South Fulton Police prevent planned “Teen Takeover” at Welcome All Park

South Fulton Police Department thwarted a “teen takeover” Monday as they monitored a reported takeover of Welcome All Park on Will Lee Road.

A “takeover” happens when teenagers organize on social media to gather at public spaces. The South Fulton Police Department said flyers encouraging teens to gather in the park were posted prompting the department to increase their presence in the park. No large groups came to the park on Monday, according to Fox 5.

Former South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis, who is currently running for a Fulton County Commissioner seat, told Fox 5 that parents should take more accountability of their children.

“They don’t have to take over Welcome All Park. We have a plethora of programs. We have football, baseball, basketball programs,” Willis said. “All parents need to do is enroll their kids in one of the programs.”

Similar events have taken place at The Battery and Atlantic Station, and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said they are going to start holding parents accountable, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

“Parents who allow their children to be out unauthorized after the curfew, we’re charging the parents as well,” he said. “The youngest person we encountered unaccompanied was 13 years of age.” 

This was shortly after APD arrested 17 people during an unauthorized gathering on the Beltline.

Henry County has also taken measures to prevent “teen takeovers” by declaring a local state of emergency and enacting a curfew for anyone under 18 over the weekend.

Deputy Chief Casey McGlamery with the Henry County Police Department said they became aware of a possible takeover of Urban Air from a social media post.

“We saw what was going on in Cobb County and Atlanta over the past few weeks or months, regarding shootings and arrests and violence, and we wanted to make sure that our community was safe,” said McGlamery.