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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Emotional journey for Atlanta's homeless as city races to house 400 people before the World Cup
Allen Hall called it a 'very emotional experience' as he boarded a bus with more than 20 other former residents of an Atlanta homeless encampment where a close friend had been fatally injured earlier this year by a bulldozer that struck his tent. Although the city and its partners secured housing by mid-July for everyone they thought lived in the downtown encampment along Old Wheat Street, Hall and seven others moved temporarily into a hotel funded by advocates. 'It was like something was changing for us, for real,' Hall said, recalling the day this summer when friends and acquaintances moved into apartments after spending years sleeping on sidewalks. Atlanta and the agencies that provide services for the city's surging homeless population have been mobilizing resources for an ambitious plan to 'eliminate' homelessness before visitors arrive for eight World Cup games next summer. By the end of the year, they're aiming to house some 400 people living on downtown streets. There are challenges, though, including long waitlists for city-funded supportive living spaces that often require documentation unhoused people like Hall lack. Many have built communities downtown where social services are accessible, and it can be easy to miscount the number of people living in encampments. A tragic death galvanizes advocates Tensions skyrocketed after Cornelius Taylor's death in January as the city attempted to clear the Old Wheat Street encampment ahead of the celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at nearby Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. Amid the uproar, the city temporarily suspended clearing the Old Wheat Street encampment and others, before resuming the actions this month. Some, including Hall — who has spent more than three decades living on streets — were offered shelter spaces while case workers look for housing, but he turned that down. Many say they'd rather live on the streets than in shelters with strict rules known for poor or unsafe conditions. The city originally offered housing to 14 people case workers counted at the encampment but agreed to help others after residents and advocates said there were at least twice as many living there. Hall said he had been living at the encampment residents called 'Backstreet' for five years but didn't make the list. 'Whether or not these were residents at one time, we rallied the requisite amount of housing that we could for the individuals that were known to us,' said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, the organization that leads Atlanta's homelessness services. 'The additional names were brought at the last minute and we're trying to rally like we do for everybody in our system an appropriate resource for them.' Counting complications Case workers came up with the list of 14 by going to the encampment early in the morning and at night for several months to count and build relationships with those living there, according to city partners. Seven additional people have been housed, said Vassell, and most of those housed are at a supportive housing complex called Welcome House. A city spokesperson said the eight individuals advocates with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition were paying to house turned down offers to live in shelters. Most didn't have adequate identifying documents for Welcome House, Vassell said, but agencies are trying to find them options. Advocates want officials to act faster and say those who got housing aren't receiving enough resources. 'They say they're gonna do good things, but we can't take care of these eight people?' said Tim Franzen, a member of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition who has long criticized the city's policies on homelessness. 'There's been months to prepare for this. There's not a real plan.' Next steps Shun Palmour moved into the encampment with his family a few months ago after losing his smoke shop job. The city placed him, his girlfriend, two kids and his girlfriend's mother at a Motel 6. 'No one comes out and checks on us,' Palmour said. 'Nobody comes out to make sure we're eating.' Management tried to kick them out of the motel three times, and other times they got locked out of their room, Palmour said last week. He said they've been assigned a case manager from a local nonprofit but the uncertainty makes him nervous. 'We're very appreciative of what's taking place but when they stop and put us out, are we gonna end back up homeless or back on the street after this or what?' Palmour said. 'Nobody's letting us know what's the next step.' A spokesperson for the city said they are providing dinner and working to get them into housing. Hall has since moved into another temporary unit. He still wears a bracelet gifted to him by Taylor before his death. While at the hotel, he hardly left and relished feeling 'cozy' in his own space with books thrown around and news blasting from the TV. 'It's the normal things that people get to do,' Hall said. 'Take a cup of coffee, just simple things that people take for granted every day.' ___ Kramon reported from Atlanta. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Emotional journey for Atlanta's homeless as city races to house 400 people before the World Cup
ATLANTA (AP) — Allen Hall called it a 'very emotional experience' as he boarded a bus with more than 20 other former residents of an Atlanta homeless encampment where a close friend had been fatally injured earlier this year by a bulldozer that struck his tent. Although the city and its partners secured housing by mid-July for everyone they thought lived in the downtown encampment along Old Wheat Street, Hall and seven others moved temporarily into a hotel funded by advocates. 