It’s Time to Reclaim Our Great Cities [OPINION]

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) has had enough of the nonsense and has declared a state of emergency. Kemp has activated some 1,000 National Guard troops to restore calm in Atlanta following a weekend of violence that saw 31 people shot – five fatally – including eight-year-old Secoriea Turner.

"Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead," Kemp said in a statement. "This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city. I have declared a State of Emergency and called up the Georgia Guard because the safety of our citizens comes first."

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has allowed Black Lives Matter protesters to control an area near the Wendy's restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot by police last month. The protesters set up illegal barriers around the area and over the weekend shot at a car that entered the barricaded area. Turner was a passenger in that car and was killed.

President Trump has offered to send federal troops into any city being terrorized by mobs and violence but so far no one has accepted the offer. Scores of people, including young children, continue to be murdered weekly in the nation's inner cities and the violence has intensified in recent weeks.

Some of the more violent cities such as Chicago, New York, Philidelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, and Memphis are controlled by leftist Democrats who choose to put political agendas ahead of the safety of their citizens. Their attempts at appeasement have been utter failures.

More governors should follow Kemp's lead by declaring states of emergency of their own and by inviting the federal government to restore sanity and help find solutions to the ongoing poverty and violence that has plagued many of our large cities for decades.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.