Officials in Atlanta, a World Cup host city, threw away tents, medication, identification, and other items belonging to homeless people without any warning, according to a report.

The items were collected from a public park not far from where many soccer fans have been gathering to watch the soccer tournament, The Guardian reports.

Some of the items taken by city workers reportedly include blood pressure pills, an insulin kit, and hormones.

In response to the accusations, the city’s senior advisor on homelessness, Chatiqua Ellison, told the paper that the area that the affected area of Freedom Park was “not an encampment” and that the item removals were part of “routine park maintenance.”

She reportedly said that because the site was not an encampment and the action was not considered a “sweep,” the city was not obligated to give a warning before officials moved in to seize the items.

One person who lost belongings, named Kai, told The Guardian that she lost a bag filled with her possessions, including a flash light.

“Our whole lives was thrown away,” she said.

Kai said the site was effectively an encampment as it was used for that purpose, regardless of the city’s official definition.

Kelsea Bond, an Atlanta city council member whose district includes the park, told the newspaper that she was disappointed with the city’s handling of the situation.

“It’s disappointing that the city is more concerned about the strict, and perhaps arbitrary, definition of ‘encampment’ here rather than the impact these kinds of clearings have on the houseless community,” she said, adding that the city should be more focused on “the impact of a policy, not the intention on paper.”

Bond shared an email with the outlet from Major Peter Ries of the Atlanta Police Department in which he stated that the area in question was not an encampment, and the seized “property was considered abandoned, [and] park maintenance disposed of … unclaimed items.”

The Independent has requested comment from the city of Atlanta.

People from around the world have descended on Atlanta this summer to watch the eight planned soccer matches at Mercedez Benz stadium. But homeless advocates have argued that the city’s efforts to present a good face to visitors has been at the expense of some of the community’s most vulnerable members.

In the months leading up to the World Cup, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens made clear in a statement that he did not want the city’s homeless population anywhere near places where they might run into visitors.

“We want to make sure those unsheltered individuals don’t come anywhere downtown, and throughout the city of Atlanta, not just during the World Cup, but now,” he said.

Advocates told The Guardian that at least two of Atlanta’s downtown parks — often used by the homeless as gathering places — were fenced off in the weeks prior to the World Cup, forcing them to disperse into other parts of the city.

They said that disruption breaks up homeless individuals’ routines, access to healthcare services, and disrupts their social connections.

Allen Hall, who was homeless for decades and who now is active in street outreach for the American Friends Service Committee, told the paper that the city’s actions have forced homeless individuals to sleep on the streets and sidewalks because they have limited options outside of shelters.

The Portland Fire capitalized on Atlanta’s cold shooting and defensive lapses Saturday night, defeating the Dream 102-92 and handing Atlanta its sixth loss in the past seven games.

The Dream played without All-Star forward Angel Reese, who was ruled out before tipoff with a right leg injury after turning her right ankle during Thursday’s win over the Seattle Storm. Reese had been listed as questionable entering the game before Atlanta announced she would not play. Rookie center Madina Okot made the start in her place and responded with a career-high 19 points.

All five Dream starters scored in double figures. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 20 points, Naz Hillmon added 15, and Jordin Canada recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 assists. Canada now leads all WNBA guards in double-doubles this season. Rhyne Howard finished with 10 points and four steals.

The difference came from beyond the arc.

Atlanta shot just 23% from 3-point range, while Portland consistently punished defensive breakdowns, tying its season-high with 14 three-pointers on 29 attempts. 

“We got good looks,” Hillmon said. “We just have to knock them down.”

The Dream trailed 51-44 at halftime after Portland exploited defensive miscommunication on pick-and-pop actions to create open looks. Atlanta cut the deficit to 88-81 midway through the fourth quarter, but Portland answered every push with back-to-back baskets to put the game away.

“Anytime we miscommunicated, anytime we over-helped, they found their open shooters or their rollers,” Hillmon said. 

Head coach Karl Smesko said the Dream generated enough quality opportunities but couldn’t overcome their shooting struggles.

