Atlanta Police have arrested two men in connection with a shooting that began as aa verbal altercation on Sunday night in Piedmont Heights. Around 8 p.m on July 18, officers found two victims with gunshot wounds at 2195 Monroe Drive, the location of a Chevron gas station. Both victims were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition. The Atlanta Police Department has identified the suspects as Derek Downes, 23, and Kendall Robinson, 20. Both men are being held at Fulton County Jail on felony assault charges.
The AJC reports that Gov. Brian Kemp plans to ask the Georgia General Assembly to pass laws to fight crime – especially in Atlanta – during a special legislative session this fall. Kemp made the announcements during a House public safety committee hearing on the spike in violent crime in Atlanta. House Speaker David Ralston said he plans to ask the General Assembly to approve spending $3 million to pay for 20 additional state troopers and to double the state’s gang and human trafficking task forces. Most of those officers would focus on the Atlanta area. The Legislature is expected to reconvene sometime this fall to tackle re-drawing state and congressional district lines.
In a letter dated July 14 and addressed to Atlanta City Councilmembers Amir Farokhi and Matt Westmoreland, Council President Felicia Moore advocated for greater transparency and public engagement regarding proposed changes to city’s Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Development Plan. The proposed changes would impact a large volume of parcels across the city which are currently zoned for single-family residential use, re-classifying them for multi-family use – also known as ADUs (accessory dwelling units). Moore is asking her colleagues to leverage the Neighborhood Planning Unit system and public forums to achieve broad-scale engagement with citizens.
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