More Murder in Midtown Atlanta

About 48 hours ago, a young attorney by the name of Courtney Cox was murdered in her Atlanta apartment by her boyfriend who then engaged in gunfire at other residents in neighboring buildings as well as with authorities until he was eventually killed. Whether he died at the hands of police or by his own hand remains unclear. 

What is clear is that it is yet another reminder that Atlanta is a very dangerous city even in its safest neighborhoods and that I am glad I departed when I did. This homicide occurred at Atlantic House which was right down the street from where I worked. The murder of Katherine Janness and her dog in Piedmont Park took place exactly two blocks from where I lived. Nearly three months later, the case has gone cold while the fear remains hot.

Then, of course, there were the infamous Atlanta Spa Murders. 

Of course, no community is immune from crime. But what sets Atlanta apart from Boston is that homicides seem to occur in public parks and in business districts with some frequency. Boston, of course, has its share of violent crime, but a homicide taking place in Boston Common or in the Financial District is nearly unfathomable. Knock on wood.

One of the things which bothered me about Atlanta was the lack of community policing, let alone a police station. Boston, on the other hand, is filled with neighborhood police stations. I remember finding a wallet on the Belt Line and wanted to turn it over to the police. But the nearest police station was two miles away. I walked there and it turned out there was no police station at all. Eventually, I turned over the wallet to Midtown Blue which is an organization of off-duty police officers who patrol the neighborhood. The officer on duty asked me where I found the wallet. He looked at me funny when I said the Belt Line. But when I explained I tried to find a police station, he nodded his head in understanding. 

I'm not saying the presence of a community police station would have prevented what happened at Atlantic House, in Piedmont Park let alone the Atlanta Spas. The police, of course, cannot be everywhere. But having police accessible and present within the community at large builds confidence and can deter some crime. 

The cold fact remains is that a young woman with a promising career was cut down in the prime of her life and she was cut down in the place where she should have felt safest.