Atlanta leaders to host youth event addressing teen takeovers
Atlanta hosts summit on youth violence solutions
The Atlanta mayor's office is partnering with a nonprofit to host a roundtable at City Hall aimed at mitigating teen takeovers and youth violence.
ATLANTA - City leaders and youth advocates are gathering at Atlanta City Hall Wednesday morning to find ways to stop "teen takeovers" and violent incidents involving young people.
What we know:
The organization Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL) is partnering with the city to host a peace summit starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The event will feature three youth and three young adults discussing how to mitigate large group gatherings that often lead to chaos or violence.
The meeting comes after several high-profile incidents, including the shooting death of 16-year-old Tianah Robinson at Piedmont Park during a 404 Day celebration. Officials also pointed to a previous teen takeover that occurred at The Battery in Cobb County.
What they're saying:
Reginald Rainge, the Youth Violence Reduction Manager with Mayor Andre Dickens' Office, says the city needs more than just government programs. "Not only as a government entity, we want the community to stand along with us as we fight youth violence in our community," Rainge said.
Myrian Craft with HWPL Georgia explained the goal is to move toward prevention through education. "What we’re trying to do is in the city with the city of Atlanta is to hold a round table to discuss more about how we can mitigate teen takeovers," Craft said.
Big picture view:
Despite recent headlines, Rainge noted that leadership efforts have actually "reduced drastically" youth violence in the city recently, even with the latest "spike or trend." He believes a "holistic approach" where everyone works together is the only way to continue gaining ground against the problem.
What you can do:
The public is invited to attend the summit at Atlanta City Hall on Wednesday. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from interviews with Myrian Craft of HWPL Georgia and Reginald Rainge of the Atlanta mayor’s office, as well as reporting on recent teen-related violence in Piedmont Park and Cobb County.