ATLANTA — A nonprofit is going door-to-door in Mechanicsville offering trauma support after six people were shot in a southwest Atlanta park – with two killed and a child among those hurt.
“I sat on my porch and cried because I was like, 'What else can I do?'” Neighborhood leader and Neighborhood Planning Unit V chairperson Stephanie Flowers said.
Flowers said the shooting Sunday night at Rosa L. Burney Park that killed two people and injured four others including a 6-year-old girl shook their entire community.
“Because we as a community have been working so hard to address gun violence and violence in our neighborhood,” Flowers said.
She said just five days before the shooting, they held a National Night Out against crime at the same park.
Cure Violence Atlanta will be hitting Mechanicville’s streets again Tuesday evening to canvass the entire neighborhood and try to offer assistance.
“We’re gonna start at the Dunbar Center and work our way through Mechanicsville, joined by the Chris 180 Trauma Response Network, as well as Mechanicsville Civic Association and The Urban Advocate,” Chris 180's Community Initiatives Director Janikqua Cutno said.
She added they expect to knock on at least 100 doors starting at 5 p.m.
“Asking community members and residents – 'Are you ok? We know something happened in our neighborhood. How can we support you? What do you need? What can we do to make you feel safer here?'” Cutno said.
A way to connect those who are hurting with resources like therapy to heal as a neighborhood.
“It can be defeating, it can be disheartening and can cause a lot of trauma and harm we have to repair,” Cutno said.
After Cure Violence canvasses the neighborhood, they will hold a peace rally at Windsor Plaza that will start at 6:30 p.m.