'It was like something was changing for us, for real,' Hall said, recalling the day this summer when friends and acquaintances moved into apartments after spending years sleeping on sidewalks. Atlanta and the agencies that provide services for the city's surging homeless population have been mobilizing resources for an ambitious plan to 'eliminate' homelessness before visitors arrive for eight World Cup games next summer. By the end of the year, they're aiming to house some 400 people living on downtown streets. There are challenges, though, including long waitlists for city-funded supportive living spaces that often require documentation unhoused people like Hall lack. Many have built communities downtown where social services are accessible, and it can be easy to miscount the number of people living in encampments. A tragic death galvanizes advocates Tensions skyrocketed after Cornelius Taylor's death in January as the city attempted to clear the Old Wheat Street encampment ahead of the celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at nearby Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. Amid the uproar, the city temporarily suspended clearing the Old Wheat Street encampment and others, before resuming the actions this month. Some, including Hall — who has spent more than three decades living on streets — were offered shelter spaces while case workers look for housing, but he turned that down. Many say they'd rather live on the streets than in shelters with strict rules known for poor or unsafe conditions. The city originally offered housing to 14 people case workers counted at the encampment but agreed to help others after residents and advocates said there were at least twice as many living there. Hall said he had been living at the encampment residents called 'Backstreet' for five years but didn't make the list. 'Whether or not these were residents at one time, we rallied the requisite amount of housing that we could for the individuals that were known to us,' said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, the organization that leads Atlanta's homelessness services. 'The additional names were brought at the last minute and we're trying to rally like we do for everybody in our system an appropriate resource for them.' Counting complications Case workers came up with the list of 14 by going to the encampment early in the morning and at night for several months to count and build relationships with those living there, according to city partners. Seven additional people have been housed, said Vassell, and most of those housed are at a supportive housing complex called Welcome House. A city spokesperson said the eight individuals advocates with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition were paying to house turned down offers to live in shelters. Most didn't have adequate identifying documents for Welcome House, Vassell said, but agencies are trying to find them options. Advocates want officials to act faster and say those who got housing aren't receiving enough resources. 'They say they're gonna do good things, but we can't take care of these eight people?' said Tim Franzen, a member of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition who has long criticized the city's policies on homelessness. 'There's been months to prepare for this. There's not a real plan.' Next steps Shun Palmour moved into the encampment with his family a few months ago after losing his smoke shop job. The city placed him, his girlfriend, two kids and his girlfriend's mother at a Motel 6. 'No one comes out and checks on us,' Palmour said. 'Nobody comes out to make sure we're eating.' Management tried to kick them out of the motel three times, and other times they got locked out of their room, Palmour said last week. He said they've been assigned a case manager from a local nonprofit but the uncertainty makes him nervous. 'We're very appreciative of what's taking place but when they stop and put us out, are we gonna end back up homeless or back on the street after this or what?' Palmour said. 'Nobody's letting us know what's the next step.' A spokesperson for the city said they are providing dinner and working to get them into housing. Hall has since moved into another temporary unit. He still wears a bracelet gifted to him by Taylor before his death. While at the hotel, he hardly left and relished feeling 'cozy' in his own space with books thrown around and news blasting from the TV. 'It's the normal things that people get to do,' Hall said. 'Take a cup of coffee, just simple things that people take for granted every day.' ___ Kramon reported from Atlanta. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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Miami Herald
22-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Bulldozer sent to crush homeless camp runs over and kills Georgia man, suit says
The family of a Georgia man is suing after they say he was killed when a bulldozer was ordered to crush a homeless camp and fatally ran him over while he was inside a tent. The lawsuit was filed July 18 against the city of Atlanta and seven other unknown individuals. The lawsuit stems from the January death of 46-year-old Cornelius Taylor. 'The incident involving Mr. Taylor was a tragedy, however it would be inappropriate to comment on any potential pending litigation,' a city representative told McClatchy News in an email. In preparation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, the city of Atlanta requested the Department of Public Works clean a street that had a '(large) number of tents and debris,' according to a civil complaint. On Jan. 16, the city began to clean the homeless encampment which 'consisted of assorted tents and other makeshift structures made of various materials,' the lawsuit said. The city deployed a 'front loader (a small bulldozer in appearance)' to 'flatten/crush' the tents and structures, the complaint said. The city did this knowing men and women experiencing homelessness used the tents and 'makeshift structures' as their homes, according to the lawsuit. Taylor was in a tent he occupied when the front loader 'flattened' it with him still inside, the lawsuit said. Taylor was able to call for help, and an officer found him in 'severe distress,' the lawsuit said. After he was taken out of what remained of the tent, he 'declined quickly' before being taken to a hospital and dying, according to the complaint. No city employee or officer performed 'the simple act of looking inside the tent to see whether it was occupied,' the lawsuit said. 'Take a few seconds to open the tent to see if anyone is inside the tent!' Taylor's sister, Darlene Chaney, told WXIA. A report from the medical examiner determined Taylor's cause of death to be blunt force injuries, which included a fractured pelvis, 'causing a total separation of the pelvic bones,' lacerations to organs and internal bleeding, according to the complaint. Taylor's attorney told WXIA his family's goal with the lawsuit is to change how homeless camps are cleaned up. 'I watched all the years go by, how he struggled and struggled, and he didn't wanna struggle anymore. A decision was made for him, but now we can help make decisions for other people. To help get them out of this life,' Chaney told WXIA. The lawsuit said by employees not checking the tent, the city's 'actions showed neglect to perform, improper performance, or unskillful performance of a ministerial duty,' the lawsuit said. The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Family of man killed after his tent was crushed by a bulldozer sues Atlanta
