ATLANTA — An Atlanta City Council subcommittee has voted to change the way sweeps of homeless encampments are done.
The vote happened nearly two weeks after Cornelius Taylor, a homeless man, was killed by a city vehicle during a sweep.
Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes was at Atlanta City Hall on Tuesday where many people told her they are happy that the ordinance is moving forward, but the wording could have been better.
The committee voted to halt sweeps for the next 45 days instead of banning them altogether.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
On Tuesday, Atlanta police released a copy of their report detailing the incident. But some witnesses say it’s a lie.
“Police reports generally across America aren’t worth the paper they’re written on,” attorney Mawuli Davis said.
Davis said he’s not surprised that Atlanta police are telling a different story than witnesses.
“This was a complete and preventable death caused by City of Atlanta policies and procedures,” he explained.
The police report says that when an officer encountered Taylor, he didn’t have any obvious, major injuries.
“He was in clear distress, and I saw that he had a bloody nose. I did not see any other obvious signs of physical hurt, but when I asked him questions, he said that something had fallen on him,” the report reads.
One witness said that’s not true.
“He had more than a bloody nose. His chest looked like it had been crushed and everything, it’s sad,” the witness said. “Don’t lie, all your policies in this case have been broken.”
RELATED STORIES:
- Atlanta mayor calls for moratorium on homeless encampment sweeps, organizers want more done
- Protestors want sweeps of homeless camps stopped after man killed by City of Atlanta bulldozer
- ‘Tragic incident’ involving Atlanta Department of Public Works vehicle and unhoused person
Several people, including community leaders, spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting.
“You can’t help the homeless when you’re making families homeless. You have families sleeping in cars,” one said.
“There’s never a time to do ethical sweeps, that doesn’t exist,” another commented.
City council members discussed land opportunities for affordable housing and other permanent solutions.
They are expected to make a full vote on the matter on Monday.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
