Atlanta mayor blames lifting lockdown for rise in murders
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a press conference after a series of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas left eight people dead. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:57 PM PT – Saturday, June 19, 2021
The Mayor of Atlanta has blamed the recent rise of murder in her city as the result of opening earlier than other cities. Democrat Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Friday, people traveling to the city because of the premature lockdown lift has been the biggest cause of the spike.
Nightclubs and other businesses stayed open in Atlanta after Georgia reopened its economy in May 2020, while other states remained in lockdown. Acknowledging other Democrat-run cities have seen a rise in crime too, Bottoms also blamed easy access to firearms.
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— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) June 15, 2021
“Until we deal with the systemic issues of gun violence in this country, how easily young people, people with mental illnesses can access guns in this country,” she explained. “I’m afraid that this will not be the last Summer we are having this conversation.”
Since the defund the police movement took major cities by storm last summer, murder is up almost 60 percent in Atlanta. It’s up by double digit amounts in other Democrat-led cities such as New York City and Chicago.