City of Atlanta clearing Old Wheat Street encampment where man was killed

ATLANTA - A homeless encampment near the King Center in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood is in the process of being cleared.

The action comes more than half a year after an attempt to clear out the encampment on Old Wheat Street ended with the death of one of the camp's residents.

Old Wheat Street homeless encampment clearing

What we know:

This time, city officials worked alongside police, housing advocates, and the Cornelius Taylor Coalition for Justice to offer shelter and services to those being relocated. Organizers said the weeks of outreach leading up to the clearance helped build trust between the city and the encampment’s residents.

MORE: Old Wheat Street encampment: People challenge city's decommission plan

Instead of displacing people without a plan, buses were brought in to transport individuals to temporary housing, where they will have a bed to sleep in and access to services. Advocates say this collaborative model is focused on long-term solutions and respect for the needs of unhoused individuals.

The coalition credited consistent communication and relationship-building in the Old Fourth Ward for the smoother transition. More updates are expected as city officials continue working with partner organizations to identify next steps for permanent housing solutions.

Cornelius Taylor's death

The backstory:

Cornelius Taylor was killed on Jan. 16, when Atlanta Public Works crews were cleaning out the encampment. He was 46 years old.

Witnesses at the camp and homeless outreach groups told FOX 5 a truck ran over Taylor while he was in his tent.

One resident of the camp said that Taylor was asleep when city crews arrived at the camp and announced they were going to clear away the tents. 

In an incident report released in late January by the Atlanta Police Department, an officer said he noticed a man waving at him from a tent near where the machine had just been and quickly called for an ambulance.

The officer said that Taylor was "in clear distress" and had to be pulled out of his tent. After he was out of the collapsed structure, Taylor "declined quickly," the officer wrote. 

Medics rushed Taylor to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

After Taylor's death, the city temporarily stopped sweeps and created a task force to examine its current policies to address homelessness. Those findings and recommendations were released in June.

Cornelius Taylor Coalition for Justice

What they're saying:

"The family of Cornelius Taylor wanted me to extend their sincere thanks to the Cornelius Taylor Coalition for Justice for their efforts to turn what was a crime scene into a place of care and compassion," said Mawuli Davis, an attorney representing the Taylor family.

"Today we are doing things differently," said advocate Tim Franzen. "We’re not organizing for people, we’re organizing with them. The success of today is mass housing. We're not calling it an eviction because people are choosing housing."

Much of the credit, observers say, goes to the coalition named for Taylor. "These organizers have been coming down here every week, day after day, building relationships with the residents of Old Wheat Street, and the family is so grateful for that," Davis added.

Many of the homeless individuals expressed deep gratitude for the effort.

"I want to thank all of these people for their continuing effort every week—every day they come out and make sure we have this, make sure we have that, and they are constantly planning our next move as far as housing," said a man named Gus.

Angela Peace, who once lived on the streets herself, now works to help others transition. "I used to be one of those people. I am from this community. I am here to help my people — with the help of the coalition for Cornelius — to transform these people into living in the proper way again," she said.

APD on Old Wheat Street location

The other side:

Earlier this week, city leaders announced plans to remove the encampment, saying that the Atlanta Police Department will staff the Old Wheat Street location around the clock after it's closed and cleaned.

The city was working with the nonprofit Partners for Home to offer housing at its Welcome House to everyone living at the encampment.

"We've been working very closely with seasoned outreach teams in the continuum of care who have been engaging the 14 residents of the encampment for several months," Partners for Home CEO Cathryn Vassell said. "Once folks are moved into housing, we've contracted with three keys to provide a full-time case manager. That case manager will work with those individuals that move into Welcome House. For individuals that move elsewhere, they will also have assigned case management."

Homeless encampment cleared

The other side:

Advocates with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition have criticized the city's plan, calling it an "eviction."

"Right after we had turned in a plan to not only house but provide wrap-around services, the city not only responded to that plan, they put up eviction signs," Tim Franzen with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said.

The group said that the city's plan would force people living in the encampment into "unsafe or temporary shelters" and eventually leave them on the streets again.

Organizers are asking the city to stop the cleanup operation and adopt a new method of approaching the issue.

World Cup preparations

Dig deeper:

The city's goal is to get hundreds of homeless individuals off the streets ahead of next year's World Cup in Atlanta.

While officials say this operation is not part of its "Downtown Rising" plan. The city has announced that its goal is to use $212 million to rehouse 400 people by the end of the year.

Welcome House assistance

What's next:

Most of those relocated are expected to transition to Welcome House, where they will receive comprehensive services designed to keep them from returning to the streets.

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