ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is publicly rejecting a plan to move the Olympic cauldron from its longtime location near Georgia State’s football stadium.

In a letter addressed to the president of Atlanta Legacy ’96, Dickens said he does not support moving the cauldron from its current location in the Summerhill neighborhood, where it has stood for 30 years.

Georgia State has proposed moving the Olympic cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park.

Dickens said Summerhill, Peoplestown and Mechanicsville served as the “world’s living room” 30 years ago and that the neighborhoods have borne the brunt of a changing landscape and gentrification that created mass displacement.

The mayor said thousands of residents have remained in those communities despite those changes and that the neighborhoods deserve to keep the cauldron.

Dickens also said the proposed relocation does not reflect the collaboration the neighborhoods deserve.

The mayor closed his letter by pledging his “unwavering support” for the Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Peoplestown neighborhoods.

WSB Radio’s Michelle Wright contributed to this story.