Take A Stand Against Crime
September 8, 2009
The writers continue to write, the people continue to speak, and week after week, the same stagnant issue continues to rise: What are we going to do about the crime problem?
Athens, like many other cities across the country, has seen a major increase in crime since late 2007. We have seen an expansion of crime that affects everyone, including churches, students, businesses, and visitors. The nuisance of burglary has plagued our residents for far too long, and our churches have been particularly hard-hit. The UGA Episcopal Center at 980 S. Lumpkin St. has been broken into numerous times, and many items of great value have been stolen, including several brass items and a silver-plated communion set. The sacramental wine has also been stolen, and the offering has been stolen out of the collection plate multiple times. The front door was pried open once, and an interior door with a deadbolt was kicked in, destroying the door and doorframe. The UGA Catholic Center has been broken into, along with the Wesley Foundation; several iPods were taken, and even a frozen turkey was removed from a freezer and made unusable, police reports said. A safe and door were damaged at the Life House Fellowship, where a space heater was also taken.
Police believe that the same person may be responsible for all the burglaries, but they seem unable to take any decisive action to catch him or obtain definitive evidence; despite the fact that the person responsible has been arrested once, the church burglaries stopped, and when he was released on bond, the burglaries began again.
The more citizens that offer their voice, the faster we can start implementing solutions to decrease the ever-rising crime rate. Taking a strong stance on crime does not mean that we should jump to quick judgment; it means that we should be pragmatic and seek out long-term solutions.
There has been speculation around Athens that, if passed in 2010, SPLOST funding may be allocated to build a new jail in Athens; for now, I'm not sold on the idea, and I want to hear more from the people of Athens. As I've said before, we cannot arrest our way out of a crime problem. Instead, we have to start at step one, which is to accurately diagnose the problem, only then can we increase our energies in the search for solutions. We have to bring everyone to the table of discussion. If elected Mayor, at the top of my agenda will be to reach out to the public, and listen to what they have to say. I want to offer the people of this city a more hands-on approach to creating a community that they are proud to be a part of.
Thus far, no other candidate for Mayor has directly released to the public their stance on crime reduction and prevention. It is up to the citizens of Athens-Clarke County to hold all mayoral candidates responsible for keeping their silence on issues that affect the public, such as what they plan to do to reduce the rising crime. It is the duty of those in leadership positions to inform the community of their intentions, and failing to do so is a direct reflection on their capabilities as an elected official.
Over the course of my seventeen-month long campaign for Mayor, I have worked closely with my advisers and the public to develop a tough strategy to decrease the crime rate. Aspects of this strategy may include: law enforcement substations, community surveillance cameras for school-zones, traffic areas, community facilities, business areas, and high-crime regions, more efficient tools to help with data integration, analysis, and mapping of crime, an anti-crime board made up of concerned and driven Athenians, and programs to speed up the legal process for non-violent offenders while giving them opportunities for reform. I support all of these measures to reduce crime, but the final decision on those to be implemented will be made by the citizens of Athens.
While in the midst of attempting to reduce the crime in Athens, the Brandon for Athens Committee would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family, friends, and student body of Virginia Tech, as the city of Blacksburg was struck with yet another atrocious murder. Two students, both sophomores, an engineering major and biochemistry major, were found murdered at Jefferson National Forest on August 28, 2009. It is another reminder to us that we must take all precautions at ensuring our personal safety, and that crime can be in the most unexpected places.
September 8, 2009
The writers continue to write, the people continue to speak, and week after week, the same stagnant issue continues to rise: What are we going to do about the crime problem?
Athens, like many other cities across the country, has seen a major increase in crime since late 2007. We have seen an expansion of crime that affects everyone, including churches, students, businesses, and visitors. The nuisance of burglary has plagued our residents for far too long, and our churches have been particularly hard-hit. The UGA Episcopal Center at 980 S. Lumpkin St. has been broken into numerous times, and many items of great value have been stolen, including several brass items and a silver-plated communion set. The sacramental wine has also been stolen, and the offering has been stolen out of the collection plate multiple times. The front door was pried open once, and an interior door with a deadbolt was kicked in, destroying the door and doorframe. The UGA Catholic Center has been broken into, along with the Wesley Foundation; several iPods were taken, and even a frozen turkey was removed from a freezer and made unusable, police reports said. A safe and door were damaged at the Life House Fellowship, where a space heater was also taken.
Police believe that the same person may be responsible for all the burglaries, but they seem unable to take any decisive action to catch him or obtain definitive evidence; despite the fact that the person responsible has been arrested once, the church burglaries stopped, and when he was released on bond, the burglaries began again.
The more citizens that offer their voice, the faster we can start implementing solutions to decrease the ever-rising crime rate. Taking a strong stance on crime does not mean that we should jump to quick judgment; it means that we should be pragmatic and seek out long-term solutions.
There has been speculation around Athens that, if passed in 2010, SPLOST funding may be allocated to build a new jail in Athens; for now, I'm not sold on the idea, and I want to hear more from the people of Athens. As I've said before, we cannot arrest our way out of a crime problem. Instead, we have to start at step one, which is to accurately diagnose the problem, only then can we increase our energies in the search for solutions. We have to bring everyone to the table of discussion. If elected Mayor, at the top of my agenda will be to reach out to the public, and listen to what they have to say. I want to offer the people of this city a more hands-on approach to creating a community that they are proud to be a part of.
Thus far, no other candidate for Mayor has directly released to the public their stance on crime reduction and prevention. It is up to the citizens of Athens-Clarke County to hold all mayoral candidates responsible for keeping their silence on issues that affect the public, such as what they plan to do to reduce the rising crime. It is the duty of those in leadership positions to inform the community of their intentions, and failing to do so is a direct reflection on their capabilities as an elected official.
Over the course of my seventeen-month long campaign for Mayor, I have worked closely with my advisers and the public to develop a tough strategy to decrease the crime rate. Aspects of this strategy may include: law enforcement substations, community surveillance cameras for school-zones, traffic areas, community facilities, business areas, and high-crime regions, more efficient tools to help with data integration, analysis, and mapping of crime, an anti-crime board made up of concerned and driven Athenians, and programs to speed up the legal process for non-violent offenders while giving them opportunities for reform. I support all of these measures to reduce crime, but the final decision on those to be implemented will be made by the citizens of Athens.
While in the midst of attempting to reduce the crime in Athens, the Brandon for Athens Committee would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family, friends, and student body of Virginia Tech, as the city of Blacksburg was struck with yet another atrocious murder. Two students, both sophomores, an engineering major and biochemistry major, were found murdered at Jefferson National Forest on August 28, 2009. It is another reminder to us that we must take all precautions at ensuring our personal safety, and that crime can be in the most unexpected places.
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