Atlanta, GA
Atlanta faith coalition to seeks to curb gun violence
Faith leaders seek to reduce violence
A coalition of churches and activists have a new plan they say will dramatically reduce gun violence in the metro Atlanta area.
ATLANTA – A coalition of churches and activists have a new plan they say will dramatically reduce gun violence in the metro Atlanta area.
Three innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire of a gun battle at a Decatur Circle K gas station last week. Reverend Darryl Winston says it’s the exact kind of crime that demands action from the community.
“We are lamenting the fact that the blood of our children are running down the streets of our nation like water from the stream. We’re seeing it here in Atlanta,” Winston said.
Winston is the head of the Save Our City Coalition.
A group of faith leaders and activists working on issues plaguing Metro Atlanta, like gun violence.
“We want to eliminate this wild, wild west effect where people going about their business have to dodge bullets,” Winston said.
That’s why the Coalition plans to unveil a 10-point plan Tuesday to address and prevent gun violence in the Metro.
Winston says one part of the plan will create ‘safe sites’ at local churches.
So, violence prevention groups can work directly in communities who need it.
“Safe sites will enable us to have command centers where clergy and activists and Cure Violence people will be working in tandem,” Winston said.
He says using data on gun violence, they want to open safe sites in zip codes that see the most shootings.
“To pool resources to provide a working strategy and a solution to impact immediate, short term and long term that will foster the reduction of gun violence in that zip code,” Winston said.
FOX 5 asked Winston how this plan would be different from other violence prevention programs we’ve seen come and go over the years.
“Speaking with city leaders, the mayor’s office, I recommended a task force on youth and gun violence, not just for this metro area, but throughout the state. There is no such task force that I’m aware of that currently exists,” Winston said.
He says another part of this plan would create a task force, made up of grassroots organizations already on the ground.
Who will then make recommendations to local Metro governments about how to prevent gun violence?
But he says they’ll need those government officials and businesses to provide funding for these initiatives.
“It’s going to take a buy-in from political leaders. It’s going to take a buy-in from even the business community. We established a peace endowment for the corporate leaders,” Winston said.
The coalition will unveil the full 10-point peace plan at the Higher Ground Empowerment Center on Tuesday morning.
The highly anticipated NBA Draft is finally going to take place tomorrow and the Atlanta Hawks are 1 of 14 teams hoping the ping pong balls bounce their way.
This is going to be the final payoff for what was arguably the best move that any team made last offseason. Atlanta traded down from the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and acquired the unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ selections. The Pelicans finished 7th in the lottery odds, and Milwaukee is 10th. Based on the odds, the Hawks have a 40% chance of jumping into the top four.
The last time the Hawks were in the lottery, they jumped from 10th to 1st and selected Zaccharie Risacher. While that was a huge stroke of luck, it has not always worked out that way for the Hawks.
Hawks lottery history
The Hawks have been in the NBA Lottery 16 times since 1985 and in that time span, the Hawks have:
- Moved up five times (2024-moved from 10th to 1st, 2018-moved from 4th to 3rd, 2007- moved from 4th to 3rd, 2001- moved from 5th to 3rd, and 1985- moved from 7th to 5th)
- Moved down five times (2020- moved from 4th to 6th, 2019- moved from 5th to 8th, 2006- moved from 4th to 5th, 2005- moved from 1st to 2nd, and 2000- moved from 5th to 6th)
- Stayed where they were projected to six times
Their biggest move up by far came in 2024 when the moved up to No. 1 and were able to select Risacher, which has not quite panned out.
There is an element of what if to each of these scenarios, especially the years the Hawks moved down. In 2020, they moved down in a draft that contained Anthony Edwards, who is from the state of Georgia and one of the elite players that the league has right now. Atlanta ended up selecting Onyeka Okongwu, but there is a big what if about being able to pair Edwards with Trae Young.
In 2019, the Hawks were 5th in the highly anticipated 2019 lottery that featured Zion Williamson, but they fell three spots. While WIlliamson has not had quite the career most had hoped, he is still an All-NBA caliber player and would have paired nicely with Young as a tandem.
There have been some hits and misses during the 16 times that the Hawks have been in the lottery, but there have seemingly been more missed opportunities, even when they jump up in the standings. They are hoping that they get another stroke of luck tomorrow in what could be a franchise altering day for the Hawks.
Final projected odds for the Hawks:
No. 1- 9.8% chance
No. 2- 9.9% chance
No. 3- 10.1% chance
No. 4- 10.30% chance
No. 7- 19.75% chance
No. 8- 30.18% chance
No. 9- 9.19% chance
No. 10- 0.67% chance
No. 11-
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The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
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