Updated a 6:58 p.m. Monday
For the better half of a century, Manuel’s Tavern in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta has been the living room for many Georgians, a welcoming watering hole and meeting hall for artists, lawyers, carpenters, academics, police, actors, activists and journalists. Those reflective/ nostalgic words were written by longtime regular Manuel’s patron Angelo Fuster, who started a GoFundMe fundraising site.
Manuel Maloof, a fiery politician who was CEO of DeKalb County in the mid-80s and early 90s, created an environment where folks from any walk of life could comfortably sit together and enjoy a beer or burger.
The real It s A Wonderful Life! Georgia bar owner who faced closing his 64-year-old tavern loved by former presidents is SAVED as 2,800 donors raise $178K - and one donation is sent in an envelope addressed to George Bailey
Owner of Atlanta bar Manuel s Tavern, Brian Maloof was contemplating shutting the place down having run out of cash due to coronavirus lockdowns
The bar, which has been around since 1956, is well known throughout Georgia
A regular patron, Angelo Fuster, suggested to Maloof that he should set up a GoFundMe account to help save the business
The response was tremendous with $75,000 raised in the first few hours as thousands in the community rallied to support the businessman
you breathe a little faster. you have a hard time getting your breath. you sweat a little more. he did all those. wayne williams took the test three times. he failed each time. i said, some reaction like i ll be darned, you re the guy we ve been looking for for two years. it surprised him that he didn t beat that polygraph test. he was convinced he could beat a polygraph test. he sat there and studied it and said what s this question right here? i said that s pretty good. did you cause the death of nathaniel cater. then he said, what s this question? i said did you throw his body into the chattahoochee river. with the media waiting outside the fbi, the mayor s spokesman, angelo fuster was called in to handle the press. and in comes homer williams. fuster asked homer, a press photographer, why he was inside the building, trying to get a scoop on the suspect?
the polygraph measures sweating, the heartbeat, blood pressure, all rise with tension. you breathe a little faster. you have a hard time getting your breath. you sweat a little more. he did all those. wayne williams took the test three times. he failed each time. i said, some reaction like i ll be darned, you re the guy we ve been looking for for two years. it surprised him that he didn t beat that polygraph test. he was convinced he could beat a polygraph test. he sat there and studied it and said what s this question right here? i said that s pretty good. did you cause the death of nathaniel cater. then he said, what s this question? i said did you throw his body into the chattahoochee river that night. with the media waiting outside the fbi, the mayor s spokesman, angelo fuster, was called in to handle the press.
and in comes homer williams. fuster asked homer, a press photographer, why he was inside the building, trying to get a scoop on the suspect? and he said, no, that s my son. i thought, oh, geez. homer told him. they detained him and impounded my car for littering. they detained him for littering is what he said. i said that doesn t he said at night. i said littering? he said, yeah, he was driving over this bridge and stopped to throw some garbage and they rushed him and stopped him. at that point i said, homer, i don t think you need to talk to me anymore. we asked wayne williams about throwing garbage off the bridge. he denied his father ever said that. your father said you stopped to get rid of some trash. no, he my father never said that. i never said that and my father never said it. while father and son were inside the fbi, evidence technicians were combing the