Atlanta, GA
Atlanta mayor calls for moratorium on homeless encampment sweeps, organizers want more done
Mayor Andre Dickens is responding to community organizers calling for the city to stop sweeps of homeless encampments after a man died last week.
Mayor Dickens released a video on his Instagram page Friday night.
“This terrible tragedy demonstrates the need to reevaluate and reassess our city’s policies concerning homeless encampments and how we can better our unhoused population,” Mayor Dickens said.
The tragedy he is referring to is the death of 49-year-old Cornelius Taylor.
Taylor was killed when a city bulldozer ran over his tent during a sweep of a homeless encampment near Ebenezer Baptist Church on Jan. 16. Some advocates believe the city was trying to clean up the area in advance of MLK festivities planned the next week.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Mayor Dickens called for city council “to conduct a complete review of encampment closures, rehousing, and how we care for the unsheltered,” and he also called for a moratorium on all homeless encampment sweeps while the city figures out a plan.
Mayor Dickens called encampments “incredibly unsafe” for the people who live in them as well as the communities around them.
However, he said, “Homelessness is not a crime…but make no mistake we must do everything we can to safely and humanely close these encampments and provide housing and stability to our neighbors who have found themselves out in the cold.”
The encampment removed on the 16th is rebuilt now. A memorial now stands for Taylor mere feet away from where he died. Channel 2′s Eryn Rogers spoke with some of the people who have lived in the encampment about Taylor’s death.
“It’s been hard for the community because it reinforces the idea that they don’t care about us,” said Benjamin Graham, who said he knew Taylor for the better part of a decade.
Organizers who work with the people living in the encampment say more could have been done sooner and this tragedy could have been prevented.
“We’re well beyond a day late and a dollar short,” said Nolan English, the founder of Traveling Grace Ministries. “We’ve been telling the mayor to stop sweeps.”
TRENDING STORIES:
Organizers went to City Hall this past Thursday with Taylor’s family. They wanted to deliver a letter to the mayor and meet with him. However, they said they were blocked.
“We were greeted with not one, but a dozen police officers that created a line and said we could not pass, really a bizarre thing to witness in the people’s house,” said organizer Tim Franzen.
Organizers said Taylor’s family now feels disrespected by the mayor and city, and organizers say they want to see action put behind the mayor’s video.
“We ought to be moving people from homelessness to self-sufficiency,” English said. “We’re not doing that because we’re not paying attention to where the true need is.”
In the video, the mayor also reiterated the city’s investment of $60 million to help end homelessness.
Organizers said that money needs to be used correctly.
“Funding wise it’s more than enough, but we have to direct our funds towards the actual cost of getting people off the streets, wrap around services,” English said.
English said the current housing options for unhoused people are only temporary. He said he has crunched the numbers and spoken to property owners.
He said the city could permanently house around 3000 people for the amount they are investing.
Organizers said there are also other factors that need to be funded to truly help people permanently transition out of homelessness.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“There should be a budget to pay case managers to come into these villages, one on one work with these people, so it doesn’t take a year and a half to get an apartment,” said Elisabeth Omilami with Hosea Helps.
People who live in the encampment say they need to trust the people who are helping them, especially after the tragedy with Taylor.
“There’s a lot going on back here, there’s trauma, there’s mental health, addiction, and the help that comes in, there’s got to be a connection,” Graham said.
English said he would estimate there are around 4500 to 5000 unhoused people living in Atlanta.
Taylor’s funeral will be February 3 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Atlanta, GA
Man arrested for knocking kids off bicycles
A man was arrested at a concert last week after he shoved two kids off their bicycles, causing one of them to fall into a fountain, Sandy Springs police said. FOX 5 Atlanta’s Brittany Edney reporting.
Atlanta, GA
Same DNA, new address: Muchacho expands to West Midtown
Photo by Luke Beard
When Muchacho first opened along the Atlanta Beltline and Memorial Drive, it became known as a place shaped as much by its surroundings as by its menu. That site, housed in a 100‑year‑old train depot, set the tone for how the brand approaches expansion: start with the bones of a building, then let the space tell the story. The newly opened Muchacho West Midtown follows that same philosophy.
“We like to celebrate unique attributes of each property and work with the palette we’re given,” says founder and owner Michael Lennox. While the original Muchacho is defined by its long, narrow footprint and Spanish tile roof—features reminiscent of its former life as a train depot—the West Midtown location leans into an industrial past rooted in automotive culture: a former Meineke car care shop. Big windows reference former garage doors, while retro racing details appear inside.
Photo by Luke Beard
Still, the connective tissue between the two locations is clear. Both spaces draw heavily from Muchacho’s Southern California skate‑and‑surf roots. At Muchacho West Midtown, familiar playfulness appears via a blue‑orange‑yellow racing stripe pattern, a three‑dimensional pegboard gallery wall used to hang art and plants, and vintage Meineke signage. A life‑size cardboard cutout of George Foreman, once the pitchman for Meineke, underscores Lennox’s willingness to lean into humor and nostalgia. “It’s a playful brand,” he says.
A functional halfpipe for skateboarding anchors the outdoor experience and will double as a performance space for bands and DJs. In about a month, a 4,000‑square‑foot “tropical secret garden” with tall bamboo lining the perimeter will open on the south side of the property. Another 1,500 square feet of patio space wraps the west and north sides, currently welcoming about 80 guests. Altogether, the West Midtown location will accommodate about 215 guests, making it comparable in size to the original, with a little more outdoor space.
Photo by Luke Beard
Muchacho West Midtown opened with the same core menu that made the Beltline location a staple: tacos, breakfast burritos, coffee, cocktails, and beer. Standouts like migas, chilaquiles, carne asada, and al pastor continue to be available. Over time, however, Lennox says each location is expected to develop its own personality, driven by the chefs who have “a pretty wide creative latitude.” Chef Betty Aparicio, formerly of Chido & Padre’s, steers the kitchen on the Westside.
“We want to nurture some immediate familiarity while providing space for some special moments you can only have at each location,” Lennox says.
Photo by Luke Beard
One of these special moments will take place April 4 at a grand opening party dubbed MuchachoFest. Expect bands, a fortune teller, a mini skate park in parking lot, food and drink specials, and giveaways. “It’s going to be a fun day in West Midtown,” Lennox says.
A third Muchacho location will debut in the old Revival space in Decatur this summer. In addition, the Electric Hospitality team is bringing Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall to the Westside. Slated to launch in May on 11th Street, the convivial restaurant and bar will feature a 5,000-square-foot courtyard with an airstream bar, stage, and Crepe Myrtles, and a 45-seat island bar inside. Formerly a single-story warehouse from 1950s or ’60s, Ladybird West Midtown will offer the same food and beverages as its Eastside sibling with room for the chef and mixologist to add their unique touches.
Advertisement
Atlanta, GA
Buckhead apartment building evacuated due to dangerous carbon monoxide levels
ATLANTA – A Buckhead apartment building was evacuated for a time late Tuesday night due to a carbon monoxide alarm.
What we know:
The incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Pharr Court South.
According to Atlanta Fire Rescue, firefighters are investigating elevated carbon monoxide levels.
The entire building was evacuated as a precaution.
One person was evaluated at the scene for possible carbon monoxide exposure.
Crews ventilated the building while they looked for the source.
Firefighters say they were able to finally locate the source and contain it.
Once readings were back to a safe level, residents were allowed back inside the apartments.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear how many residents were displaced by the evacuation.
The Source: The details in this article come from the Atlanta Fire Rescue.
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Wisconsin3 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Maryland4 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Florida4 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling


