The City of Atlanta Is Being Sued for Unsafe Sidewalks — Again
Simply walking down the street can be a risky endeavor in Atlanta, where obstructed and deteriorating sidewalks are a fixture of everyday life. Getting around safely is even more difficult for those Atlanta residents for whom walking itself is challenging or impossible. Small cracks and rises that many able-bodied pedestrians don’t notice can pose a serious danger and obstacle for users of wheelchairs and other assistive devices. That’s the reason for the latest lawsuit concerning Atlanta’s sidewalks. Three Atlanta residents with physical disabilities have filed a class action lawsuit against the city, on behalf of themselves and others in similar situations, for its failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Atlanta Never Kept Its Promises from Last Time Being sued for the condition…
Victims of Gang Violence Are Entitled to Increased Compensation under the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
When choosing an apartment, or even a place to spend a day off, local crime rates are a significant consideration for many. Raw crime data isn’t hard to find, but rarely does it mention whether that crime is organized or not. That’s unfortunate, because gang activity is a significant factor in predicting crime patterns, and often a sign of property owner complicity. Funding for federal data collection on gangs was suspended in 2012, but the most recent figures indicate that gang-related violence accounts for at least 13% of homicides nationwide, and closer to 50% in many big cities. More recently, the U.S Attorneys for the Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia estimated the ratio to be even higher locally, potentially as high as 90%. To…
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. Less than a week later over in College Park, another pair of people were shot at a gas station, one in the face and one in the hip. The next day, another young man was fatally shot while pumping…
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 homeowners’ association (HOA). Among their myriad powers over residents, condo associations have the final say on many matters of security, gun safety, and violence prevention. More Square Footage Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Safety One of the reasons condo living is so popular is that it feels safer than the alternatives. Condos…
Non-Functioning Apartment Complex Gates Expose Tenants to Violence
To many security-conscious renters, a gate is an important amenity, more essential to daily life than a laundry room or onsite parking. The law requires that each individual apartment have a working deadbolt, so in areas where residential crime is common, a properly locking gate for the complex as a whole is a sensible added precaution. Property owners and managers are quick to appeal to prospective tenants’ safety concerns when advertising a gated apartment complex, but after the lease is signed, they’re not always so quick to address those concerns when the gate is misused or in need of repair. It’s standard practice in many complexes to leave broken gates open and unmonitored until they can be fixed, which doesn’t always happen with any particular…
Corner-Cutting on Georgia Film Sets Puts Cast and Crew Members at Risk
It’s no secret that the selection of filming locations depends heavily on local tax laws and other financial factors. It’s also no secret that cost-cutting attempts are one of the most common reasons for neglecting worker safety. Production-friendly local policies have made Georgia one of the movie and TV capitals of the world in recent years, bolstering the state economy with both entertainment industry and tourism dollars. It’s worth recognizing, however, that the same business priorities that bring film crews to Georgia are also the priorities that keep sets unsafe and lead to preventable injuries and deaths. Stunts Aren’t Supposed to Be Deadly Stunt performer fatalities are often treated as an accepted and inherent hazard of the profession. However, the point of hiring trained stunt…
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 worth an estimated $290 million within Atlanta alone. Both adults and children, male and female, are at risk of sex trafficking, but adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable. According to the Center for Public Policy Studies, about 374 underage…
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 birthday party for his friend. His death was made all the more sad and frustrating by the lack of information on how it happened. The Plaza’s representatives and the party’s chaperones…
A Closer Look at Premises Dangers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Atlanta is home to the single busiest airport in the world, moving nearly 104 million passengers annually. With the city’s convenient placement and history as the birthplace of Delta Airlines, Hartsfield-Jackson has stayed the world’s most popular airport for 19 straight years. As with any such nexus of human activity, however, ensuring safety is a crucial and sizeable challenge that isn’t always met. The Most Hazardous Travel Conditions Are on the Ground Whatever our instincts may tell us, flying is statistically far safer than other forms of conveyance. However, airline passengers must make their way through several of these other conveyances on their way to and from flights, and therein lies the danger. From the moment travelers begin their journey using the services of Hartsfield-Jackson,…
Savannah Harbor Expansion Will Likely Increase Tractor-Trailer Fatalities in Georgia
The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, also known as SHEP, is currently underway, with the aim of accommodating the larger container vessels expected to arrive after the expansion of the Panama Canal. In spite of some stumbling blocks over funding and necessary environmental precautions, SHEP has been a highly anticipated project, backed by bipartisan support and expected to create as many as 370,000 new jobs. Deeper clearance for larger, more heavily-laden ships will also lower shipping costs for business of all sizes, while generally keeping the Port of Savannah a bustling hub of global commerce. Unfortunately, a robust shipping economy already takes a toll on state-wide road safety, which is likely to worsen when the expansion is complete. Lapses in Judgment Cost More Lives Around Tractor-Trailers…