(Big League Politics) – Residents of an upscale Atlanta neighborhood are exploring the possibility of seceding from the Georgia city amid a dramatic explosion in violent crime and murders, with residents of Buckhead dissatisifed with the law enforcement provided by the Atlanta Police.
A driving motive behind proposals for Buckhead’s municipal independence is a desire for a new police department, with members of the Buckhead Exploratory Committee revealing that the inadaquate services provided by Atlanta Police has left them feeling unsafe in their daily lives.
Murders increased a whopping 80% in Atlanta in 2020 relative to 2019, with the city experiencing one of the worst explosions of violent crime a major city saw. Murder rates increased dramatically in major US cities last year, in most cases accompanying the Black Lives Matter riots that followed the death of George Floyd.
Robberies have increased 40% in the affluent community, with aggravated assaults increasing 35%. More than 200 police officers have left the Atlanta Police Department in the aftermath of riots that followed the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, a DUI arrestee who tried to steal an officer’s taser as he resisted arrest.
“Our residents are genuinely concerned for their safety and the safety of their family members,” said the Buckhead Exploratory Committee.
Buckhead secession advocates are pointing to the heinous shooting death of a seven-year old girl, with other community members shocked over video footage which showed a homeowner threatened by a rifle-wielding assailant.
Buckhead has been ranked as the ninth-most affluent ZIP code in the United States in recent years, with the blight of urban crime also negatively impacting property values. Atlanta officials already oppose the idea, claiming that Buckhead secession would separate a predominantly white and upper-class segment of Atlanta’s tax base from the rest of the city.
bigleaguepolitics.com/atlanta-neighborhood-eyeing-secession-from-city-amid-surge-in-crime-murders/
