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The Stoddard Firm Blog

Gas Stations Need to Do More to Protect Customers from Violence

If you feel vulnerable while filling up your tank, it’s not just your imagination. According to a survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S gas stations are the site of approximately 63,530 violent crimes per year. That’s almost as many as hotel rooms, banks, and public transport stations put together. Such crimes are so common that they almost run together on the news. In November of 2018, a drug deal in an Atlanta gas station turned sour and became a shooting that killed two people...

Georgia’s Condo Boom Puts Gun Violence Prevention in the Hands of HOAs

Condominium living has become increasingly popular in Georgia in recent years, between the wave of downsizing baby boomers and the influx of millennial first-time homeowners seeking more modest and centralized options than the suburbs. Although construction has yet to catch up with demand, there are more people living in Georgia condo complexes with each passing year. Unlike apartment complexes or detached houses in informal communities, condos are usually regulated by a governing board or...

Atlanta’s Hotels Are a Haven for Child Sex Traffickers

Ever since the publication of the Urban Institute’s 2014 report on the illegal sex trade, the city of Atlanta has been trying to shake the unofficial title of “Sex Trafficking Capitol of the U.S.” Although it would take more research into the nationwide issue of sex trafficking to prove that Atlanta’s share of it is in fact the worst, the report did reveal Atlanta’s sex trafficking problem to be far larger than most locals would ever have guessed. As of 2007, the illegal sex industry was wort...

Swimming Facilities Are Responsible for Keeping Customers Safe

Taking a swim is a great way to stay cool and keep in shape in the summer, but it’s easy to become wary of this pastime amid the many reports of fatal drowning. Here in Atlanta, the last few years have been especially rough on that front. In 2014, a 4-year-old girl drowned during a pool party at the Ansley Golf Club. A lifeguard was on duty, but apparently didn’t notice when the girl fell in. Just two years later, a 10-year-old boy drowned in the pool of the Westin Peachtree Plaza, at a...

Workplace Fatalities Are on the Rise, Even as the Economy Improves

For the millions of people left unemployed or underemployed during the Great Recession, the opportunity to return to work is something to be celebrated. Unfortunately, the recent drop in unemployment has been accompanied by a rise in workplace injuries and fatalities. While this might sound like the inevitable cost of returning to normal, these deaths are needless, avoidable, and alarmingly frequent. In Georgia specifically, the workplace death rate rose by as much as 70% between 2012 and ...

It’s Child Abuse Prevention Month—How You Can Take Part

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, sponsored by the National Office of Prevent Child Abuse America. But even though 87 percent of American adults believe that child abuse and neglect are a serious and preventable problem, only one in four reported helping with child abuse prevention. The good news is that many more Americans help prevent child abuse without realizing it. This can include monetary support for organizations that prevent child abuse, volunteering, mentoring, or even babys...