Our public, taxpayer supported Stone Mountain Park can’t thrive with the Confederacy. Tell Thrive Attractions and Crescent Hotels and Resorts to act now!
As expressed in our open letter to Stone Mountain Park’s next management company (Thrive Attractions), the Stone Mountain Action Coalition is among the Park’s strongest supporters and advocates for its tremendous potential. Additionally, as Georgia taxpayers continue to support the Park financially, we are invested-- literally, and want nothing more than to see it succeed.
While we are hopeful for change that may come with the selection of a new management company, we also have serious concerns that Thrive Attractions has not prioritized addressing the Confederacy issues that have decimated the Park economically and made it an unwelcoming public park. We urge Michael Dombrowski, president of Thrive Attractions, and their hotelier partner Crescent Hotels and Resorts, to immediately begin addressing removing Confederate memorials and symbols that would move Stone Mountain Park towards inclusion rather than maintain it as the world's largest shrine to white supremacy.
We also want to spotlight the recent formation of the Thrive Attractions, which was actually created this summer by Michael Dombrowski, the current management company’s vice president and general manager. Yes, this is the same company that terminated its contract citing “protests and division” and stayed publicly silent on Confederacy issues that plagued the Park. Additionally, Thrive Attractions was the ONLY company to submit a proposal for the Park’s RFP and it failed to address, let alone mention the Confederacy issues.
Is all this normal? No. Does this smell fishy? We think so.
The Stone Mountain Action Coalition contacted Michael Dombrowski in November 2021 and has still been unable to confirm a meeting with him to discuss these issues.
If Thrive Attractions is serious about their stated mission of “using business as a platform to do good” and creating a safe and welcoming Park for visitors, businesses and staff, then we call upon them to speak up and take action NOW.
CALL TO ACTION
Tell Thrive Attractions and their hotelier partner Crescent Hotels and Resorts to take action to remove the Confederacy from our taxpayer supported public park!
Share these social media posts: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Send an email: info@thriveattractions.com; mgeorge@chrco.com; mmetcalf@chrco.com
Sample email message: I am contacting you to request that Thrive Attractions and Crescent Hotels and Resorts take significant and immediate action to address the Confederate symbols and memorials at the public, taxpayer supported Stone Mountain Park. Visitors, staff and businesses deserve a safe and welcoming park, and staying silent on this issue means that you support the Park remaining as the world’s largest Confederate memorial and shrine to white supremacy.
We call upon Thrive Attractions and Crescent Hotels and Resorts to:
Stop selling all Confederate memorabilia
Request that the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA) change all Park streets and features that currently honor Confederate and Ku Klux Klan figures
Publicly support HB 277 that removes government mandates that the public park serve as a Confederate memorial and encourage SMMA to do so as well
Request that the SMMA remove all Confederate flags
Request that the SMMA halt its plans to build a new 40-acre Confederate Valor Park
Issue anti-racism statement on stonemountainpark.com to deter all future hate groups from using the Park for events and demonstrations
