EXCERPT:
LANCE BOTTOMS: "Well, I think there are a couple of things that you have to compare. Remember, in Georgia, we were opened up before the rest of the country, even before the CDC said that it was safe for us to open. So our nightclubs and our bars remain open. We have people traveling here from across the country to party in our city. So we believe our comparable numbers are from 2015, which they are still up, but again, this is an issue that's happening in cities across the country. If it were an Atlanta issue alone, then I would know that there was something that we weren’t getting right addressing this issue, but when I’m talking to mayors and hearing from mayors in cities across the country in large urban areas, we’re all experiencing this, which means we all have to work together to find a solution to this gun violence that is gripping our nation. Covid left a lot of people battered and bruised, not just physically, but also emotionally.“