Atlanta, GA
MLK Beloved Community Awards shines light on injustice of man killed during homeless encampment clearing
MLK Beloved Community Awards red carpet
Singer and actor Trina Braxton, the host of the 2025 MLK Beloved Community Awards, joins FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Eric Mock on the red carpet at the Omni Atlanta Hotel. She says the message for the award ceremony is simple: Serve your community.
ATLANTA – The annual Beloved Community Awards by The King Center kicked off a weekend of remembrance and service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It’s a night to honor people working to make the world a more just place.
But the injustice of an unhoused man’s death, caused by an Atlanta City Public Works truck during a sweep of the encampment where he was sleeping, weighed heavily on many of the civil rights leaders gathered at the ceremony.
MLK Beloved Community Awards
The music, glitz and glamor of the annual awards ceremony shined bright Saturday evening.
As celebrities and community leaders came together to honor those working to carry out Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a “beloved community.”
Actress Jenifer Lewis, who’s starred in many movies and T.V. shows including Black-ish, received an award during the ceremony.
“I’ve had a lot of wonderful occasions in these 68 years, but this is the most wonderful. The glory and the hallelujah of it all when people come together, stand strong and unite,” Lewis said.
Civil rights leaders concerned about homeless man’s death
Civil rights leaders reflect on man crushed by public works truck
Civil rights leaders who came to the King Center’s Beloved Community Awards spent time reflecting on the death of a man who was killed during the clearing of a homeless encampment by an Atlanta City Public Works truck. It happened near Ebenezer Baptist Church.
But the death of a man who was homeless at the hands of an Atlanta City Public Works truck while they were trying to sweep the encampment where he was staying on Old Wheat Street Thursday, happened just a few hundred feet away from The King Center.
Dr. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center and daughter of the late Dr. King lamented the tragedy.
“I just wish that the person who did this would’ve thought about ‘hey let’s check the tents, let’s make sure human beings are not present’ before they cleared out the camp,” King said.
FOX 5 was at another MLK Day event in Stone Mountain and caught up with the President of Hosea Helps Elisabeth Omilami.
Hosea Helps President Elisabeth Omilami
She decried the tragedy and says the death feels too similar to the deaths of the two sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
“It reminds me of the gentlemen who were crushed by the garbage truck in Memphis at Martin Luther King’s last speech where he was assassinated in Memphis,” Omilami said.
State President of the NAACP Gerald Griggs was at Saturday’s awards ceremony and says it shows how badly the City needs to make changes.
“We don’t need to move people when we’re having international guests. I think Dr. King would want us to embrace those unhoused brothers and sisters and do more to provide the necessary funds and housing for them,” Griggs said.
How City of Atlanta leaders are responding
In a statement, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city will “review each of our processes and procedures and take every precaution to ensure this never happens again.”
Dr. King says the King Center stands ready to help them do that.
“We’re looking forward at The King Center to possibly working with the City to train people on how to carry out what they’re trained to do in a humane way,” King said.
Some activists have accused the City of clearing the homeless encampment because of its proximity to The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park and the upcoming holiday.
But the City denies that.
In a statement, Cathry Vassell, CEO for Partners for HOME, which works with the City to get people housed, said they had been working with this encampment for months to try and get them off the streets prior to this sweep.
“The first engagement with this encampment began the week of April 5, 2024. Individuals began transitioning to shelter on June 7, 2024. Through these ongoing efforts, 21 individuals have been connected to shelter and housing,” her statement reads.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the City of Atlanta and gathered by FOX 5 crews at the 2025 Beloved Community Awards Ceremony and Stone Mountain MLK ceremony.
Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia Phillies lose fifth straight game to end homestand, swept by Atlanta Braves
Michael Harris II homered and had three hits as the streaking Atlanta Braves defeated the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI double and Austin Riley also drove in a run for the Braves, who have won five in a row and nine of 11. It was Atlanta’s first series sweep of at least three games at Philadelphia in 10 years.
Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies, who have lost five straight and 10 of 13. They were outscored 56-33 on a 2-7 homestand against the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Braves, leaving Philadelphia 6 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the division standings.
Raisel Iglesias escaped trouble in the ninth inning for his fifth save. Philadelphia put runners on first and second with one out, but Trea Turner struck out and Schwarber lined out to right field on an excellent running catch by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tyler Kinley (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Schwarber’s two-run shot in the first gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Harris homered leading off the third before the Braves went ahead in the fifth with three runs against rookie starter Andrew Painter (1-1) and lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
Painter was lifted after he opened the inning by allowing singles to Harris and Acuña. Mayza loaded the bases with a walk, and the Braves tied the game on Matt Olson’s groundout. Riley’s dribbler to third went for an RBI infield single, and Albies’ double to the left-field wall made it 4-2.
Riley saved at least one run while ending a Philadelphia threat in the bottom of the fifth with a stellar defensive play at third base.
Braves starter Grant Holmes allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On a chilly night, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto sat out after leaving Saturday’s game with lower back tightness.
Up next
Braves: Begin a four-game series Monday night at Washington. RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16).
Phillies: Open seven-game trip Monday night with the first of four games against the Cubs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-4, 4.03 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63).
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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