There's a reason Dr. King's daughters were barred from Funtown. This story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, more than five years old, offers an important lesson into why King's daughters weren't allowed in Funtown:
Freedom Failed Free day causes chaos at Six Flags
By S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/05/07
No words can do justice this article. No words. And you wonder why Atlanta was home to the infamous 2010 Section 8 Housing Riot in East Point. For those white people who still cling to the illusion that living in one of the Whitopia's in the metro Atlanta area is a wonderful way to pass the time while you work to provide - primarily Black - people with government benefits (such as Section 8 Housing, which drives down the value of your property) read this article on what diminishing tax revenue is doing to Fayette and Gwinnett County.
A free-admission promotion at Six Flags Over Georgia on Atlanta's west side snarled morning rush hour traffic and frustrated youngsters turned away when the park hit capacity by 6 a.m.
Cobb police say they were caught off guard by the traffic that eventually shut down I-20. Authorities asked motorists to stay off I-20 until at least 10 a.m.
Traffic has since returned to normal.
"It wasn't planned for us to be out there," said Cassie Reece, a Cobb police spokeswoman. "We were out there because we were called."
Police closed off exit ramps to Six Flags after the park took in all the visitors it legally could.
"Six Flags is at capacity and can't let anybody else in," Reece said. "I don't know when that will change."
For morning commuters I-20, driving in either direction was no thrill ride.
At its worst, travel time on eastbound I-20 from Lee Road to I-285 was about 25 minutes. It normally is under 10. Cobb County police closed the main exit for the park — Exit 43 off I-20 — about 6:15 a.m. The exits have since reopened.
The amusement park staged the free admission promotion as a season kickoff.
Some youngsters got out of cars and began walking down I-20 to get to the park, but Six Flags' officials turned them away, saying people had to arrive in cars to take advantage of the offer.
Cars began lining up as early as 3:30 a.m. for the offer, which had been scheduled to run from 6 to 9 a.m.
The free day includes free rides, breakfast and season pass specials. Normal one-day admission to the park is $50 for adults and $30 for children.
Dana Davis, 31, drove from nearby Douglasville with her two children and five nephews for a day of fun. The fun never started. She and the children got up at 3 a.m. and sat in traffic on I-20 from 3:30 to 4:50 a.m.
She got close to the park but was turned away.
"It seems like a hoax, instead of a free day at Six Flags," she said.
Shunte Jordan, 32 packed up her children, ages 13 and 5, and left her Riverdale home about 5 a.m.
She made it to Exit 47 and found it closed by police.
"I'm frustrated, very frustrated," she said. "It's the traffic. It's like you are stuck. If you are going home you're stuck. If you're going to Six Flags, you're stuck."
She was at a QuickTrip convenience store on Mableton Parkway, watching as many of the young people in the store and in the parking lot milled about without parental supervision.
"Now people are getting frustrated. It's best to try to get out of this. This is when I feel like problems occur," Jordan said.
Disappointed youngsters — most off school for spring break — hung around the area when they couldn't get into the park. About 200 people sat or stood at a police barricade about 100 feet from the Six Flags gate.
Many were youngsters who had been dropped off by parents who had to go to work.
Alyssa Davis, 15, came with friends from Conyers. A parent dropped them off, never thinking the teens would not get into the park.
By 7 a.m., Alyssa and her friends were trying to keep warm inside the QT convenience store, about a mile from the park. They had walked there after getting to the park and finding the gates closed.
"It's cold outside," Alyssa said. "They didn't tell people there was a maximum capacity."
Makebra Cuffie of northwest Atlanta left home just before 6 a.m. and was dropped off by her mother. She was more pragmatic about not getting into the park.
"We should have left home earlier," Cuffie said.
Zoo Atlanta, more than 20 miles away in southeast Atlanta, took in some of the overflow.
Zoo staff arrived at work to a line of families waiting to get in after being turned way from the amusement park, according to Susan Elliot, a zoo spokeswoman. Nestled in Atlanta's Grant Park, the zoo opens at 9:30 a.m. for general admission.
The metro Atlanta area is one big Detroit waiting to happen. But hey, at least you can go to Six Flags Over Georgia! Get there early on free day to ensure entry.
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