an upscale Atlanta neighborhood dreams of independence

The guests at a small reception are white, wealthy and Trumpist. They all live in Buckhead, a district of Atlanta, the capital of the State of Georgia, in the United States. Between glasses of champagne and petit fours, the discussions focus on politics. They all claim the independence of their neighborhood and want to distance themselves from the current political system. The main concerns of this white electorate are immigration and insecurity. “We have problems in the neighborhood. We are afraid that people will break into our homes”says a resident.

The chairman of the Buckhead committee is preparing a divorce from the municipality of Atlanta. The idea is to secede, like in the days of the Confederates, when the Southern states were at war with the Northern states. “We are going to love our police, we are not going to raise taxes, we are even going to lower them”, says Bill White, the chairman of the committee, Tuesday, November 8. This area of ​​Atlanta, known for its modern shopping malls, is nevertheless a rather peaceful place. But the secession project defended by the Buckhead committee is far from being an isolated example in the United States. For the experts, the polarization between two opposing camps and misinformation further accentuate the differences.