ATLANTA, GA — No more heavy equipment will be used to clear homeless camps in Atlanta.
The Atlanta city council easily approved a moratorium on the use of heavy equipment to clear homeless encampments on Monday.
The vote comes at the urging of Mayor Andre Dickens, and on the same day as Cornelius Taylor’s funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Reverend Raphael Warnock led the service.
Lawmakers want to ensure that city policies and procedures don’t endanger anyone else. In January, the 49-year-old was killed when a truck ran over his tent.
City Councilman Matt Westmoreland said they also approved establishing a homelessness task force.
“I think this incident clearly shows us that the process we were using resulted in a tragedy, and we’ve got to revise it,” he said.
The pause will be in effect for the next 45 days.