By Gray Capman
Mourners gather in front of Standard Food and Spirits at John Henderson’s vigil.
With the recent spike in property crime and a grisly shooting at a Grant Park bar last week, Atlantans are trying to tighten up security in spite of recent budget cuts to citywide programs, including the Atlanta Police Department. The budget cuts have affected the Atlanta Police Department, whose officers now have to take a day off without pay every other week. The 10% paycut is effective in all city programs in an effort to deal with the city of Atlanta’s large budget shortfall.
Though the Atlanta Police Department says that the violent crime rate in Atlanta is down from 2007, the amount of property crimes has risen—by a matter of double digits, in the case of thefts from cars and homes.
Last week, local hangout Standard Food and Spirits in Grant Park was the scene of a vicious crime, in which 27-year-old bartender John Henderson was shot and killed. The slain bartender’s family and friends held a vigil for him on Thursday morning outside the restaurant, where over 200 people showed up to mourn the loss of Henderson and to discuss the budget cuts in the police department.
The recent shooting spurred many Atlantans to band together against the intown crime wave. A group of over 100 people met in Little Five Points on January 11 to share their concerns, according to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Similar community groups are forming in neighborhoods close to Grant Park, including Reynoldstown, Kirkwood, and Inman Park.
Robert Koker, the SCAD-Atlanta security manager, said that he is aware of the spike in property crime. “More crooks are out there, but they know that there are fewer police officers to bump into while they’re committing crimes,” said Koker.
Koker and the SCAD-Atlanta security staff continue trying to keep on-campus crime at a low rate. “The dorms and the 1600 building are manned 24/7, so we’re trying to do as much as we can to help,” said Koker.
There are, however, many things that students can do to prevent property crime from happening to them. “The best thing anyone can do for themselves is to reduce the visibility of any valuable items,” said Koker. “I can walk through the parking deck and see where people have left out their cell phones, GPS units, laptops and iPods in plain view. Hiding these things will reduce the possibility of a targeted crime.” Koker also said that SCAD-Atlanta students often leave all of their valuables in a classroom for a few minutes to have a smoke break in the parking deck—which has resulted in some of the property thefts at the school. “Leaving valuables unattended, even just for a few minutes, is not something you should do. You can’t trust everybody,” said Koker.