Buckhead News - Reporter Newspapers

City must return to the ‘Atlanta Way,’ says Councilmember Matzigkeit

by John Ruch | Jun 4, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Politics | 0

In the wake of protests and riots over police-involved killings of black people, the city must return to the “Atlanta Way,” said City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit in a June 4 constituent newsletter. “We will find our way back to what we proudly call the ‘Atlanta Way,’” wrote Matzigkeit, who represents Buckhead’s District 8. “We will continue to do what is in our best interest, while finding ways to look out for others, too. We need to rediscover the ‘Atlanta Way.’” He did not define the “Atlanta Way,” but it is a term dating back to the Civil Rights era....

Atlanta BeltLine leaders blast ‘systemic racism and inequities’

by John Ruch | Jun 4, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Making a Difference, Top Stories | 0

Leaders of the organizations building the Atlanta BeltLine park, trail and transit system have issued statements blasting “systemic racism and inequities” in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd. The statements in part address criticism of the BeltLine’s own role in displacing minority communities, saying it must not become part of “infrastructural racism.” The June 3 statements came from Clyde Higgs, CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and Rob Brawner, executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. ABI is the group building and operating the BeltLine, while ABP is its fundraising arm that carries out such community...

Atlanta mayor orders advisory council to review police use-of-force policies

by John Ruch | Jun 4, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is forming an advisory council to review police use-of-force policies for possible reforms. The order, announced June 4, came as the city enters its sixth day of protests related to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, and four days after the excessive-force firing of two Atlanta Police officers for a violent Taser arrest of two college students during the demonstrations and riots. “What we have seen on the streets of our city over the past few days is a byproduct of an inexcusable racial bias that has been ingrained into the fabric of...

APD made 43 arrests on June 3 as records show most protesters are from Georgia

by Collin Kelley | Jun 4, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, News, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

The Atlanta Police Department made 43 additional arrests on the night of June 3 as protests over the murder of George Floyd continued around the metro area. As protesters marched to the State Capitol, through Midtown, and gathered at Centennial Park in Downtown and the courthouse square in Decatur, the four former Minneapolis police offers involved in Floyd’s death were charged in the case. Closer to home, six APD officers were charged in an excessive force case against two college students. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the City of Atlanta would accept a challenge from former President Barrack Obama ...

Robin’s Nest: A hike down Memory Lane, and toward the pandemic’s end

by Robin Conte | Jun 4, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Commentary, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

He was my high school boyfriend. I hadn’t seen him in decades (I won’t say how many), but we reconnected on Facebook because I had jumped on social media to peddle my book (“The Best of the Nest” — get your copy now!), and he contacted me last September when he and his wife happened to be in town. We had a double date for lunch, each of us with our spouses, and we talked to each other of our lives, our kids, and our plans for the future. As we chatted over our Thai food, I congratulated my...

Police investigate possible tie between Buckhead gunfire, wounded man treated at Piedmont Hospital

by John Ruch | Jun 3, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A Michigan man suffering a gunshot wound showed up at Buckhead’s Piedmont Hospital May 26, saying that an SUV he rode in was fired upon by another vehicle on Ga. 400. But police are investigating a connection to gunfire at a nearby intersection that left 16 rifle shells on the street, according to an Atlanta Police Department report. While looting in Buckhead during riots last week shocked the city, community leaders at a recent Neighborhood Planning Unit B meeting said residents are more worried about a string of shootings and gunfire, where the May 26 incident was just a...

$15K reward offered in theft of 42 guns at Buckhead shop during looting

by John Ruch | Jun 3, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A total of $15,000 in reward money is offered as federal authorities seek thieves who stole 42 firearms from a Buckhead shop during rioting and looting on May 30. About three separate groups with seven suspects burglarized Chuck’s Firearms at 761A Miami Circle, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The burglary happened around 2:30 a.m., while looters were hitting Phipps Plaza mall and other Buckhead locations as rioting spun out of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Surveillance images released by the ATF showed some suspects wearing skull masks. One vehicle...

Vigil to be held for man shot to death in Buckhead

by Collin Kelley | Jun 3, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter | 0

A candlelight vigil was scheduled to be held June 3 for a man who was shot to death near Buckhead’s Peachtree Battle Shopping Center May 31, according to social media posts. Police identified the victim as Demarcus Lee, who is also known as Marc “M-Deezy” Lee in the vigil posts. He was founded dead around 10:10 p.m. in the driver’s seat of a vehicle at 2382 Peachtree Road with a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Atlanta Police Department. The killing occurred while protests and rioting were happening in the Downtown area, and two days after looting...

Atlanta extends curfew through Sunday night

by Collin Kelley | Jun 3, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

The city of Atlanta has extended the nighttime curfew through Sunday night as the George Floyd protests show no signs of letting up. For tonight, June 3, and Thursday, June 4, the curfew will go into effect at 9 p.m. just like it has for the last four nights. Starting Friday, June 5, the curfew will begin an hour earlier at 8 p.m. The curfews end at sunrise. Exceptions to the curfew apply to those seeking medical help, those working, first responders and homeless people. More than 400 people have been arrested since Friday during the protests, which will...

Around Town: When safety comes down to politeness and self-policing

by Joe Earle | Jun 3, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Commentary, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

On Mother’s Day, shortly after the governor of Georgia lifted his statewide shelter-at-home order for most Georgians, David Schulman spotted a group of his neighbors gathered around an ice-cream truck parked near a playground in his Sandy Springs condo community. “What really amazed me was there was nobody wearing masks, nobody standing 6 feet apart,” he said. It looked like little had changed from the days before the world stopped in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. “Unfortunately, there were too many people around,” Schulman said. “It went against the governor’s guidelines.” Schulman, who’s 57, thought this crowd...

June 1 Atlanta/Sandy Springs COVID-19 report: 135 more diagnoses; 14-day trend down

by John Ruch | Jun 2, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Coronavirus, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

The cities of Atlanta and Sandy Springs together saw 135 new COVID-19 diagnoses between May 27 and June 1 update reports from the Fulton County Board of Health. The diagnoses increased in all of the main ZIP codes in Buckhead and Sandy Springs. But new diagnoses in the previous 14 days trended downward in both cities. As of June 1, the part of Atlanta within Fulton County had 2,117 COVID-19 diagnoses, up from 2,007 on May 27. Sandy Springs had 426 diagnoses, up from 401. Atlanta remains the number one city in the county for COVID-19 diagnoses at 46.6%...

Atlanta extends curfew June 2 as fifth day of protests begins

by Collin Kelley | Jun 2, 2020 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has extended a curfew for a fourth night, June 2, ahead of planned protests in Downtown. The curfew will go into effect at 9 p.m. and continue until sunrise on Wednesday, June 3. Protests are expected this afternoon and evening at Centennial Olympic Park, the State Capitol and the Municipal Court building, according to social media posts. The Atlanta Police Department said it has made nearly 400 arrests since protests against the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police began on May...