Violent crime in Atlanta is up 60% in Atlanta since January. The Atlanta Police Department took to Facebook to beg gang members to stop shooting each other.
The Atlanta Police Department launched a “Think before you shoot” campaign on Facebook, begging residents to please stop shooting at each other.
“Healthy conflict resolution requires maturity. Choosing guns to resolve conflict does not. Think before you shoot,” the campaign reads.
The most recent homicide was Wednesday afternoon when a 30-year-old man was gunned down at a southeast Atlanta park.
And two security guards were shot over the weekend at rapper 2 Chainz’s nightclub.
Police say the bouncers were shot and wounded at Members Only Lounge off Ralph McGill Boulevard at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
The lounge is a joint venture between 2 Chainz and club promoter Mychel “Snoop” Dillard.
“We’re hoping that people will see the message and think twice before they resort to picking up a gun,” APD spokeswoman Chata Spikes told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Anger + Guns Adds Up to Nothing Good. You cannot put the bullet back in the chamber once it is discharged,” the post reads. “Many have learned this the hard way.”
The murder rate in Atlanta has tripled in the first three months of 2021. In three more months, the murder rate will equal all of last year’s Atlanta homicides.
The situation is so dire that the Mayor’s Office and the City Council considered paying gang members to stop shooting at each other.
Atlanta’s murder rate is on pace to become the highest in the city’s history.
