Following a man’s death earlier this year during a homeless encampment sweep, the City of Atlanta has moved forward with another clearing operation, sparking renewed criticism and calls for lasting housing solutions. On Monday, city crews, along with the Georgia Department of Transportation, cleared the encampment on Pryor Street, situated in the vicinity of police headquarters and beneath the convergence of interstates 20, 75, and 85. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens insisted on the need for the operation, citing safety concerns. “Living in these encampments is not safe for the people living there, the surrounding communities or the public at large,” Dickens said in a statement procured by 11Alive. The city claimed to have offered various support services, such as shelter referrals and assistance transitioning to permanent housing.
The clearings come in the wake of Cornelius Taylor’s death, a homeless man who was killed when a public works truck hit him as crews were cleaning out a homeless camp in January 2025. FOX 5 reported that Taylor’s attorneys contest the initial suggestion by Atlanta police that he died of an overdose, instead stating that a medical examiner’s report showed he died from injuries inflicted by heavy machinery. In response to the tragedy, the city temporarily ceased sweeps and established the 2025 Task Force on Homelessness Response, although critics argue that the city’s new approach has failed to significantly deviate from past practices.
Advocates and activists have loudly condemned these sweeps, claiming they perpetuate a cruel and ineffective cycle of displacement. “We found out on Friday that the sweeps are beginning again, and the task force has come up with a plan that resembles the old plan,” Tim Franzen with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition told FOX 5. These statements underscore a growing frustration among local community groups who have continually pushed the city for a more permanent solution, specifically adopting a “real Housing First” strategy that prioritizes putting homeless individuals into permanent housing instead of temporary shelters or repeated removals…