questioned the city’s preparedness in recent days and raised concerns about Atlanta’s approach to issues like housing and public safety.
The mayor and his department leaders, meanwhile, say Atlanta is well-equipped to welcome potentially 300,000 visitors to the city.
Speaking to the Rotary Club of Atlanta on Monday, Mayor Andre Dickens called it an exciting opportunity to showcase the city and all it has to offer.
“We are prepared to welcome the world to Atlanta in eight short weeks,” Dickens told the crowd, calling this a “once-in-a-lifetime moment” for Atlanta.
Airport officials have been planning for months on how best to manage the deluge of travelers, he said, and assured that Atlanta’s hotels will have enough rooms to house visitors.
The city is helping connect residents with job opportunities, and low-interest, short-term loans are available for small businesses looking to get “World Cup-ready” before this summer’s games.
“We’re special, y’all, and we’re going to make sure the world knows it,” Dickens said.
Meanwhile, public safety officials say they’re preparing to deal with whatever may happen — from clogged city streets caused by major crowds to the possibility of a terrorist attack similar to what happened 30 years ago at Centennial Olympic Park.
Speaking to City Council members Monday evening, Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum said his department is hiring hundreds of officers from across the state to help out during the games.
Between 100 and 150 officers are being brought in for each of the first five matches, according to the police department, and about 200 officers will be on hand for each of the last three matches.
In all, an estimated 700 police officers will be stationed downtown for the World Cup festivities.
The contracted officers will help ensure “the same prompt response to 911 calls” in each of the city’s neighborhoods during the games, Schierbaum said, calling the ongoing preparations an “all-department effort.”
“Our commitment is wherever you are in Atlanta, Georgia, whether you’re in the downtown space or one of the other 244 neighborhoods not hosting the game, that you will see your police department,” Schierbaum said.
APD has ended all leave for officers during the World Cup except for those who just had a baby, are on FMLA or are serving in the military. The department is also pausing all “non-essential functions” and requiring each officer to work 12-hour shifts, the chief said.
The city is getting $52.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s FIFA World Cup Grant program to prepare for the games and help cover the inevitable overtime pay for staff. That’s part of $73.4 million allocated to the Atlanta Host Committee, Atlanta’s Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks said Monday.
Another $7.6 million was given to Atlanta’s police department through a drone grant offered by FEMA’s Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems drone grant.
Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr., who heads APD’s special events division, said the drones will be used to keep an eye on what’s happening downtown and respond quickly if necessary.
Officers being brought in from outside the city will be housed at Georgia State University’s dormitories and shuttled to various downtown posts during Atlanta’s eight matches, he said.
Additional officers will patrol the downtown area on horseback, on bicycles and in small utility vehicles, he said.
Law enforcement officials were among leaders from several city departments who briefed City Council members Monday, assuring them and the public that everyone from the city’s officers to its public works employees is part of Atlanta’s substantial planning efforts.
But community advocates have repeatedly raised concerns about the tournament’s impact on residents — particularly over the city’s plans to relocate homeless people from bustling downtown areas ahead of the games.
Some questioned whether Atlanta’s policing alternatives and diversion program would be adequately utilized or if those arrested could end up in the woefully understaffed Rice Street jail.
“We know that the eyes of the world are going to be on Atlanta like we haven’t seen since the Olympics in ‘96,” said Michael Collins, director of Play Fair ATL, a watchdog coalition focused on monitoring the city’s handling of housing, labor, justice and other human rights issues ahead of the World Cup.
The group has been one of the sharpest critics of Atlanta’s World Cup plans and has accused the city of kowtowing to the interests of corporations instead of doing what’s best for residents.
“We have to be more thoughtful about how we include community partners and how we plan for community protections,” Collins said, noting that “mega-events” tend to exacerbate systemic issues within a city.
At a second World Cup meeting held Tuesday, several council members also raised questions about the games’ impact on the city’s homeless population.
“There’s a concern we’re at risk of criminalizing homelessness in a way that’s contrary to the values we have,” Councilmember Jason Dozier said.
Camille Russell, who works for Partners for HOME, the nonprofit that coordinates the city’s homeless strategy, said they’ve been able to house 450 people in the downtown area — exceeding goals set for the weeks leading up to the first kickoff.
“The concern is what happens in the months and years after the World Cup,” Dozier said.
Russell said the rapid rehousing initiative would continue long after the tournament has left town.
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