GSU students create online platform to address violence, safety concerns on campus

GSU students start campus safety online platform

Georgia State University students are coming together to voice their concerns after a string of violence near student housing, including the recent shooting death of a 21-year-old.

ATLANTA - Some Georgia State University students are coming together to voice their concerns after a string of violence near student housing, including the death of a 21-year-old last weekend.

The news of another shooting on Piedmont Avenue near the RaceTrac and student housing pushed juniors Masada Combs and Jennifer Okwudili to take action.

"This was kind of like the last straw for us," Combs said. "We just want to be able to put our foot down and create this initiative to make sure this frequent strain of activities doesn't continue to happen."

They started the online platform Outspoken GSU to allow students to share any concerns they have on GSU's campus, like safety, and bring those concerns to school leadership.

"This was just kind of like, 'Ok, we're sick and tired. And given that we're paying a lot of money toward tuition, room, and board here, we want to be able to just have this in place,'" Combs said.

"We want students and everyone to, like, belong to the school," Okwudili added.

Man shot, killed outside RaceTrac near GSU campus

Atlanta Police say a fight escalated near the RaceTrac on Feb. 25 that left a 21-year-old man dead from a gunshot wound. GSU officials say none of the people involved were GSU students. This is at least the fourth shooting in the same area in a little over a year.

Sunday's shooting caused RaceTrac to permanently close their Piedmont location, citing safety concerns.

Downtown Atlanta RaceTrac calls it quits

RaceTrac is pulling out of downtown Atlanta after a young man was shot and killed near the store over the weekend. The store is near the campus of Georgia State University and has been the scene of multiple shootings for more than a year.

GSU officials say they've made recent security changes, like more officers monitoring security cameras, reorienting building entrances, and installing more lights and call boxes. But, Combs and Okwudili say those changes haven't gone far enough.

"It showed a little bit of mobility as far as monitoring the activity that's been going on, but I feel like these changes aren't enough. We feel like we need a lot more presence, a lot more security force, a lot more police presence," Combs said.

Georgia State University Atlanta Crime and Public Safety News