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Dozens of residents from various backgrounds commented on the prevalence of youth violence for nearly two hours during a special meeting called by Atlanta’s Public Safety Commission.
Public speakers filled an Atlanta City Hall committee room Tuesday night after the city called a special meeting to receive input and strategies for combatting youth violence in Atlanta.
The three-hour meeting was called after Zyion Charles, 12, and Cameron Jackson, 15, were fatally shot in Midtown on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Four other minors also were injured during the incident. And on Saturday, 77-year-old Eleanor Bowles was fatally stabbed inside her Buckhead home.
Three teen suspects have been arrested in connection to the Midtown shooting. A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection to the Buckhead stabbing.
On Tuesday, the mothers of children who experienced gang violence said the system is neglecting the community. Former employees from the public sector said the parents and the community are responsible for teaching children right from wrong early on in the school system.
Victims of gang violence told the commission children are being influenced by modern culture, such as music artists who are also gangbangers. Nonprofit leaders said the government needs to reach out to the children that aren’t already participating in publicly-funded recreational programs.
A man who said he was previously jailed on drug charges told the committee that Atlanta needs a stronger community-based violence intervention program. Richard Wright, a 2021 mayoral candidate, urged educated Black men to do pro bono community service with children in the city for four hours a month.
“We’ve got a spiritual problem,” said Ken Johnson, a former NFL defensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Sean Waites urged the nonprofit leaders to contact her office to help the city address youth violence. City Councilman Michael Julian Bond said the government can’t change what happens inside of someone’s house, but he proposed the city and the school system enact new laws concerning children.
“This is a crisis in our city,” Bond said. “There are a lot of things that policymakers can do for that captive population that we have so much authority over that we’re not using.”
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