ATLANTA — Mechanicsville Neighborhood President Dr. David Holder was hesitant to see a large gathering outside the Dunbar Community Center on Aug. 10.
In 2023, the "Mechanicsville Day" celebration — intended to be a day of community and fun — ended abruptly with a drive-by shooting that injured five people. He wasn't sure what 2024 would bring.
"As of lately, we've been pushing back on the idea of having a large gathering in the park because we know the history of having large gatherings in the community," he told 11Alive. "We've been asking for our input prior to anyone having any large gatherings in the community because we know our community better than anyone."
This year, three women and two teens were wounded in a shooting after Mechanicsville Day. Atlanta Police have identified multiple suspects but have yet to make any arrests.
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"We feel like there was a third party that came in and found a loophole at the City of Atlanta and they use that loophole to have a large gathering without having to come to the community and the (Neighborhood Planning Unit) for approval," Dr. Holder said. "If you don't have a relationship, how do you communicate with the organization that's coming in the community? But if you do have a relationship, I think that the outcome will be different."
On Monday, Councilman Jason Dozier introduced a change to the city ordinance that would require input from the appropriate NPU for events with 75 people or more that require a permit from the City of Atlanta's Parks and Recreation Department.
"The hope is that this legislation will improve the communication between event organizers and the communities in which those events are taking place," Dozier said. "If there's a blind spot or there's a opportunity for improvement, that feedback can be provided to the organizers before something unfortunate happens again."
He hopes his colleagues at City Hall can help pass this legislation quickly to help his community thrive.
"We had an unfortunate incident that took place a couple weeks ago, but that is not what Mechanicsville is. That's not who we are as a neighborhood," he said. "My goal and my service on the Atlanta City Council is to help deliver that change, but to do so in a way that hears from the community and understands the community because communities often know what's best."