However, neighbors claim that in recent years, some areas of the neighborhood have also gained a reputation as a hotspot for gun crime. According to Atlanta police records, a large portion of the neighborhood’s crime is concentrated along Edgewood Avenue, where four different gunshots have left 16 people injured and one man dead.
Locals said they are tired of the violence and attribute some of the disorder to the lively bar scene and after-hours street gatherings that usually pick up after shops have closed.
According to Graham, this neighborhood has long been a cherished community. However, after COVID, it has gotten worse.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
In recent days, nearly six other people have shared those concerns, urging municipal officials—specifically, the police and code enforcement—to take additional steps to keep the area secure, particularly after hours.
Co-founder of Our Bar ATL Sarah Oak Kim said she had begged city officials to take additional action to safeguard establishments and customers along the busy area. She stated, “It’s clear that there needs to be a more noticeable police presence overnight on the weekends.”
Kim, who founded the well-known pub five years ago, right before the pandemic, said, “It’s such a precious place and there’s so much history here.” She claimed to love the residents and nearby business owners, many of whom had been there for decades, as well as her customers.
But these late-night shootings continue to occur, she claimed. My heart is broken.
According to Kim, some of the street takeovers and violence happen long after her company has closed for the evening. Additionally, she has previously paid off-duty Atlanta police officers between $65 and $75 per hour.
Prior to the chaos of last week, municipal officials had announced a significant decrease in gun violence in Atlanta, including a 20% decrease in shootings and a 32% decrease in homicides when compared to this time last year.
However, according to Forrest Coley, who leads the neighborhood’s Neighborhood Planning Unit, the combination of young people, illegal alcohol-fueled street parties, and unrestricted access to firearms has proven to be lethal. Sweet Auburn, Old Fourth Ward, Castleberry Hill, and portions of downtown are all included in the neighborhood.
Everyone should always be concerned about safety, but we only receive attention when incidents like these occur, Coley added.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
The group’s public safety committee chair, Dorthey Hurst, stated that it’s critical to find a balance between enjoyment and safety. Although she admitted that you can’t police your way out of everything, she claimed that the amount of people who are willing to use violence to settle small arguments and break into automobiles has gotten out of control.
It’s wild stuff. Hurst told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that people don’t care about anyone’s lives at all. They simply shoot people.
According to her, the area would probably become much safer with renewed efforts to combat blight, crack down on rowdy home parties, and target repeat code offenders. However, she added, that goes beyond law enforcement.
Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari, who represents a large portion of Sweet Auburn, stated that she is collaborating with the mayor’s office and intends to form a task force to address the violence. In order to solve the issue of illegal street and house parties in the neighborhood, she stated that she intends to collaborate with locals and small business owners.
Since those meetings are prohibited by local ordinance, the city’s planning department, which closes at 5 p.m., is in charge of enforcing the law rather than the police.
Bakhtiari wants police to have additional power to enforce the law after hours when parties are taking place. Residents claim to have needed it for years.
There is no need to reinvent this community. “We need to reinvest in this community,” she stated.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
She added that she anticipates seeing more police in the area, particularly on the weekends.
Atlanta police did not respond to inquiries regarding the resources the department has set aside for the nightlife strip along Edgewood Avenue in their statement, but they did say that their commanders keep an eye on crime patterns around the city and modify staffing levels as necessary.
Locals frequently gather day and night at the community grocery store, restaurants, clubs, and empty parking lots on the 300 and 400 blocks of Edgewood Avenue, where the July weekend shootings took place.
Around dinnertime Thursday, a steady stream of customers poured into Our Bar, which is situated directly behind the MARTA streetcar stop. Even though it was early, security officers nevertheless looked at visitors’ IDs and bags at the entrance.
There were automobiles lining the busy roadway outside. Several establishments along the block had a few uniformed police officers. Yellow tape, evidently a nightly practice to prevent drivers from lingering at the pumps, was used to block off traffic at an open gas station across the street.
About a mile from the scene of the July 28 shooting is Tom Boyle, president of the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association.
He remarked, “I think we play whack-a-mole over on Edgewood Avenue.”
Like others, he stated that if community leaders and local officials hope to significantly reduce the gun violence that has afflicted the region for the past ten years, a comprehensive strategy is required.
[email protected] is credited.
[email protected] is credited.
Pastors from the seven local churches gathered on the streetcar platform on Friday and prayed for hope, healing, peace, and harmony.
We need to figure out how to stop murdering each other so that we can at least see the humanity in each and every one of us. remarked Ebenezer Baptist Church’s lead pastor, Rev. John Vaughn.
Hurst, the community’s public safety chair, walked the neighborhood on a warm Wednesday afternoon from the Municipal Market in Sweet Auburn down to the streetcar station next to the gunshot site. She stopped by the Purple Door Salon en route and spoke with Jamell McDowell, the proprietor.
After learning of the shootings, McDowell, who has owned the hair shop for more than 20 years, said six of her regular customers contacted to see how she was doing.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
She claimed that the ongoing violence makes it difficult for her to expand her company. Some of her customers are reluctant to park on the side streets next to her shop, and hiring new stylists is difficult, McDowell said.
I was devastated. I’m attempting to stand up, and now we’re off. Another year? How long, after all, will it take for things to improve? “I said,” she said. Buildings are boarded up because they are unable to survive. We need assistance, after all.
On Monday, city officials pledged to increase police presence in the busy nightlife area, adding more officers during rush hour and stepping up code enforcement 24/7.
Edgewood Avenue is one of Atlanta s most iconic cultural and nightlife destinations, and one night will not define one of the most popular areas on the Eastside, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. We are taking a balanced approach providing immediate safety measures while working toward long-term solutions that protect businesses, patrons, and residents alike.”
Police will try to reduce late-night traffic and safety issues, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. He also said authorities would look to improve lighting and expand its camera network in the area.
The recent shootings happened about three blocks from the scene of another high-profile shooting in 2020 that left two people dead and more than a dozen others injured during Fourth of July celebrations. Three people were indicted in that case, but prosecutorsdropped one man scharges in late 2022. A second was acquitted in March2024 and the third, Jerry Emile, still faces murder charges, case records show. His case is expected to go to trial later this year.
Kim, the co-owner of Our Bar, said much more could be done to improve the area. She said she feels the neighborhood is often overlooked by the city officials, saying it rarely gets the same attention and resources as other parts of town.
I feel Edgewood kind of comes off like it s a burden for the city, she said. They lump us in with the discarded and the forgotten and the displaced.
