Officials worry the rise in violent crime portends a bloody summer

In past years, Atlanta leaders say, they could link much of the violence to specific group and gang rivalries or the drug trade. But Bottoms said much of the recent violence has appeared to be far more random and is being driven predominantly by intense passions between individuals who usually “know each other.” Bottoms said the “common denominator” for the crime wave is stress from the pandemic and last year’s racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. But she said she is considering a range of possibilities for the violence, including long-lasting emotional and psychological issues found among so-called long-haul victims of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. “You are having people emerging with depression, anxiety, and they lost loved ones and have been out of work,” Bottoms said. “This has created the most unfortunate convergence of factors, and I believe that is what we are seeing playing out on our streets.”