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DoomsdaysCW Feb 1, 2025

#AtlantaGeorgia rethinks clearing #HomelessCamps after a man is crushed inside his tent

By JEFF MARTIN
Updated 3:39 PM EST, January 31, 2025

ATLANTA (AP) — "Atlanta leaders are reconsidering how they dismantle homeless camps after a man was crushed inside a tent as a bulldozer destroyed makeshift homes in preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. holiday events.

"Cornelius Taylor was living in the camp a few blocks from Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King family’s congregation, where dignitaries gather for each year’s commemorative service. A march was held from downtown to the church that same weekend.

"Now, Taylor’s family is planning a Monday funeral at the same historic church, and then a horse-drawn carriage will carry his coffin to City Hall so that people there 'can see who they killed,' said his sister, Darlene Chaney.

"The U.S. Supreme Court [#SCOTUS] ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearing the camps — as #NewOrleans did ahead of Taylor Swift’s concerts there — remains controversial."

Atlanta rethinks clearing homeless camps after a man is crushed inside his tent

Atlanta leaders are reconsidering how they dismantle homeless camps. That comes after a man in a tent was killed as a city crew's bulldozer destroyed the encampment. A city spokeswoman says the tents were being swept from an area several blocks away from the Ebenezer Baptist Church in preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. holiday events. A lawyer for Cornelius Taylor's family says the heavy equipment crushed his organs. Taylor's family hopes his death can lead to positive changes as cities struggle with growing homeless populations. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says his death shows the need to reexamine city policies. A Monday funeral is planned.

AP News