“Reed declares war on gangs” [UPDATE]
So declares a missive from the Kasim Reed for Mayor campaign.
According to the e-mail, Reed is expected to call for the creation of “Gang Safety Zones” around schools and recreation centers around Atlanta during a 4:30 p.m. press conference at his 964 Ralph David Abernathy Ave. campaign headquarters.
The former state senator will be joined by and receive the endorsements of DeKalb County DA Gwendolyn Keyes-Fleming, Atlanta City Councilmember C.T. Martin, and “a large contingent of high-ranking Atlanta Police Officers,” all of whom “support his strong declaration against gangs and violence.”
As we’ve reported before, the pubic safety/law & order contingent is divided in its support for mayoral candidates.
If any of the “high-ranking” APD officers decide to reveal their names this afternoon, we’ll share them here.
UPDATE Friday 10:08 a.m.:
From this morning’s AJC:
Atlanta police Sgt. Calvin Turner and a half dozen other officers representing a cross-section of Atlanta police, active and retired, were on hand to speak on behalf of what Turner said was about a third of the city’s officers who are neither members of the International Brotherhood of Police, Local 623 or the Police Benevolent Association – organizations that have endorsed Lisa Borders and Mary Norwood, respectively.