Family members and activists protest the death of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused man killed when the city cleared an encampment, in front of City Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, January 23, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
It’s been a year since Cornelius Taylor, a man experiencing homelessness in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, was crushed and killed after an Atlanta Department of Public Works front loader bulldozed over a tent while he was still inside.
After the tragedy, the optics for the city couldn’t have been worse, as Taylor’s death on Jan. 16, 2025, became a flashpoint for the city’s treatment of its unhoused population.
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After a procession arrived at Atlanta City Hall, Darlene Chaney, cousin of Cornelius Taylor, speaks on Monday, February 3, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)
Derek Chaney embraces Darlene Chaney during a press conference on July 18, 2025, announcing a lawsuit against the City of Atlanta for Taylor’s death. Taylor was killed in his tent by heavy construction equipment during a sweep of the homeless encampment. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
Cornelius Taylor’s cousin Derek Chaney moves an electric wheelchair for an unhoused person as they are relocated to The Welcome House from Old Wheat Street. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
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Kelsea Bond takes part in a forum hosted by the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC).
Matt Reynolds is a housing reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s local government team.