One of the wealthiest suburbs in the city of Atlanta is pursuing secession from the city, citing the rise in violent crime under the city’s Democratic leadership.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, state-level and local Republican lawmakers passed two bills on Wednesday formally proposing that the neighborhood of Buckhead be turned into its own “Buckhead City.” The bills are currently being considered by the State Senate.
The sponsor of one of the proposals, Senator Randy Robertson (R-Ga.), declared that city officials in Atlanta “forget who they work for,” as they allow violent criminals to go free under soft-on-crime policies that are pushed by many far-left district attorneys across the country, including in Atlanta. The crime wave has since spread to the Buckhead suburbs as well, with the neighborhood witnessing 10 homicides, 22 rapes, 211 aggravated assaults, and 238 burglaries last year alone.
“Buckhead is a target,” said one resident of the area. “We’re a target for criminals in the city, and Atlanta has not been able to protect us.”
Georgia Democrats have voiced their opposition to the proposal, with State Senator Joan Esteves (D-Ga.) claiming that “the majority of my constituents oppose” the proposal, which she falsely claims “threatens the stability of our education, public safety, transportation, and financial systems statewide.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D-Ga.) issued a statement saying that he was “disappointed by the committee’s vote to advance this short-sighted legislation.”
The sentiment expressed by Buckhead residents has been seen in blue states and cities all across the country, where residents have been increasingly fleeing to red states to escape high crime, high taxes, and other inconvenient costs of living. California in particular saw a mass exodus of over 500,000 residents last year, with many of them moving to states such as Texas and Florida.