Key Points:
- Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari released the report of the Edgewood Corridor Public Safety Task force, formed after the July 2025 mass shooting that killed Santos J. Wyatt.
- The report included 10 recommendations for enhancing safety in the area.
- Bakhtiari introduced four pieces of legislation supporting the implementation of these recommendations.
On Jan. 20, Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari released the final report of the Edgewood Corridor Public Safety Task Force.
The task force was formed following the mass shooting on Edgewood Avenue in July 2025 that injured 10 people and killed Santos J. Wyatt. From August to December, the task force met publicly to review enforcement and crime data, evaluate prior interventions, and weigh input from residents, business owners, faith leaders, and city departments to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to deter crime and enhance safety in the area.
“This report closes the chapter on study and opens the chapter on action,” Bakhtiari said in a statement. “We asked hard questions, we followed the data, and we were honest about what has failed in the past. Today, we are matching those findings with legislation that answers the community’s demands and gives the City the tools it needs to act.”
The report included 10 recommendations to be implemented in the short-, medium-, and long-term.
The Edgewood Corridor Public Safety Task Force Priority Recommendations
Short term (zero to six months): Audit and install signage on the corridor, impose a temporary moratorium on new liquor licenses, implement the corridor camera plan
Medium term (six months to two years): Launch the nightlife ambassador pilot program, revise licensing standards and penalties, develop restorative justice and youth violence reduction initiatives, clarify enforcement of part house ordinances, audit and apply blight tax to vacant properties
Long term (>two years): Evaluate the feasibility of an APD mini-precinct, establish a satellite office for the Manager of Nightlife
The recommendations follow complaints from business owners on Edgewood Avenue. Jon Dean, the owner of Lore, said the LGBTQ+ nightclub was struggling to get by and that the Mayor’s nightlife division had “all but abandoned Edgewood and scapegoated the bats for all the problems that persist outside our doors.”
“This is the end of analysis and the beginning of accountability,” Bakhtiari said.“The Task Force delivered a clear roadmap. The City’s obligation now is not to dilute or delay it, but to implement. Today, that work begins.”
Coinciding with the release of the report, Councilmember Bakhtiari also introduced four legislative measures to begin the implementation of the recommendations. The legislation includes measures adopting the full priority recommendations list, prohibiting “party houses” in Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District, implementing the corridor camera plan, and requesting a temporary moratorium on new liquor licenses in the corridor. All legislation has been referred to the appropriate committee(s).
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