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RESIDENTS in a unique island community have spoken out as they battle zoning changes that could force them off their land.
Black residents of the Hogg Hummock community on Georgia’s Sapelo Island have spoken out to oppose zoning changes that could threaten their land.
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Hogg Hummock is one of the last remaining communities in the south of people known as Gullah, or Geechee, whose ancestors were enslaved.
Residents said the proposed changes would favor the wealthy and lead to tax increases – which could force some to sell their land.
But county commissioners voted to weaken the zoning restrictions by a 3-2 vote.
Now, the maximum size of a home is 3,000 square feet instead of the previous limit of 1,400 square feet.
Commissioner Davis Poole supported weakening the size restriction and said doing so would allow “a modest home enabling a whole family to stay under one roof.”
“The commissioners are not out to destroy the Gullah-Geechee culture or erase the history of Sapelo,” Poole said.
“We’re not out to make more money for the county.”
But residents aren’t convinced that’s true.
Yolanda Grovner, 54, of Atlanta, told the Associated Press of her plans to retire on land her father owns on the island – but now, she’s not sure she’ll be able to do so.
“It’s going to be very, very difficult,” Grovner said.
“I think this is their way of pushing residents off the island.”
Another resident, Maurice Bailey, said: “We’re still fighting all the time.”
“They’re not going to stop. The people moving in don’t respect us as people.
“They love our food, they love our culture. But they don’t love us.”
