Group Shines Night Light on Midtown Safety

Members of the Atlanta Police Department and Midtown Blue joined Midtown neighbors on Tuesday evening in an act of solidarity in the fight against neighborhood crime.

Organized by the Midtown Neighbors' Association (MNA), the Shining Light Walk featured about 20 people walking the streets of Midtown together with flashlights and lights flashing on accompanying police vehicles.

“This is a very good event to get the neighbors out in the neighborhood,’’ said Atlanta Police Officer Cary Dupart. “These are the kind of things that gets people together to show criminals that the neighborhood is serious about crime.”

The group met around 7 p.m. at (817 West Peachtree Street), and then began about a 30-minute trek that took them from the restaurant up 6th Street and across Peachtree Street. They turned south along Myrtle Street and then walked along 4th Street and Piedmont Avenue before returning to Cypress Pint & Plate via 6th St.

“I am in huge support of this event,’’ said Cypress Pint & Plat owner Billy Streck. “Sometimes when closing up at night, you’ll see something shady going down, male prostitutes, other prostitutes, drug dealing. You want the neighborhood to be safe.”

Along the route, many Midtown residents and restaurant patio diners inquired to walkers as to what the march was all about. This was the second Shining Light Walk after the initial event was staged last fall. MNA President Greg Guhl encouraged more neighborhood residents to get involved.

“Please join us at MNA; the more you join us the more we can do things like this,’’ he said.

Ameris Bank, the financial institution located at 1180 Peachtree Street, served as the sponsor of the event. “The MNA did a great job to get people out here,’’ said Ameris Bank Vice President Gloria Donworth. “We all need to be aware of our surroundings.”

See here for more information about the MNA.