ATLANTA — Police are planning extra presence at Piedmont Park on Sunday as the city plans to gather together to celebrate Atlanta’s contributions to the FIFA World Cup.
In Atlanta’s Virginia Highland community Friday, people who live, work, and play around Piedmont Park said it makes perfect sense.
“There’s gonna be a lot of people, so I don’t see the, I mean being extra safe, I don’t see the harm in that,” Cristen Robson said.
Thousands will gather for this Sunday’s FIFA grand finale, called a Celebration of Soccer and Sound, in the park. It will feature a livestream of the World Cup final, a live performance by hip hop icon Ludacris and more.
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Residents like Jack Sierk would prefer a World Cup kind of police presence, just like when the matches were played here.
“We want to make sure we are safe and things are run how they should be, with enough cops for that,” he told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
Ann Marie Clay agrees.
“My husband and I talk about how this is such a nice area to live, but then there’s the caveat of these big events creating a bit of a problem,” Clay said.
A problem that turned deadly in the park after last April’s 404 Day Celebration. A teenager was shot and killed in Piedmont. Officials say it happened after the official gathering, and was not near the event site.
Atlanta police say additional officers have been reassigned to provide an increased presence and enhanced security for Soccer and Sound, which Robson is good with.
“I don’t want it to be aggressive support by police, but I definitely think it warrants, with the size of the crowd, it warrants tight security,” Robson said.
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