Mark, I could not agree more.

Not when it ties up traffic (even more), brings in crime (I hate to say it but it's true), has around-the-clock deliveries, and who knows what else. Plus, it's not an ethical company -- it has already lied to neighbors. A new center at what cost? Not one I wish to pay.

Hi Deanne #4- We sure view Walmart differently! If you'd ever check out a new Walmart, you might find you actually like it.

(And on crime, it's a flat fact that Walmart doesn't tolerate shoplifters. That's a BIG plus to me!)

I can speak to the crime. Yes, Walmart is so tough on profit loss that a security guard most likely killed an alleged shoplifter in Lithonia last week. That's not the kind of tough-on-crime policies I want in my neighborhood.

Walmart has a very serious, nationwide problem with crimes commited against people inside the stores and especially outside of them in parking lots, underground decks (the proposal for SP) and in the shopping centers where the stores are located.

Hi newest Deanne (Gosh, that's 4 new Deannes lately!! What are the odds?!),

So, since you've donated, can you tell us how GGD's tax write-off works? GGD's site says they've attached themselves to AiJalon Inc., a non-profit for folks with Alzheimer’s. Since AiJalon's businesses aren't located anywhere near Suburban Plaza, the arrangement seems kinda shady and, well, lower than low. I mean, how despicable is it for GGD to rope in a group that's serving folks with much bigger struggles than Walmart vs. NO Walmart? And isn't it also potentially risking AiJalon's non-profit status to provide tax receipts for such an unrelated cause?

Come join the fight Deanne Thomas. You know you want to.

Katie - Yay! Deanne. We are going to donate to GGD too.

I'm not sure why the other Deanne is so against GGD, but I've been following this story for awhile and I just find it VERY odd the visceral things that she is putting out. It just doesn't make sense.

I've talked with GGD and the one thing that stands out above Walmart and Selig is that i find the people with GGD to have a passion for keeping our area great. It is their driving force, pure and simple. We need more groups like this that care about thier community whether they win or not.

How do you know it's frivolous? I wouldn't think the community would want to waste money on something that was frivolous. And don't you have to have a legal basis in order to sue? Of course, the court could rule it frivolous and throw it out, but that's up to a judge to decide based on the merits of the lawsuit.

On the other hand, if it is not frivolous, the suit may be something that would help protect the community. They are a myriad of things that can go wrong -- and if an organization caught something early on, I'd rather it be worked out now than pay the price later.

While I agree Walmart isn't going away any time soon, many, many communities have turned away Walmart. The people who live around the Lindbergh shopping center in Atlanta did just a few weeks ago.

(Deanne #4-- You'd be surprised to know how small GGD's “community” actually is.)

Regarding Deanne's comment below, I would love it if she provided confirmed insights on the size of GGD's community. She seems to have access to information that others don't.

Full disclosure: I'm pretty confident GGD's community is a lot bigger than the universe of Walmart supporters in our area.

What? That means that people live around the Little Five Points - Moreland Avenue area are wealthier than people who live in Decatur and surrounding areas? That's not true at all.

And I'd rather there be nothing there than a Walmart. No one was hoping for it in the first place. No one asked for a mega-store to be built in that tiny shopping center.

GES, what areas are you including in the "Suburban Plaza neighborhood"? Your estimation of the spending power of areas like Decatur, Emory, Druid Hills, etc. seems to be based in something other than reality. Also, Medlock, while not super wealthy, has been a reliably solid middle class neighborhood for decades. One major reason Selig, the owner of the property, pushed so hard for Walmart is because Walmart is going to invest in underground parking, thus allowing for the three football fields-sized building. Selig should have invested money in its property when Decatur's rebirth happened, but they chose to keep Suburban run down until they found a tenant willing to foot the bill for its renovation. I think your estimation of the neighborhood is a reflection of Selig's poor property management.

Are you kidding me??? Have you seen the homes right behind Suburban Plaza? The houses that line that wall start at 400K and go up.

And that is the correct way to oppose WM. vote with your feet. I will never shop there but I vehemently oppose frivolous lawsuits. It is a slippery slope when we can dictate who a landlord can and cannot lease to unless it violates zoning laws. My politics are quite the opposite of the Walton family so I spend my few dollars elsewhere.
I hope the lawyers are working pro bono but I doubt it.

To see Selig's exciting plans for Suburban Plaza:
http://www.medlockpark.org/search/label/Suburban%20Plaza

I agree Alexis! It's a shame that the Seligs let the little center go until they got into multiple development deals with Walmart. :-(

Deanne #4-- Bright side: The tenants have paid far below market rates while the property's been idling. Some of them wouldn't have been able to stay open or start their businesses without it.

So Deanne Thomas, you're happy that small businesses were given an opportunity to make it at the plaza? You care about small businesses? Seems inconsistent with your rabid defense of a Walmart supercenter. Also, to your other point about the community that Good Growth DeKalb represents, it has a huge membership. You are not privy to the list, so why do you make false accusations? Why do you continue to peddle defamatory comments about Good Growth DeKalb? If you have a different opinion, fine, but your comments are very often false and misleading, and possibly libelous. And your comment about shoplifters at Walmart lays bare just how utterly stupid you are.

Deanne #4-- There will be plenty of trees and plantings throughout Suburban Plaza after it's redeveloped. AND a Walmart! :0)

If that's the case, then Selig should be happy to provide accurate depictions of the center at multiple viewpoints -- from the air, from the road at standing height, from inside the center looking at the store. But instead the company gives people a clump of beutiful flowering trees. I agree -- that stinks, it's sneaky and it's dishonest.

Here here!
Walmart always brings more crime to a neighborhood. Google "walmart crime rates" and you will be chilled by the results. They are great at shoplifters in the store, but TERRIBLE for outside the store and bringing crime to a neighborhood.

At least with "Obamacare" those who go without it now and in the future, will be able to actually get it. Until recently I was one of those, and it's a very scary feeling.

In April 2011, the following was Walmart's, and The Gap's, position on improving safety standards at their garment factories. One hundred and twelve workers were killed in one of these Bangladeshi factories in November. Low prices have a high cost, MikeS.

Sridevi Kalavakolanu, a Wal-Mart director of ethical sourcing, told attendees the company wouldn’t share the cost, according to Ineke Zeldenrust, international coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, who attended the gathering. Kalavakolanu and her counterpart at Gap reiterated their position in a report folded into the meeting minutes, obtained by Bloomberg News.

“Specifically to the issue of any corrections on electrical and fire safety, we are talking about 4,500 factories, and in most cases very extensive and costly modifications would need to be undertaken to some factories,” they said in the document. “It is not financially feasible for the brands to make such investments” ("Wal-Mart Nixed Paying Bangladesh Suppliers to Fight Fire," Bloomberg News, December 5, 2012).