Firing back at comments made this week by former Mayor Kasim Reed, that Atlanta's crime rate is a "national embarrassment", city councilman Andre Dickens says "corruption made us a national embarrassment, and that came during his administration", referring to Reed.
Both Dickens and Reed qualified Tuesday as candidates in the race to become Atlanta's 61st mayor. Reed previously served 2 terms as Atlanta's 59th mayor.
In an interview with Audacy Atlanta's Maria Boynton, Dickens says "the spike in crime that happened during COVID all across the country, we'll get it under control when I'm mayor." According to APD homicides are up nearly 60 percent over this time last year. Dickens says his plan to lower crime includes hiring an additional 250 police officers his first year in office.
A citywide councilman for 8 years, Dickens says Atlanta needs a mayor right now "who can make the city work better and work well for everyone." He adds, "for far too long the city has worked for the affluent and the connected."
Dickens says if given 8 years in office he will build or preserve 20,000 units of affordable housing, and will incentivise small local developers to build housing units "with affordability in mind to make sure that people can live in this city."
The election will be held on November 2, 2021.
Listen to the full interview below.