ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are sharing a message of frustration after seeing an uptick in crime committed by juveniles.
"We cannot raise Atlanta's children," the Atlanta Police Department wrote in a social media post Tuesday.
Police are pleading for more community action and parental involvement. They are also calling on community advocates to "step up and do their part."
"When a group of juveniles decides to arm themselves with guns and show up in front of a restaurant, a park, or the mall, and begin shooting each other and endangering others, it seems fitting that there would be worried parents calling 911, juvenile advocates showing up to ask how they can help, and droves of people in streets demanding change-with their signs that say 'stop the violence!' But that is not what we see. The only entities that can be counted on to show up at such scenes are the police and emergency medical personnel," the post reads.
The police department called kids and guns a "dangerous mix," referencing an incident that happened Saturday night in which a fight involving five teens — between the ages of 15 and 19 — ended in gunfire outside Waffle House at Centennial Olympic Park.
"APD wants to know, where is the save the juveniles’ cavalry? Where are all the voices who care so much about broken kids and community safety? Where are the concerned parents and family members while these kids are running the streets late into the night?" police wrote.
CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters metro Atlanta Kwame Johnson is trying to get to the root of the issue to help the city's youth.
"We're in a unique period of time where young people are dealing with COVID isolation and mental health. I think we are just getting to the beginning of this," he said.
He thinks removing barriers like food and housing insecurities, and empowering youth by showing there is more than life of crime, will help the community connect with young people.
"Even if their neighborhood didn't change and parents didn't change, if they were hopeful, I've seen young people push through the most toughest situations," Johnson continued.
He knows the youth of Atlanta well. The big brother, big sister program has served more than 30,000 young people in six years and recently partnered with the city to launch a new entrepreneur program for young teens known as the "water boys."
"Parents and family members are responsible for the rearing and accountability of their kids. We need parents, juvenile advocates, social services agencies, school officials, courts, churches, and other criminal justice partners to step up and do their part. Juveniles who lack supervision, love, guidance, and accountability, run the risk of ending up in gangs, prison, or the grave," APD said.