FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE CRACK DENS:

Wal-Mart gets a warm welcome (Mae Gentry, March 22, 2006, Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Retail behemoth Wal-Mart may be unwanted in other parts of metro Atlanta but south DeKalb County is rolling out the welcome mat.

Community leaders and residents will be on hand today when Wal-Mart celebrates the grand opening of its first store inside the Perimeter --- at Gresham Road and I-20.

The 214,000-square-foot supercenter, located on the site of an old Kmart, could help revitalize an economically depressed area and provide much-needed jobs.

"It's a good shot in the arm for the community," said John Evans, a community activist and former president of the DeKalb NAACP. "We needed development there. It may serve as a real catalyst to bring in new businesses." [...]

DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones said new Wal-Mart's location off I-20 will also attract shoppers from outside the county, putting sales-tax revenue in county coffers.

Jones also believes people in the community should welcome the new supercenter, especially because of what it replaced.

"I think it's obvious what people would like, if they have a choice between a dilapidated, crack-infested old building with no jobs versus a thriving retail box with supporting retail shops, providing jobs and services and improving the property value," he said. "I think it's a no-brainer."