Atlanta mayor begs citizens to stop 'shooting each other' after murder of 8-year-old
In an impassioned press conference Sunday night, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a full-throated call for citizens to stop "shooting each other up on our streets," after an 8-year-old girl was shot and killed on the Fourth of July near a Wendy's that became a flashpoint of recent anti-police Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the city.
Bottoms, considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden, made the remarks as she fought through tears -- and the nation endured a new bout of urban carnage. Sixty-three people were injured and 17 killed in Chicago, including two children, over the weekend; and in New York City, 44 were hurt and at least 6 killed.
“Enough is enough," Bottoms said. "Enough is enough. We have talked about this movement that's happening across America and this moment in time when we have the ears and the interests of people across this country and across this globe who are saying they want to see change. But
the difference in this moment in time with the civil rights movement -- the civil rights movement, there was a defined, common enemy. We're fighting the enemy within when we are shooting each other up on our streets."
She continued: "You shot and killed a baby. And there wasn’t just one shooter; there were at least two shooters. An eight-year-old baby. If you want people to take us seriously, and you don't want us to lose this movement, then we can't lose each other."
"It has to stop,"
Bottoms added, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. "You can't blame this on police officers. It's about people who shot a baby in a car. We're doing each other more harm than any officer on this force."
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