Atlanta’s violent 2020 took perhaps its darkest turn yet Monday night when a seven year old girl was shot in the back of the head while riding in the car with her family past Phipps Plaza mall in Buckhead. She is currently in critical condition at a local hospital.
The stray bullet came as the result of a violent dispute between men parking lot of Saks Fifth Avenue, the latest in a long string of violent incidents in the city’s wealthy shopping district. Interim Atlanta Police Chief Chief Rodney Bryant called the shooting “senseless,” but Tuesday an Atlanta city councilman demanded action.
Said District 7 Council member Howard Shook via a press release:
“Last night, a dispute between two parties resulted in the shooting of an innocent 7-year-old girl. We pray for her and her family. I lack the words to adequately convey the despair and anger so many of us feel about this latest and most painful example of the utter lawlessness that defines what it means to live in Atlanta.
“It is obvious that the civilian authorities do not control the streets and cannot provide even a token feeling of safety beyond our front doors.
“To the administration, I don’t want to hear the word “uptick.” Stop minimizing our concerns by telling us that “crime is up everywhere.” Spare us from the lie that the steady outflow of our officers isn’t as bad as it is. And please, not another throw-away press conference utterly devoid of game-changing action steps.
“It will take a lot to turn this around. But here, in descending order, are the three things we need to begin: 1). Leadership; 2). Some Leadership; 3). Any leadership.”
Pointed words, and he was not alone in his criticism.
Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Bottoms’ predecessor and once-political ally, retweeted Shook’s press release and when pressed, gave his opinion.
I have no problem saying what I mean. I’m not “calling out” anyone. I am saying the current level of violence in our city can’t stand. We all have to work to push back against it. It is a solvable problem. We have done it before. Full stop.
— Kasim Reed (@KasimReed) December 22, 2020
The number of total Atlanta Police has declined from around 2,000 under Reed’s administration to about 1,700 today.
Rumors have swirled in recent months about the divide between the city council and mayor, not a novel situation, but one that has taken on a more serious tone as violence has continued to climb throughout the city. Bottoms, a Democratic darling at the start of 2020, missed out on a cabinet position under President-elect Joe Biden’s administration and now faces a likely primary challenge in the 2021 mayoral race, with approval at an all-time low.
