ATLANTA — Months after a mass shooting left one man dead and 10 others injured, a plan to make the popular nightlife area safer has passed.
Edgewood Avenue is known for its nightlife, murals and fun, but a shooting last year sparked a task force and potential changes.
Santos Wyatt, 27, was shot and killed. Bullets hit 10 others.
“This should never happen,” Wyatt’s mother Colandra Atkinson said. “This should never happen to anybody.”
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In response to the shooting, the city formed a task force atimed at preventing future shootings.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna spoke with Atlanta City Councilor Liliana Bakhtiari about the plan.
“I think it’s extraordinarily important to get this right. This corridor has been given a lot of promises. There are a lot of stakeholders here that have been waiting for help for a long time,” Bakhtiari said.
This week, the Atlanta City Council approved most of the task force’s recommendations, including cracking down on party houses, vacant properties and implementing a strategic camera plan.
“Folks should feel safe,” Bakhtiari said. “Exiting their doorways, walking down the streets, seniors should be able to frequent the market without fear of what could happen.”
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The task force also recommended a six-month moratorium on new liquor licenses.
Joystick Gaming Bar co-owner Johnny Martinez says that goes too far and hurts potential businesses on a street known for its bar scene.
“I think it’s something that had good intentions that arrived at the wrong solution,” he said.
The council says it will reassess the moratorium.
Atkinson was unavailable to speak on camera, but told Doudna that she thinks more needs to be done, including creating a small police precinct.
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