Supporters of Cornelius Taylor — the Black man who officials say was killed on Jan. 17 by a construction vehicle clearing an encampment of unhoused people in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue neighborhood — are demanding city policy changes following his horrific demise.
Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a resolution Thursday calling for officials to pause demolition of other camps while authorities review their procedures to ensure what happened to Taylor never occurs again.
Authorities, including the office of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, haven’t provided details about how Taylor died. Activists and clergy members working with Taylor’s family say he was crushed by a bulldozer clearing unhoused people’s tents on Old Wheat Street across from Ebenezer Baptist Church, the house of worship once led by Martin Luther King Jr. They attempted to hand deliver a letter to Dickens’ office Thursday afternoon, but were denied access by several Atlanta Police officers who blocked their path.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said he wasn’t present when the standoff occurred and that activists declined to show up to a previously planned meeting with the mayor.
Taylor’s death has raised questions about the city’s policies regarding unhoused people, how Black political elites view those experiencing homelessness, and an ongoing affordable housing crisis that has disproportionately affected Black residents.
Advocates suspect Atlanta officials wanted to clear the encampment ahead of the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on Monday because they felt it was an eyesore.
The tragic irony of Taylor losing his life in such a manner ahead of King Day across from the civil rights legend’s former church home wasn’t lost on community activist Derrick Boazman, who spoke during a press conference outside City Hall on Thursday.
“The unmitigated gall, on the eve before Dr. King’s celebration, that we’ll stand in a church pulpit and talk about the plight of the poor, and right across the street we ran over a man with a bulldozer,” Boazman said. “There’s something wrong with this city when we do that.”
Darlene Chaney, who was raised with Taylor and referred to him as her “big brother,” told council members that the 47-year-old man “was not just a nobody.”
“He was a somebody to me, my family and a lot of his friends,” Chaney said during the public comment period of the council’s Thursday meeting. “Being homeless doesn’t mean that nobody cares for you.”
Bakhtiari said the city hasn’t indicated who authorized the clearing of Taylor’s encampment. She also said she supports firing whoever failed to ensure no one was present in the tents before the camp was destroyed.
“There has to be accountability,” Bakhtiari said. “We have to do a full-blown investigation. We need to find out who was responsible for directing this.”
Bernice King, CEO of The King Center and the youngest of Martin Luther King Jr.’s four children, acknowledged Taylor’s death on Monday with a moment of silence before delivering her King Day remarks at Ebenezer.
Mayor Dickens said he was “saddened” by Taylor’s death in a statement provided to Capital B Atlanta.
“I care deeply about each and every life in this city,” Dickens said. “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.”
Dickens told those who attended the King Day ceremony at Ebenezer on Monday that Taylor’s death was a “heartbreaking,” terrible incident.
“It serves as a constant reminder, a humbling and solemn reminder, that Dr. King’s beloved community is still under construction,” Dickens added.
