The family of a homeless man who died last year after a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment cleanup filed a lawsuit Friday against the nonprofit group involved in clearing the encampment, the second lawsuit they have filed over his death.
The lawsuit alleges that Home and SafeHouse Outreach partners were partially responsible for Taylor’s death because employees failed to check to see if Taylor, 46, was in his tent before deploying bulldozers to clear the tent, which was flattened while he was inside, leaving a trail of blood in the street.
Taylor lived in an encampment on Old Wheat Street in Atlanta that city officials last January required to be cleared ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations. The camp is near Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached and is now the site of annual events in his honor.
Partners for HOME is the city’s leading agency on homelessness. SafeHouse Outreach is another nonprofit in Atlanta that provides services to the homeless. The lawsuit alleges the groups should have known to inspect Taylor’s tent after arriving on site early to conduct outreach.
Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, said the nonprofit could not comment on the lawsuit because they have not seen it but are “committed to its mission of making homelessness rare, brief and non-existent in Atlanta.” SafeHouse Outreach did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Taylor’s family sued the city of Atlanta in July, claiming city staff should also have checked to see if Taylor was in his tent.
Taylor’s death sparked outrage from local advocates and camp neighbors, who at the time called the city’s policy of clearing the camp inhumane. They say the city faces a severe shortage of affordable housing, making it inevitable that people will end up on the streets.
After Taylor’s death, the city temporarily suspended encampment cleanups. With the FIFA World Cup taking place in Atlanta this summer, the city has resumed clearing encampments with the goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then. Vassell said Partners for HOME was close to its goal of housing 400 people before the World Cup.
The lawsuit filed Friday seeks unspecified damages as well as compensation for medical and hospital bills, funeral expenses, attorney fees and court costs.
Harold Spence, one of the attorneys representing the family, said at a news conference Friday that city officials and nonprofit employees did not want “dignitaries” attending the Martin Luther King Jr. event to see the encampment.
“They were anxious to get it removed,” Spencer said. “Unfortunately, it turns out they are willing to do whatever it takes to remove it.”
Spencer added that Taylor had recently gotten a job and was ready to “turn his life around.”
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Cramon is a corps member for 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.