Atlanta, GA

MLK Beloved Community Awards shines light on injustice of man killed during homeless encampment clearing

Published

11 months ago

January 19, 2025

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.

Actress Jenifer Lewis at the 2025 Beloved Community Awards.

“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.

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Atlanta, GA

Security tightened for Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta after Sydney mass shooting

Published

11 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Security tightened for Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta after Sydney mass shooting

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Dozens of Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta will go on as scheduled this week.

Security is now top priority following the brutal shooting that killed 15 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

“Of course the minute the news came out from Australia we were in touch with our law enforcement partners,” said Renee Kutner, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. “We went back through the plans. We amped them up where we needed to. People will see extra patrols around, not because there’s threats but because we just want to make sure everybody knows that they’re safe.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta says it spends millions of dollars every year securing its community against antisemitic attacks.

“We are so blessed to have really, really great relationships with law enforcement at every level across metro Atlanta and throughout Georgia,” Kutner said. “And we’ve been in contact with all of them. They are so supportive and they will be at our events – they will amp up the security.”

According to Kutner, the heightened security is out of an abundance of caution.

“We have no credible threats, no reason to believe that lone actors somewhere else will affect anything here, and we want to give our community the chance to celebrate,” Kutner said.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers Announce Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game

Published

23 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers Announce Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game

The Hawks would love to forget Friday’s embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons.

After an entertaining first quarter, Atlanta was dominated over the final three quarters and ended up losing by 27 points to the top team in the Eastern Conference. They are hoping for a quick bounce back today at home vs Philadelphia and will could use a win to get back on track.

The game is getting closer to tipoff and both teams have announced their starting lineups:

Hawks

G-Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G- Dyson Daniels

F- Zaccharie Risacher

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Onyeka Okongwu

76ers

G- Quentin Grimes

G- VJ Edgecombe

F- Paul George

F- Dominick Barlow

C- Joel Embiid

Deeper look at Atlanta

Dec 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When previewing the game this morning, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the Hawks’ advanced numbers today:

“Atlanta’s offense has been surprisingly solid without Trae Young, but the Pistons game was a poor showing. The Hawks are 12th in points, 10th in FG%, 10th in 3P%, 17th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (24th in OREB, 22nd in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They’re 16th in offensive rating this year.

On a per-game basis, the Hawks’ defense rank 21st in points allowed, 18th in FG% allowed, 9th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They’re 14th in defensive rating on the year, which puts them in a slightly above-average tier despite their recent run of poor performance on end.

Philadelphia is still figuring out how their offense operates when everyone is healthy, but Tyrese Maxey is always dangerous and they quietly have a reasonably deep roster. They’re 16th in points, 24th in FG%, 17th in 3P%, 6th in FT%, 9th in rebounds (10th in OREB, 9th in DREB), 20th in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They’re 15th in offensive rating this season.

After a difficult night against a tough Detroit defense, the matchup gets slightly easier against the 76ers. Even so, they’ve been playing good defense as of late – albeit against poor competition. They are 12th in points allowed, 8th in FG% allowed, 8th in 3P% allowed, 21st in rebounds allowed, 19th in steals, and 2nd in blocks. They’re 9th in defensive rating, so this would be the second straight game for the Hawks against a top-ten defense by defensive rating.”

Because they are at home and will have the best player on the floor, I like the Hawks to win this game. Quentin Grimes is someone who has given the Hawks trouble before, and rookie VJ Edgecombe has had a great start to his career. Still, I like Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu to lead the Hawks to a win today at home.

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Atlanta, GA

Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks odds, picks and predictions

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

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Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks odds, picks and predictions

The Philadelphia 76ers (14-10) and Atlanta Hawks (14-12) meet Sunday. Tip-off from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, is set for 6 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the 76ers vs. Hawks odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Hawks lead 1-0

The 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 115-105 Friday, covering as 5-point home favorites with the Under (221) cashing. C Joel Embiid led the team with 39 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Philadelphia has found its rhythm, winning 4 of its last 5 games while going 3-2 against the spread (ATS). It is 14-9-1 ATS on the season.

The Hawks lost to the Detroit Pistons 142-115 on Friday, failing to cover as 7-point road underdogs as the Over (233) hit. G Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 22 points and 4 made 3-pointers. Atlanta, after a 10-5 November, has gone just 1-4 in its last 5 games, covering 3 times in that stretch. It is 14-12 ATS on the season.

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76ers at Hawks odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:54 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): 76ers +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Hawks -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
Against the spread: 76ers +4.5 (-105) | Hawks -4.5 (-115)
Over/Under (O/U): 226.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

76ers at Hawks key injuries

76ers

C Joel Embiid (knee) questionable
G Tyrese Maxey (illness) doubtful
G Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) out
F Trendon Watford (adductor) out

Hawks

G Nickeil Alexander-Walker (ankle) questionable
C Kristaps Porzingis (illness) out
G Trae Young (knee) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

76ers at Hawks picks and predictions

Prediction

76ers 114, Hawks 111

BET 76ERS (+155).

The Hawks have fallen off a cliff, and their defense has gone with them. They are 1-4 over their last 5 outings and have allowed at least 123 points in 5 of their last 8 games. Their offense hasn’t matched that shortcoming, scoring 100 points or fewer in 2 of their last 5 contests.

The 76ers, on the other hand, are surging, and their defense has been much improved from earlier in the season. They have held 4 of their last 5 opponents to 105 points or fewer and haven’t given up more than 112 points in December (through 5 games). Philadelphia has won 3 straight on the road.

Take 76ERS (+155).

PASS.

The preferred option is the moneyline, thanks to the enhanced odds. The spread is also playable, particularly with the 76ers.

BET UNDER 226.5 (-110).

The 76ers have gone Under in 5 straight games, and while their defense has stepped up, they have scored 116 points or fewer in their last 4 contests. They are 11-13 O/U on the season.

The Hawks are 3-2 O/U in their last 5 games, largely due to their weak defense, which is less likely to be exploited given that the 76ers rank 20th in pace. Expect a slower-tempo game and take UNDER 226.5 (-110).

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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