ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens posted a video statement Wednesday night to Instagram in which he touched on the deeply emotional impact the shooting death of Migos rapper TakeOff has had on the city's community.
The mayor spoke of how "community members are hurting" and touched on a range of points, from his belief that "hip hop does not equal violence," to a call for peace and love and an end gun violence, to his disbelief and disgust that there were videos taken of TakeOff as he was dying at a Houston bowling alley, then posted to social media.
Dickens first spoke about TakeOff's impact and influence as a member of Migos.
"The Migos are amazing contributors to culture, amazing contributors to Atlanta," he said. "TakeOff is that member in the middle between two iconic brothers - boisterous and big personalities in Quavo and Offset - and you got TakeOff who's humble, quiet and introspective. I know a lot of community members are hurting from this loss of life, a wonderful life."
Dickens said he had spoken to the mayor of Houston, who told him they "have some confidence they're gonna find the shooter, or shooters." He also said he had spoken to Atlanta's police chief, Darin Schierbaum, about how they could offer support in any way.
The mayor then defended hip hop from suggestions that - in the wake of high-profile deaths for other rappers including Nipsey Hussle, Young Dolph, Pop Smoke and others - the art and its themes somehow invite violence.
"I do not believe hip hop equals violence," he said. "I grew up on the music, I'm still into the music, I can discern and make quality decisions about what I do and don't do."
Hip hop instead, he said, "has a voice that can change the world" and called on the community to "honor TakeOff, his humility, his passion... and in his honor live with peace and spread love to everybody. We've lost too many."
"I know the community's loss is real and big," he said.
The mayor decried gun violence that he described as "senseless."
"I'm asking us to focus on stopping the violence, I'm asking us (to honor) the essence of a young man like TakeOff - only 28 years old, a humble, good, family dude, somebody who like I said was introspective, versatile, gives good lyrics but also thoughtful. We need to live in that peace, go forward living in that light."
Dickens also touched on the unsettling video of TakeOff that circulated after his death, depicting him laying on the ground and bleeding as he was dying.
"Individuals who wanna film any and everything, internet videos of TakeOff's body, people screaming in the background - I'm thinking, 'Why are you doing this for likes and followers?' This is the same as school fights, arguments, car street racing, donuts and stuff," he said. "Filming anything to get some likes and attention."
The mayor concluded his message by sending his peace to Quavo, who was at the scene of the shooting, and said "you and your entirely family, you can count on us and the city of Atalnta."