The family of a man who was killed after city workers crushed his tent with a bulldozer during a sweep of a homeless encampment in Atlanta, Georgia, filed a lawsuit against the city on Friday over his death, calling it 'tragic and preventable'. The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor's sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it in the 16 January sweep. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says. City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor's pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding. 'A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That's obviously wrong,' Harold Spence, an attorney, said. 'Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don't know what's inside, you don't crush it.' The lawsuit filed in Fulton county state court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer. A spokesperson for Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, said in a statement 'the incident involving Mr Taylor was a tragedy' but that he could not comment on pending litigation. The US supreme court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial. Taylor's death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city's policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. 'The sweep, prior to which the city failed completely to check the tents, is a stopgap measure to try to project a false, sanitized vision of Atlanta,' activists from the Housing Justice League advocate group said in a statement. 'Taylor and everyone else living on the streets deserved much more than to be bulldozed out of the way for MLK weekend festivities. Everyone deserves to live in dignity.' The family's lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of 'respect and dignity' instead of rushing to clear their communities 'as if they were invisible'. Typically, the city sends social workers and outreach teams to encampments over a period of months before issuing a final order to evacuate. Those teams work to place people in shelters and, ultimately, permanent housing. The city had been working with people at the encampment since April 2024 and had placed many into shelters, said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of the city's homelessness organization, Partners for Home. City officials have said they are taking care to prioritize the safety and dignity of unhoused individuals. Right after Taylor's death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. However, with the Fifa World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then. Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials coordinated with the local non-profit to offer people living there housing with supportive services. Lawyers said they were grateful for the city's efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor's lawyers and family called on Dickens' administration to cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing. Taylor's sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a news conference on Friday where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered. She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his 'annoying' weekly calls – and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two. 'We're here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,' Chaney said. George Chidi contributed reporting
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Family of man killed after his tent was crushed by a bulldozer sues Atlanta
The family of a man who was killed after city workers crushed his tent with a bulldozer during a sweep of a homeless encampment in Atlanta, Georgia, filed a lawsuit against the city on Friday over his death, calling it 'tragic and preventable'. The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor's sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it in the 16 January sweep. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says. City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor's pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding. 'A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That's obviously wrong,' Harold Spence, an attorney, said. 'Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don't know what's inside, you don't crush it.' The lawsuit filed in Fulton county state court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer. A spokesperson for Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, said in a statement 'the incident involving Mr Taylor was a tragedy' but that he could not comment on pending litigation. The US supreme court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial. Taylor's death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city's policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. 'The sweep, prior to which the city failed completely to check the tents, is a stopgap measure to try to project a false, sanitized vision of Atlanta,' activists from the Housing Justice League advocate group said in a statement. 'Taylor and everyone else living on the streets deserved much more than to be bulldozed out of the way for MLK weekend festivities. Everyone deserves to live in dignity.' The family's lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of 'respect and dignity' instead of rushing to clear their communities 'as if they were invisible'. Typically, the city sends social workers and outreach teams to encampments over a period of months before issuing a final order to evacuate. Those teams work to place people in shelters and, ultimately, permanent housing. The city had been working with people at the encampment since April 2024 and had placed many into shelters, said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of the city's homelessness organization, Partners for Home. City officials have said they are taking care to prioritize the safety and dignity of unhoused individuals. Right after Taylor's death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. However, with the Fifa World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then. Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials coordinated with the local non-profit to offer people living there housing with supportive services. Lawyers said they were grateful for the city's efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor's lawyers and family called on Dickens' administration to cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing. Taylor's sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a news conference on Friday where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered. She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his 'annoying' weekly calls – and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two. 'We're here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,' Chaney said. George Chidi contributed reporting
