This is the latest image of violent crime in Midtown: a young woman kneels in her driveway, her terrified daughter in the car, as a teenage punk holds a gun to the woman's head. The woman was not physically injured, but the episode has outraged and terrified her neighbors, leading them to band together and put pressure on the city to respond.

Those in the area have become accustomed to crime and with acting to protect themselves. It's a cyclical process of crime, outrage, reaction – repeat.

A recent spate of crimes, including some of the violent variety, caused residents to hold a garden party to discuss the problem.

They called Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to attend. Reed has portrayed himself as the Public Safety Mayor, a man who would come in and clean up crime in the city. What is he saying now?

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez