As we learn more about the individual arrested in connection with last week’s tragedy in downtown Athens, the failures are piling up.
He was released from jail less than two weeks ago on $5 bail for shoplifting and was already out on $1 bail in a separate trespassing case—all while on felony probation. That’s after dozens of arrests and run-ins with law enforcement, including multiple recent felony charges.
He should never have been back on the streets. Soft-on-crime policies that repeatedly release offenders like this have serious consequences.
I took this photo walking out of my office at the Georgia State Capitol on June 14, 2020.
That is riot gear covering the marble floor of the Capitol Rotunda.
Law enforcement was preparing to defend our Capitol as Atlanta descended into chaos.
Hours earlier, left-wing rioters had shut down the Downtown Connector, smashed windows and burned a Wendy’s to the ground. Firefighters struggled to safely reach the fire. Atlanta’s police chief had resigned.
And this was the scene inside our State Capitol.
For generations, Georgia’s Capitol stood without a permanent security fence.
Then came one term of Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Today, an eight-foot steel security fence surrounds the Capitol—a lasting reminder of those dark days.
People forget how bad it got.
I don’t.
This was Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Atlanta.