Georgia Senate votes against splitting neighborhood off from Atlanta

Proponents of creating the new city cited mounting crime in Atlanta and a desire to manage their own police form to address the issue.
Atlanta
By Ben Whedon

The Georgia Senate on Thursday voted against a proposal that would have broken away an Atlanta neighborhood to form a new city.

The chamber voted 23-33 against forming Buckhead City out of the state capital's northernmost neighborhood.

Proponents of creating the new city cited mounting crime in Atlanta and a desire to manage their own police form to address the issue. The plan had the support of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R, who on Monday tweeted that "[a] vote against Buckhead city is a vote FOR crime. A vote for Buckhead city is a vote FOR freedom."

Atlanta Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens celebrated the movement's failure.

"Atlanta is one city, with one bright future," he said in a statement. "I am thankful to the bipartisan majority of the Georgia Senate who voted to reject SB 114. I am grateful to the large number of Atlantans—from parents to businesses to educational leaders—who stood up and spoke with a united voice for a united city."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.