Lenox Square will install metal detectors to increase security (Atlanta: crime, movies)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by BobbyJayATL

I don't know that it went "unnoticed"; from everything I've read, the Police have the security footage and are reviewing it (seemingly before they connected that incident to this gunfire).

Short of turning Buckhead (or Lenox, or Phipps) into a police state with military checkpoints (something Simon won't want to do because it'll scare customers away, and something the city can't really do because of the 4th Amendment), the only way you stop this type of behavior is long-term, and involves leadership (from the city and the schools - so far quite lacking), and cutting the P.C. approach.

There are studies galore on this; we're raising as a society a group of malcontents that can't delay gratification, and can't handle any (real or perceived) slight against their honor without responding violently.

Some of it's cultural, some of it's taught (or not), some of it stems from religiosity (or lack thereof) no doubt.

But just ignoring those real (and difficult) issues is a recipe for this to continue. Politicians always want the easy way out. More police. More gun control. Whatever.

I'm far from being a liberal guy, but I think there is a kernel of reasonableness to the proposal to do some sort of community/sociological outreach instead of simply arresting everyone (of course, I have no confidence in government to do that competently).

You can see the failure of the "more police" approach here. There's a police precinct at Lenox. Despite that there've been 8 or 9 shootings at Lenox, and this one across the street. The perps in every one so far have been caught (and I'm sure will in this one in a few days). Yet they're still happening.

If this crap is happening in what is at least theoretically one of the nicest parts of town, where the locals have some of the greatest political pull in town, it can happen anywhere.

Good points, BobbyJay.

While I'm not sure the folks down in Buckhead have all that much political clout, I agree that the long term solution is not just more police.

[BobbyJayATL]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Good points, BobbyJay.

While I'm not sure the folks down in Buckhead have all that much political clout, I agree that the long term solution is not just more police.

They have more than you think.

On the policy-making side, Atlanta is what it is today because of the strong working relationships between the business community (read: Buckhead residents) and City Hall; while it may have started with Ivan Allen (obviously of the Buckhead resident/business community ilk) it has continued with every mayor from then until now. Keisha may have her problems, but she's done a reasonable job of keeping up those working relationships.

On the political side, Keisha can see how narrowly both she and Kasim beat the "Buckhead" candidate (and Atlanta's demographic shifts, at least until March, were not trending Keisha's direction).

The last thing she wants to do in an election year (she's up in November 2021) is antagonize a community that could get behind a candidate (in my mind Shook is toying with it at minimum - his press release makes that very clear) and blow her fundraising hauls out of the water with a couple backyard cocktail party events.

[ronricks]

Some of you just don’t get it. Even though there are ‘more’ police at Lenox and Phipps they are still stretched extremely thin. Go to the mall and ask the police. They will tell you they do not have enough resources and city hall is blatantly ignorant and ignoring the issue other than token lip service. That is what Shook is trying to tell us. This is failure of leadership. How many more kids have to be shot for KLB to wake the hell up? Maybe some of the focus needs to be on gun culture, violent crime, and lopsided crime statistics instead of virtue signaling? Enough is enough.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by BobbyJayATL

They have more than you think.

On the policy-making side, Atlanta is what it is today because of the strong working relationships between the business community (read: Buckhead residents) and City Hall; while it may have started with Ivan Allen (obviously of the Buckhead resident/business community ilk) it has continued with every mayor from then until now. Keisha may have her problems, but she's done a reasonable job of keeping up those working relationships.

On the political side, Keisha can see how narrowly both she and Kasim beat the "Buckhead" candidate (and Atlanta's demographic shifts, at least until March, were not trending Keisha's direction).

The last thing she wants to do in an election year (she's up in November 2021) is antagonize a community that could get behind a candidate (in my mind Shook is toying with it at minimum - his press release makes that very clear) and blow her fundraising hauls out of the water with a couple backyard cocktail party events.

If Alex Wan runs (he is strongly considering) he will crush KLB. Shook isn’t going to run for Mayor.

[BobbyJayATL]

Originally Posted by ronricks

If Alex Wan runs (he is strongly considering) he will crush KLB. Shook isn’t going to run for Mayor.

