The mayor of Atlanta is looking to pause the city’s homeless encampment sweeps following an incident when witnesses said they watched a city truck fatally crush a sleeping man two weeks ago.
According to a FOX 5 Atlanta report, witnesses described seeing an Atlanta City Public Works truck run over the man while he was asleep in his tent earlier this month. The Fulton County Medical Examiner later identified the victim as 49-year-old Cornelius Taylor.
“The male was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. “The homicide unit responded to the scene and will be the lead on this death investigation.”
“I am saddened by this terrible incident and extend my thoughts and prayers to the family of the deceased,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “We will review each of our processes and procedures and take every precaution to ensure this never happens again and while we continue our important work to house our unsheltered population and bring our neighbors inside.”
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In a video posted on his Instagram account last Friday, Dickens also said that he is working with the Atlanta City Council to introduce new legislation to address the situation.
“This legislation also includes a temporary moratorium on encampment closures to allow us time to strengthen our policies and expand our outreach efforts, ensuring that this work can be done safely and that a tragedy like this never happens again,” Dickens said.
Partners for HOME, a Department of Housing and Urban Development program, said the encampment had prior notice before city officials began to clear it.
“Closing encampments is a dynamic and collaborative process that prioritizes 90 days+ of extensive outreach leading up to the closure to connect unsheltered individuals with housing, resources and support services before any site is cleared,” Cathryn Vassell, the CEO for Partners for HOME, said in a statement reported by FOX 5.
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Anthony Richardson, who lived at the same homeless encampment where Taylor was killed, confirmed to the local station that city crews announced plans to clear away tents but said the victim likely did not hear the announcement at that time.
“We could hear him snoring,” Richardson said to FOX 5.
“My tent was right behind his, that could’ve been me if I didn’t leave,” he continued.
Atlanta is facing some of the worst homeless crises in the nation. While homelessness within the city limits has overall decreased in the last decade, the 2024 Partners for HOME point-in-time count report recorded a 7% increase since 2023 to nearly 2,900 people.
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