Four black children have been shot in the Atlanta area in apparently random incidents in the past month, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. There has been little to no attention paid to the shootings outside the communities where they happened. “What happens is that we in the black community see so much of the violence that it doesn't mean anything,” said community activist Derrick Boazman, a former Atlanta City Council member. “Even when it comes to your front door and the victims are real, we still just go on as business as usual. And that is wrong.”
No one has been arrested in the shootings. “While there does not appear to be a common thread in these horrible acts, we know at the Atlanta Police Department that we are in a unique position to shape and enrich children's lives in a positive manner,” said Police Chief George Turner. “Through programs such as our Police Athletic League and GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training), we hope to influence children to make better decisions as adults and turn away from such senseless violence.”