Shook doesn't post a release like that if he's not keeping the option on the table; it may well be that the possible challengers are coordinating behind the scenes and he's doing something like that as a shot across the bow of Wan to get something in exchange for staying out. I see a couple of Ide's votes (and her Chief of Staff hire) maybe keeping the option on the table for her too.

Hopefully they sort it behind the scenes; I can't see a challenge to an incumbent (especially a challenge from the northern half of the city) being successful if there's more than one challenger - the anti-Keisha element has to be united.

I would agree that in a 1:1 Wan is definitely a better challenger for Keisha between his home turf/council district in Atlanta, and (like it nor not) his racial background he's got to be a bit more palatable to the super-liberal white folks that voted for Keisha out of some combination of white guilt and anti-wealth/anti-Buckhead mentality (ironic, of course, given that as a current homebuyer looking in both Buckhead and Morningside/Va-Hi/etc, homes in Buckhead are much more affordable these days).

[K1404]

Originally Posted by BobbyJayATL

I don't know that it went "unnoticed"; from everything I've read, the Police have the security footage and are reviewing it (seemingly before they connected that incident to this gunfire).

I'm just surprised that someone was able to discharge a firearm in a well-lit surface parking lot during shopping hours and race away in a car (most likely) without any immediate police response, given how heavily they claim they're patrolling that area. I guess it wouldn't have mattered, since APD can't chase fleeing suspects.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by BobbyJayATL

Shook doesn't post a release like that if he's not keeping the option on the table; it may well be that the possible challengers are coordinating behind the scenes and he's doing something like that as a shot across the bow of Wan to get something in exchange for staying out. I see a couple of Ide's votes (and her Chief of Staff hire) maybe keeping the option on the table for her too.

Hopefully they sort it behind the scenes; I can't see a challenge to an incumbent (especially a challenge from the northern half of the city) being successful if there's more than one challenger - the anti-Keisha element has to be united.

I would agree that in a 1:1 Wan is definitely a better challenger for Keisha between his home turf/council district in Atlanta, and (like it nor not) his racial background he's got to be a bit more palatable to the super-liberal white folks that voted for Keisha out of some combination of white guilt and anti-wealth/anti-Buckhead mentality (ironic, of course, given that as a current homebuyer looking in both Buckhead and Morningside/Va-Hi/etc, homes in Buckhead are much more affordable these days).

Maybe Wan takes another shot at running for City Council Prez?

[architect77]

The metak detectors probably won't be very visible at the entrances. They could look like the merchandise detectors and I don't notice those at all.

They're not going to make it a big procedure because they know some people will not like that.

Now my pet peeves about Lenox. Filthy mens rooms because we know Altantans don't like that type of work for menial pay.

And the Bloomingdales exterior sign visible from GA400 has been half lit at night from burned out bulbs for not 1, not 2, for over 3 years, 3 holiday shopping seasons that attract many out-of-towners and they get treated to that poor property management.

The concrete deck at Bloomingdales entrances has old gum spots everywhere and looks uncleaned fior the past 20 years.

How are Altantans and managers so oblivious to the lack of cleaning everywhere in town?

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by ronricks

Some of you just don’t get it. Even though there are ‘more’ police at Lenox and Phipps they are still stretched extremely thin. Go to the mall and ask the police. They will tell you they do not have enough resources and city hall is blatantly ignorant and ignoring the issue other than token lip service. That is what Shook is trying to tell us. This is failure of leadership. How many more kids have to be shot for KLB to wake the hell up? Maybe some of the focus needs to be on gun culture, violent crime, and lopsided crime statistics instead of virtue signaling? Enough is enough.

I hope KLB doesn't get reelected. I wish I could be a CoA resident just to vote her out. She's proven to be nothing but worthless these last 3 years. All the progess over the previous 15 years or so (or even 20 or 25, from the Olympics) seem to be undone by her.

[PeteATL41]

There is little reason for a lot of people to even set foot in the place these days. I live 5-10 minutes away from Lenox and never even think about going there - not due to fear of violence but just overall hassle. There is obviously a lot of traffic around the mall, but I wonder how the sales / sf metric is holding up. I believe it used to be among the best performing malls in the country. Is this still true?