Faith leaders, activists call for action after teen killed in Piedmont Park shooting

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First/AP) — A coalition of faith leaders and community activists is calling for immediate action to address teen gun violence in Atlanta, following a violent weekend that included at least four shootings across the city — one of them at Piedmont Park that left a 16-year-old girl dead and another teen injured.

Betty Maddox Battle, who lost her son to gun violence in 1993, stood with the Save our City coalition and spoke on behalf of families affected by shootings.

“America is in critical condition. Our neighborhoods are on life support,” Battle said.

The Easter weekend violence included a shooting at Piedmont Park that killed 16-year-old Tianah Robinson and injured another 15-year-old, according to Atlanta police.

“This young lady was not doing nothing wrong. She was just living,” said Bishop Dexter Johnson, Higher Ground Church.

The coalition outlined what it described as a violence-prevention manifesto, a 10-point plan aimed at curbing teen violence.

“The police alone cannot do this,” said Apostle Darryl Winston with Greater Works Ministries.

Among the plan’s highlights: implementing violence-prevention strategies in schools, including conflict-resolution training, and designating churches as “peace zones.” Organizers also called on businesses and corporate partners to treat youth safety as a priority with economic implications.

“It’s an action, it’s a strategic plan for us to enact a holistic approach for dealing with this violent culture,” Winston said.

“We are calling on business and corporate partners in this city to see youth safety as an economic policy,” said Rev. Jared Sawyer with Jared Sawyer Jr. Ministries.

With summer approaching and the Dogwood Festival scheduled to take place at Piedmont Park on April 10-12, people in the surrounding Midtown neighborhood remain on edge.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department plans an increased presence at the park.

RELATED: APD assigns extra patrols to Dogwood Festival following deadly Piedmont Park shooting

More uniformed officers will be stationed inside Piedmont Park, he said, and officers will patrol surrounding streets.