John Coleman, the resident of Greighfield community, a small neighborhood east of Atlanta has accused Melanie Downing, the HOA Board President of slamming him with a fine of $10,150 after he had some property dispute with her. While Coleman was already having a disagreement with Downing, things escalated further when she allegedly kicked the man, which led him to call the cops.
However, the police could not find evidence of the said incident but it was after a few days of this that Coleman was hit with the fine. Talking about how this has impacted his family, Coleman said, “As a result of what’s been going on, my mom has been hospitalized as well as my dad and even myself. Me and my wife wish we had never moved in and just asked our parents to do something else. Our property is at risk.”
Unfortunately, Coleman is not the only one who has been going through such property issues, as per Atlanta News First. Residents of the Greighfield community have been living in fear of Downing as they feel that can be unfairly subjected to her fines and other forms of harassment. With the HOA fees going from $745 in 2022 to $1,316 in 2025 people have naturally started questioning Downing’s leadership under the Trump Presidency.
Another homeowner, Frank Bosah, was also sent $137,768 debt collection without any kind of explanation. This incident also questioned the transparency of the practices and polices that the HOA follows. Bosah, after being slammed with the debt collection deduced that this might be a part of some wider form of harassment.
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He said, “I will fight for my house, it is a dream for me and my family.” Such random fines have also got homeowners worrying about foreclosures as Georgia Law mentions, “unpaid fines over $2,000 could result in a lien and eventual foreclosure.”
Both Bosah and Coleman, who have been victims of unfair practices of the HOA think that Downing is trying to use this fining method to drive people out of their homes. Another person from the same neighborhood, Jacques Boyd said, “I’m fearful when I leave my home,” which was similar to the kind of fear that other homeowners are living under.
Greighfield residents said their HOA president ‘has been terrorizing every homeowner here.’ https://t.co/y5oEIgIVIy
— Atlanta News First (@ATLNewsFirst) March 21, 2025
Downing also told the homeowners in a recent meeting that they would inevitably face fines if they do ensure that they are going by the new property rules. It should be noted here that back in 2021, the HOA had allocated $4,000 for ground maintenance though in 2024 that amount went up to $18,000. However, it is still homeowners who are responsible for taking care of their own property and mowing their lanes. Downing’s leadership has led to the voting in of a new board but Downing has not acknowledged the results.
What is more concerning is the fact that the Downing led HOA has hired a new law firm and management so that the debts are collected properly and a special assessment fee for residents is also to be added. Such new changes would essentially make the life of homeowners even more difficult.
