Georgia Senate Republicans advanced two bills on Monday regarding the affluent area of Buckhead’s potential secession from Atlanta, as crime and violence continue to spill over into the suburb.

The advancement of the two bills in the Georgia Senate means that Buckhead, an affluent 24-square mile area with a population of 73.5% white and 23.9% black, is one step closer to seceding from Atlanta. If both bills are passed and signed by Governor Brian Kemp (R), Buckhead residents will be able to vote in November 2024 on whether to leave the city.

According to Fortune, a spokesperson for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens expressed concern about the possible move by Buckhead, stating that City Hall is committed to working with the Senate to stop the legislation before it results in disastrous consequences.

In recent times, the Buckhead area has experienced a series of violent crimes, including the murder of a grandmother who was preparing for Christmas in her garage and was fatally stabbed in December.

Seventy-seven-year-old Eleanor Bowles, a mother of two, lived in a gated community in the Buckhead residential district. She was preparing for Christmas when her son Michael found her body in the garage, stabbed multiple times. A police investigation revealed that she had allegedly caught 23-year-old Antonio Brown attempting to steal her Lexus SUV, leading to a violent encounter that ended in her death, the Daily Wire reported.

#BREAKING: The Atlanta Police Department has arrested the suspect accused of stabbing to death Eleanor Bowles in her Buckhead home. https://t.co/5mTBOimejq

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) December 13, 2022

ARREST IN BUCKHEAD HOMICIDE | @Atlanta_Police confirm 23-year-old Antonio Brown was arrested. @DeKalbCountyPD assisted in arrest. 77-year-old Ellen Bowles was stabbed to death on Saturday inside her Paces West gated subdivision. pic.twitter.com/DIg1kYDqCo

— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) December 13, 2022

“I was on my way to visit her for the holidays and got to her a few hours too late,” Michael Bowles told FOX 5. “Finding her like that is something that will be with me forever. What happened to her was her worst nightmare. It’s most people’s worst nightmare.”

“I am committed to getting the word out about this outrageous tragedy. And I want everyone to understand that none of us are safe,” he added. “I hope that people read this story and understand this, and then maybe we can all collectively effectuate some change. I will carry that message with me forever, for mom.”

The Buckhead community was hit with a wave of crime in 2021, prompting residents to form the Buckhead Exploratory Committee to petition for a vote on seceding from Atlanta. The effort raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, as reported by The Washington Post.

“The mayor and the city council have been making bad decisions, so at what point does anyone with a brain say, ‘Enough?’” Buckhead Exploratory Committee chairman Bill White said. “If crime is out of control and you are doing nothing about it, you are finished as a city.”

One local resident told Bloomberg News:“We are living in a war zone in Buckhead. Shootings and killings, it just never ends.”