Black Lives Matter-Ugliness of Racism.

spaminator

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Family of a man crushed at an Atlanta homeless encampment sues the city
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Charlotte Kramon
Published Jul 19, 2025 • 3 minute read

Family members and activists protest the death of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused man killed when the city cleared an encampment last week, in front of City Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.
Family members and activists protest the death of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused man killed when the city cleared an encampment last week, in front of City Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Arvin Temkar /AP
ATLANTA — The family of a homeless man who died after a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment sweep sued the city of Atlanta on Friday over his death, calling it “tragic and preventable.”


The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor’s sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says.


City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor’s pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding.

“A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That’s obviously wrong,” attorney Harold Spence said. “Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don’t know what’s inside, you don’t crush it.”


The lawsuit filed in Fulton County State Court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer.

A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement “the incident involving Mr. Taylor was a tragedy” but that he could not comment on pending litigation.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial.

Taylor’s death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city’s policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. The family’s lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of “respect and dignity” instead of rushing to clear their communities “as if they were invisible.”


City officials have said they are doing that. Right after Taylor’s death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then.

Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials coordinated with the local nonprofit who leads the city’s homelessness services to offer people living there housing with supportive services.

Lawyers said they were grateful for the city’s efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor’s lawyers and family called on Dickens’ administration cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing.


Taylor’s sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a Friday news conference where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered.

She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his “annoying” weekly calls — and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two.

“We’re here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,” Chaney said.
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spaminator

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Ex-officer who mistook Black man’s keys and phone for gun gets 15 years to life for murder
Former Columbus officer Adam Coy shot Andre Hill four times in a garage in December 2020

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Jul 28, 2025 • 2 minute read

This image from video provided by WSYX/WTTE shows former Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who is accused of fatally shooting Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cell phone and keys, during his trial, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (WSYX/WTTE via AP, File)
This image from video provided by WSYX/WTTE shows former Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who is accused of fatally shooting Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cell phone and keys, during his trial, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (WSYX/WTTE via AP, File) AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Ohio police officer convicted of murder in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed, was given a mandatory sentence Monday of 15 years to life.


Former Columbus officer Adam Coy shot Hill four times in a garage in December 2020, as the country reckoned with a series of police killings of Black men, women and children. He told jurors that he feared for his life because he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver.


Coy, who is being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma, told the court Monday he plans to appeal the verdict.

“I feel my actions were justified,” Coy said. “I reacted the same way I had in hundreds of training scenarios. I drew and fired my weapon to stop a threat, protect myself and my partner.”

Prosecutors said Hill followed police commands and was never a threat to Coy.

In victim impact statements Monday, Hill’s sisters and ex-wife described the 47-year-old as a gentle man who had never met a stranger. His grandchildren called him “Big Daddy.”


Police body camera footage showed Hill coming out of the garage of a friend’s house holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before he was fatally shot. Almost 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene rendered aid.

Coy, who was fired afterward, had a lengthy history of citizen complaints, although most were declared unfounded. Weeks later, the mayor forced out the police chief after a series of fatal police shootings of Black people.

Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, and the city passed a law requiring police to give immediate medical attention to injured suspects.

The local Fraternal Order of Police chapter said it would continue to support Coy, for both his sake and that of every officer who “acts in good faith” under department protocols.

“While this incident was a heart-rending mistake, it wasn’t murder,” said Brian Steel, president of FOP Capital City Lodge 9.