There has been a lot of media coverage lately about what residents in Southeast Atlanta neighborhoods are doing in response to the recent uptick in crime against persons and property.  What often is overlooked in that reporting is that one of the greatest strengths of the Southeast Atlanta neighborhoods is the manner in which the entire community comes together when its members are impacted by any adversity:

- Following the tornado last year that ripped through the Southeast Atlanta community and rumors that it could be days or weeks before City of Atlanta could remove the downed trees blocking one or both ends of smaller residential streets, groups of volunteers assembled with chainsaws and other tools to remove trees from residential streets around the neighborhood over the following several days.

- Three homes in the Southeast Atlanta community have caught fire and burned down in the past year (one in Ormewood Park, one in Grant Park and one in the Tapestry community).  Within a day of these fires, the community came together to make contributions of clothing, food, money and other needs of life to support the families who had lost their homes.

- Following the birth of a third child to a Southeast Atlanta family experiencing severe economic hardship, other parents within the community came together to collect and share clothing, foods, toys and other newborn necessities with the family.

- The Albert T. Mills Enrichment Center, an urban ministry serving pre-schoolers from Atlanta’s toughest neighborhoods, was burglarized last year.  The thieves took not only computers and other electronics used as teaching aids, but tables, chairs and even food from the Center's freezers used to provide children with lunch.  Within the day, members of the community had replaced the tables, chairs and frozen food necessary to allow the Center to reopen and the bulk of the other items stolen were replaced within the week.

These are only a few examples of instances where the Southeast Atlanta community has pulled together to the benefit of its members.  There are many more. 

It should come as no surprise that the Southeast Atlanta community is banding together to address a recent spike in crime in the neighborhoods that comprise it -- the same way we do in the face of any adversity. 

Strong communities are safe communities.   On that basis, Southeast Atlanta is one of the safest communities around.

It's why I choose to live here.
 

Matt Podowitz - resident of Ormewood Park