Here s a suggestion for city leaders about police departments | George Korda
George Korda
City leaders across the country – including Knoxville’s – are having a complicated relationship with their police departments.
During the summer of 2020, Knoxville saw several demonstrations against police brutality sparked by the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a Black man, who died after his neck was pinned to the ground for more than nine minutes by a white police officer.
Nationwide, protests – some peaceful, some violent – took place.
Following a peaceful Knoxville protest, Mayor Indya Kincannon said at a June 2, 2020, city council meeting, “From these expressions of anger frustration, sadness and solidarity, one thing is clear, the time for change is now, for the end of racism, and the end of police brutality.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, in a statement, said the violence from over the weekend is “unacceptable. Author: Chenue Her Updated: 7:05 PM EST March 1, 2021
ATLANTA At least 10 people were shot across Atlanta on Sunday alone, leaving some city leaders frustrated over what they called a rise in gun violence over the past year.
In two separate shootings in southwest Atlanta - one in the Oakland City neighborhood, the other near Georgia State University s stadium - police say six people were injured. Then, at the Gold Room nightclub in Buckhead, another person was shot. At the Blue Flame Lounge in northwest Atlanta, APD said a car stopped and someone fired towards the business, injuring three people.
Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta officials are taking a closer look at short-term home renting, with one councilman proposing to ban the practice.
Councilman Howard Shook said residents are concerned about a constant stream of strangers in their neighborhoods and a loss of community.
“More and more you’re seeing the neighbors say, ‘I’m getting tired of living next to somebody where I never know who’s supposed to be there and who isn’t and who’s coming and who’s going,’” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But some homeowners say they rely on the money from renting out their properties, particularly during the pandemic.
2020 was the deadliest year in Atlanta in decades, according to an ajc.com report.Â
âItâs ridiculous that now, even during this pandemic, we got more gun violence going on than ever before,â said
Columbus Ward, a longtime activist who lives in Atlantaâs Peoplestown neighborhood.Â
âItâs really scary because you donât know whoâs going to be killed or whoâs going to be shot or where those shots are coming from,â Ward said. âItâs just everywhere.â
The deadly surge has police and city leaders struggling for solutions, according to the report.Â
âIâve never been afraid to get gas or go to the grocery store before,â said Buckhead resident
CDC to look at Atlanta crime stats
CDC offers to look into Atlanta crime stats
Atlanta experienced an uptick in violent crimes in 2020, now a city councilman wants the CDC to investigate.
ATLANTA - Can the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lend a hand to Atlanta s efforts to stem violent crime?
Councilman Howard Shook said it can. The veteran legislator, who represents Buckhead, said a scientist contacted him and made the suggestion.
Shook on Tuesday introduced a resolution asking his colleagues to allow the agency to take a look.
What can be analyzed? Inside the police department, police commanders attend a meeting weekly where crime is reviewed the number of incidents and the locations.