Athens, We Need to Talk about the Guns.

Safety and Security in Athens is More Than a Platform.

Early Sunday morning, three teenagers were shot after a fight that started on Clayton Street and spilled over to Lumpkin Street just before 4 a.m. This was only hours after the Georgia–Alabama game brought thousands of people to town.

This is what happens when guns are too easy for young men to get and too easy to carry around. Fights that should end in words or fists turn into gunfire. Families who should be celebrating a big win at Sanford Stadium are instead waking up to news of kids in the hospital.

This is not the Athens I grew up in, and it is not the Athens I want to see us become. Guns in our streets, guns in our schools, even guns in our churches. It all adds up to a community that feels less safe than it should.

That is why security and stability are at the heart of my campaign for District 5.

We need to get illegal guns off the street, give our kids opportunity instead of jail time, and support ethical policing that keeps the peace while respecting people’s dignity.

Athens can do better, and I am ready to fight for it.

This is another reason why Ward is the right choice for District 5 Athens Clarke County Comimssioner.