Story by: David Wingo
The Atlanta Police Department has been conducting raids on many businesses, primarily restaurants, that have been classified as "nuisance properties" by authorities. These raids have resulted in multiple businesses being closed or temporarily closed, alcohol licenses being suspended, and some owners even being arrested.
According to Atlanta police, these businesses are often the scenes of violent crimes, and are disrupting the peace in their neighborhoods. These businesses are also said to be violating Governor Kemp's COVID-19 occupancy laws, and were also allegedly selling alcohol after the legal time limit.
Included in these crackdowns, was popular SWATS after-hours spot, The Voo, on Campbellton Road. The business is allegedly licensed as a restaurant, but undercover police operations found that they were serving alcohol after 2:30 a.m. The city shut them down for three months.
These raids are part of the city's plan to get control over Atlanta's recent uptick in violent crime. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has formed a "nuisance properties working group" dedicated to further policing and regulating these problematic establishments.
This group helped craft legislation that now requires all restaurants to submit a statement from a public accountant confirming that they make at least half of their sales from food, and not alcohol.
Mayor Bottoms and APD are hopeful that these "crackdowns" on code violations will lead to a decrease in crime throughout the city. We'll have to wait and see if they're actually effective.