City workers in Atlanta killed a man living in a tent while using construction equipment to clear a homeless encampment near Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous Georgia church.

Cornelius Taylor's death occurred Thursday afternoon as a result of efforts to reduce the visibility of homeless people near the city's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church , the church is home to crowds in the area expected to celebrate King this weekend and Monday. The life and legacy of the civil rights leader. Taylor's death outraged homeless advocates and prompted a round of soul-searching by city leaders.

"The city has failed to fully inspect tents before, and this sweep is a stopgap measure that attempts to project a false, sanitized vision of Atlanta," activists with the Housing Justice Alliance said in a statement. Taylor and others living on the streets deserve more than just being pushed down during the Martin Luther King weekend celebrations. Everyone deserves to live with dignity."

Atlanta officials have not yet clarified Taylor's cause of death. Eyewitnesses told local media that Atlanta Public Works Department bulldozers were dismantling tents on a vacant lot across the street from the church and ran over a man inside the tent who had not left the old Wheat Street encampment.

"I am devastated by this horrific event and send my condolences and prayers to the family," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. "I care deeply about every life lost in this city. We will Reviewing every process and procedure and taking every precaution to ensure this never happens again, we continue our important work of providing shelter for those experiencing homelessness and bringing our neighbors indoors.”

Historically, the city would send social workers and outreach teams to encampments for several months before issuing final evacuation orders. These teams work to place people in shelters and eventually provide permanent housing.

Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home, the city's homeless organization, said the city has been working with people in encampments since April and placing many in shelters middle. Atlanta last year announced an investment of $60 million in new public funds—the largest amount in the city’s history—to address homelessness.

The investment comes as Atlanta grapples with a 60% increase in homelessness since the coronavirus pandemic, after declining in previous years.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, one of the Georgia state senators, is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Democrat, who was elected in the 2020 election by Joe Biden's historic victory in Georgia, previously announced that he would attend Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington on Monday and would not attend this year's King Memorial Day Events.

Marcus Coleman, a community activist in Atlanta, noted that the city is also hosting the college football championship game this weekend and that the city is cleaning up homeless encampments while hosting high-profile visitor events. “The city made a lot of money this weekend,” he said. "The death of Cornelius Taylor and the agonizing manner in which he died seemed inappropriate for a city too busy to hate."

Sylvia Broome, who provides services to the homeless in the area, went to the site where Taylor was killed on Friday and described Taylor to a local media outlet as a kind-hearted person who loved to She choked up while drawing people.

"He had dreams, he had ambitions, he had a family, he was a good friend of mine, and he's gone," Bloom told WABE. She called for a full investigation.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as co-pastor of the church from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. Joe Biden received the rare honor of becoming the first sitting president to deliver a Sunday sermon there in 2023.