Family of man crushed by a bulldozer in his tent at an Atlanta homeless encampment sues nonprofits
Family of a homeless man who died next A bulldozer crushed his tent during a camp cleanup last year, and on Friday he filed a lawsuit against nonprofits involved in the camp cleanup. second case They filed a lawsuit over his death.
The lawsuit states that Partners for HOME and SafeHouse Outreach are partially responsible for Taylor’s death; because workers did not check to see if Taylor, 46, was in his tent before a bulldozer was deployed to clear it, flattening the tent while he was inside it, leaving blood on the street.
Taylor was living in an encampment on Old Wheat Street in Atlanta, and city officials were demanding it be evacuated ahead of the celebrations. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday last January. The campsite was near Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached and where annual events are now held to honor him.
Partners for HOME is the city’s leading homelessness organization. SafeHouse Outreach is another Atlanta nonprofit that serves homeless people. The lawsuit states that the agencies should have checked Taylor’s tent after arriving at the site beforehand.
Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, said the nonprofit could not comment on the lawsuit because they had not seen it, but said it was “committed to its mission of making homelessness in Atlanta rare, brief and non-recurring.” SafeHouse Outreach did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Taylor’s family He sued the city of Atlanta In July, he claimed that city workers should also have checked to see if Taylor was in his tent.
Taylor’s death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the camp, who called the city’s policies to clear the camps at the time inhumane. They said the city faces a severe shortage of affordable housing that makes it inevitable for people to live on the streets.
Immediately following Taylor’s death, the city placed a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta this summer, the city has been clearing out the camps ever since. eliminate all homelessness before that in the city centre. Vassell said Partners for HOME is approaching its goal of hosting 400 people ahead of the World Cup.
The lawsuit, filed Friday, seeks unspecified damages as well as compensation for medical and hospital expenses, burial costs, attorney fees and litigation costs.
Harold Spence, one of the attorneys representing the family, said at a news conference on Friday that city officials and nonprofit employees were trying to get Martin Luther King Jr. He said he did not want the “important people” attending his event to see the camp.
“They were rushing to get it removed,” Spence said. “Unfortunately, it turned out they were willing to remove it at any cost.”
Spence added that Taylor had recently found a job and was ready to “turn her life around.”
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Kramon is a syndicated member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. report for america is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
