Boxer Killed, Atlanta Councilman Robbed, What Next?
Two high-profile crimes late Saturday night in Atlanta have once again sparked citizen outcry over public safety and how city officials react to it.
State Sen. Kasim Reed, a candidate for Atlanta mayor, released the following statement late Monday:
There’s a crisis in this city and no one knows that better than the family of Vernon Forrest. Vernon, a former professional boxer, was one of Atlanta’s greatest gifts and represented this city well both in and outside the ring. My family and I extend our deepest condolences to the Forrest family.
This is not an isolated incident. Every day, these types of tragedies are happening across Atlanta and it is reflective of a larger problem that affects all of us. The senseless acts of violence plaguing our communities are simply outrageous. Our nightly news casts have become filled with stories of property crimes, home invasions, assaults, and murders of the innocent, and even the robberies of Atlanta City Council members.
Our very quality of life is at stake as we search for ways to improve public safety and return a sense of security to every Atlanta resident and visitor. Ending the furloughs of every single police officer and fire fighter was the first and most important step. But, we can and must do more to put an end to this crisis.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and City Council President Lisa Borders, another candidate for mayor and a two-time victim of home invasions this year, released this short joint statement on Forrest’s death:
Our deepest sympathy and prayers go out to Vernon Forrest’s family in light of his untimely death this weekend. This intolerable criminal behavior is yet another tragic reminder to all of us at City Hall that we must work together to find the resources to support APD and community as it works to restore law and order to our streets. Making Atlanta safe must be our top priority.
Forrest, 38, stopped at a Chevron station on Whitehall street around 11 p.m. Saturday to put air in the tires of his Jaguar when an armed suspect approached Forrest and robbed him of several items, including his wallet, Atlanta police reported.
Forrest, also armed, chased the suspect to an area near McDaniel and Fulton Streets before being shot seven or eight times in the back by an unknown number of assailants.
Just hours later, Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell dropped his mother off at her Washington Park home before three armed suspects confronted Mitchell demanding he relinquish his 2003 Ford Explorer. Mitchell told police one of the suspects fired a shot in the air before taking the vehicle, which police found hours later in nearby northwest Atlanta.
Mitchell, the son of a former Atlanta police officer and candidate for Atlanta City Council president, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday that he will continue his efforts to put more officers on the streets and make other public safety enhancements.
Are high-profile crimes like these creating a false perception that crime in Atlanta is out of control or do you and your friends and family feel genuinely insecure? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.