Family of the man who were killed after the tent was crushed by a Bulldozer, suing Atlanta | Atlanta

The family of a man who was killed after the city workers had crushed his tent with a bulldozer was submitted a lawsuit against the city on Friday because of a homeless camp in Atlanta, Georgia, and called it “tragically and avoidable”.

The complaint submitted by Cornelius Taylor's sister and son claims that the city's employees could not check whether someone was in the camp in the camp before using a bulldozer to vacate them on January 16. The 46 -year -old Taylor was in one of the tents and was knocked down by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit said.

City officials had asked for the warehouse to be deleted to prepare for Martin Luther King Jr. The camp was blocked by the Baptist level, where the king had preached. An autopsy report later showed that Taylor's Beckenknochen had been broken and that he had damaged the organs and internal bleeding.

“A tent that was occupied by a person was crushed by this heavy equipment. That is obviously wrong,” said Harold Spence, a lawyer. “Nobody looked into the tent, and if someone who had looked into it had 10 seconds, this tragedy could have been averted. And if they don't know what's in it, don't crush it.”

In the lawsuit submitted to the Fulton County State Court calls for a legal proceedings and calls for not specified damage as well as the repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal costs. It was submitted against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the Bulldozer.

A spokesman for Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, said in a statement: “The incident with Mr. Taylor was a tragedy”, but he could not comment on legal disputes.

The US Court of Justice decided last year that cities throughout the country can enforce bans for homeless camps. But it's controversial.

Taylor's death solved in the camps, which the city's politics for the Clearing camp deeply inhumane. They said that the city was exposed to a bad, affordable lack of housing that makes it inevitable that people will live on the street.

“The Sweep, before the city has completely checked the tent, is a stop gap measure to try to project a wrong, renovation vision of Atlanta,” said activists from Housing Justice League Advocate Group in a statement. “Taylor and everyone else who lived on the street have earned much more than being out of the way for MLK weekend celebrations. Everyone deserves to live in dignity.”

The family's lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for the city leaders to treat homeless people as “respect and dignity” instead of hurrying themselves, their communities “as if they were invisible”.

As a rule, the city sends social workers and Outreach teams over a period of months to evacuate in a period of months before issuing a final order. These teams are working to place people in emergency accommodation and ultimately permanent apartments.

The city has worked with people in the warehouse since April 2024 and brought many to animal shelters, said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of the city's homeless organization, Partners for Home.

Urban officials have announced that they are careful to prioritize security and would prioritize. Immediately after Taylor's death, the city set a temporary moratorium in warehouse extensions. Since the FIFA World Championship will come to Atlanta next year, the city has resumed Clearing camp with the controversial goal since then to eliminate all homelessness in the city center.

Last week the city closed the camp in which Taylor lived and said, civil servants who were coordinated with the local non -profit organization to offer people who live there with supportive services.

Lawyers said they were grateful for the city's efforts, but more work is required. Members of the judiciary for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they still pay for hotel rooms for eight former residents of the warehouse. Taylor's lawyers and family asked the management of Dickens to cut bureaucracy like problems with documents and to help others get living space.

Taylor's sister Darlene Chaney tore up during a press conference on Friday, when the lawyers announced the lawsuit when she again appeared on descriptions of the cruel injuries that had suffered her brother.

She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He endeavored to leave the camp to rebuild his life and remained positive about his future, even if barriers slowed down like ID, she said. She misses his “annoying” weekly calls – and now said she only has a brother who annoys her. She misses two.

“We are here just because someone in my personal opinion was lazy,” said Chaney.

George Chidi contributed the reporting