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

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.

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 Atlanta Falcons have decided on their next defensive coordinator after making a change just one year into Raheem Morris’ reign as head coach.

Former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was hired by the Falcons for the role, the team announced Saturday.

Ulbrich, 47, took over the Jets’ top job after coach Robert Saleh was fired following a 2-3 start to the season. He compiled a 3-9 mark as the Jets extended their NFL-high postseason drought to 14 seasons.

Prior to stepping in for the Jets, Ulbrich had been a highly regarded defensive coordinator. His units finished in the top four in yards allowed in the last three seasons, though the Jets ranked 20th in scoring in 2024.

Ulbrich returns to Atlanta after serving as an assistant for the organization from 2015-20, including a stint as defensive coordinator when Morris was promoted to interim head coach following Dan Quinn’s firing. With Morris back at the helm after earning the full-time role last offseason, the two coaching figures are teaming back up once again.

The Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake after an 8-9 season in which the team lost its inside track on the NFC South crown late in the year. The longstanding pass-rush issues again proved to be particularly problematic, with the defense ranking 31st in sacks with 31 on the year.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Several police vehicles were seen at a northeast Atlanta apartment building on Saturday morning.

Atlanta police were called to Helios off Cheshire Bridge Road NE at around 8 a.m. Atlanta News First crews saw more than five patrol cars at the scene, alongside a Grady Memorial Hospital vehicle.

The details of the incident and investigation are currently unknown.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First as we learn more.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.