Clockwise Cat
Letter to the Mayor of Atlanta
Dear Mayor:
In recent months, neighborhoods in the East Atlanta area have been experiencing a disconcerting surge of criminal activity. My boyfriend and I have been burglarized twice – this, despite the fact that we are well-fortified with an alarm system. There have been numerous other burglaries as well, in addition to armed robberies in broad daylight or in the early evening, and even one involving a shotgun. Most unsettingly, our neighbor was recently kidnapped, though he did manage to escape unscathed.
It is obvious that there are at least two things going on that have lead to this spike in crime: the economic downturn, and the budget and other cuts in the police force.
A lot of people don’t want to address the idea of poverty as one of the main causes of crime, but to ignore this is tantamount to ignoring the gorilla in the room. In societies where there are fewer poor people, there is less criminal activity of this nature. It is true that we all have a choice in life, but when faced with such extreme economic disparities as we are in our city and nation, sometimes the poor among us resort to dangerous behaviors.
At the same time, clearly the criminals are taking advantage of the decreased police force situation.
In addition to boosting the police force and paying policemen and women the higher wages they so richly deserve, we need to provide jobs for people, offer well-funded drug rehab and mental illness programs, and provide programs for at-risk youth so that we may intervene before they turn toward criminal behavior.
These are very obvious approaches to combating crime, so why are they not being implemented more aggressively?
It is unfathomable to me that the city has allowed itself to spiral downward to such a desperate state of affairs. Atlanta is the one of the highest crime-ridden cities in the nation, which bespeaks very poorly to how things are run in our government. Before we know it, we will descend to being the very symbol of lawless anarchy.
How many people will have to suffer and possibly even die before we turn the city around?
For shame, City of Atlanta and Mayor Shirley Franklin, for shame. Let's hope the next mayor wakes up to this crisis of crime.
Sincerely,
Alison Ross
P.S. This letter was also sent to the editors of the AJC and Creative Loafing, and I will find wider circulation as well.
Letter to the Mayor of Atlanta
Dear Mayor:
In recent months, neighborhoods in the East Atlanta area have been experiencing a disconcerting surge of criminal activity. My boyfriend and I have been burglarized twice – this, despite the fact that we are well-fortified with an alarm system. There have been numerous other burglaries as well, in addition to armed robberies in broad daylight or in the early evening, and even one involving a shotgun. Most unsettingly, our neighbor was recently kidnapped, though he did manage to escape unscathed.
It is obvious that there are at least two things going on that have lead to this spike in crime: the economic downturn, and the budget and other cuts in the police force.
A lot of people don’t want to address the idea of poverty as one of the main causes of crime, but to ignore this is tantamount to ignoring the gorilla in the room. In societies where there are fewer poor people, there is less criminal activity of this nature. It is true that we all have a choice in life, but when faced with such extreme economic disparities as we are in our city and nation, sometimes the poor among us resort to dangerous behaviors.
At the same time, clearly the criminals are taking advantage of the decreased police force situation.
In addition to boosting the police force and paying policemen and women the higher wages they so richly deserve, we need to provide jobs for people, offer well-funded drug rehab and mental illness programs, and provide programs for at-risk youth so that we may intervene before they turn toward criminal behavior.
These are very obvious approaches to combating crime, so why are they not being implemented more aggressively?
It is unfathomable to me that the city has allowed itself to spiral downward to such a desperate state of affairs. Atlanta is the one of the highest crime-ridden cities in the nation, which bespeaks very poorly to how things are run in our government. Before we know it, we will descend to being the very symbol of lawless anarchy.
How many people will have to suffer and possibly even die before we turn the city around?
For shame, City of Atlanta and Mayor Shirley Franklin, for shame. Let's hope the next mayor wakes up to this crisis of crime.
Sincerely,
Alison Ross
P.S. This letter was also sent to the editors of the AJC and Creative Loafing, and I will find wider circulation as well.