“We made defensive mistakes, they made us pay for them, and we couldn’t keep up with as well as they were shooting the ball,” Smesko said. “We had three or four miscommunications on some of those pick-and-pops. We had two people go with one, and they just have too many good shooters for that.”

Atlanta’s offensive process, Smesko said, wasn’t the problem.

“We’re winning possessions by a margin that you would probably win 95% of those games, but not if your effective field goal percentage is going to be what ours is,” he said. 

The Fire won with a balanced scoring attack. Megan Gustafson led the team with 17 points, Serah Williams added 15 off the bench, Emily Engstler finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, Carla Leite had 13 points and 10 assists, and Bridget Carleton scored 12 points while knocking down four 3-pointers. Teja Oblak chipped in nine points, including several key baskets in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.

Atlanta drops to 13-10 with the loss and will look to regroup in its next game against the Los Angeles Sparks before the All-Star break.

Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount—a new father, fiancé and committed community volunteer—was nearing the end of his shift when he spotted a car driving erratically and decided to intervene.

Minutes later, the 26-year-old would be dead.

His tragic fate wouldn’t be discovered until just after 10 p.m. on April 22, 2003 when fellow Fulton County Police Officer Reginald McCain stumbled on an unsettling scene while patrolling his beat in Georgia’s South Fulton County.

“I’ll never forget what I saw that night and what I discovered when I approached that car,” McCain recalled in the season four premiere of Oxygen’s The Real Murders of Atlanta. “I saw a police car with the blue lights on in the distance. This car’s off the roadway into a brushy area near some railroad tracks.”

After discovering the car belonged to Blount—his adjacet beat partner and friend—McCain walked up to the vehicle and found the windows had been shot out and discovered Blount slumped over in the vehicle with his gun still clutched in his hand. The officer had been shot multiple times in the body and head.

In the days that would follow, investigators set out to recreate Blount’s final movements, ultimately leading them to a suspect with no prior criminal record who deployed an unconventional defense. 

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“I just broke down and I started crying,” former Fulton County Police homicide detective Glenn Kalish remembered of hearing the news. “Not just for Aaron and the rest of the Fulton County Police Department, but I felt a lot of personal pressure on me being assigned this case and the weight of the case.”

Investigators Piece Together Final Moments of Aaron Blount’s Life

As detectives began to their investigation, they learned that there had been multiple 911 calls that night about a silver vehicle driving erratically not far from the murder scene.

They were also surprised to discover a handgun laying on the ground in the parking lot of a gas station, just across the road from where Blount’s vehicle had come to rest. 

They came to believe that Blount had been following a car down the roadway when the driver hopped out at the gas station and waited for Blount to come around the corner, then fired directly into his vehicle, before setting the weapon down and fleeing the scene.

Injured, Blount likely took his foot off the brake, causing the patrol car to roll across Roosevelt Highway into the grassy area by the train tracks.

An eyewitness who had been driving by the gas station also came forward to share what he knew about the fatal shooting.

“We see the police got his lights on at the gas station,” the witness told police. “And as I was approaching the light, I heard a gunshot. And I saw a guy standing…at point blank range shooting through the window.”

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According to his account, the shooter then turned and calmly walked away before getting into a silver Ford Focus.

He described the shooter as a larger Black male, around 6’2” tall and around 250 pounds or more.

Though the medical examiner was able to connect the weapon found at the scene to the bullets in Blount’s patrol car and body, a second gun had been used to deliver the shots to his head, leading investigators to believe the cold-blooded killer had used two separate weapons.

Kenneth G. Reese Emerges As Suspect in Aaron Blount’s Death

Investigators caught another break in the case when they learned the weapon that had been recovered at the scene was registered to Kenneth Reese.

Though authorities initially believed the weapon was linked to a fire department captain and arson investigator with a stellar reputation—sending shockwaves through the law enforcement community—they learned after speaking with Kenneth that he had a younger nephew with the same name, who often went by the nickname “Little Kenny.”

Little Kenny had no criminal record, but did own at least one firearm. Even more telling, investigators were able to link him to a silver Ford Focus rental car. Yet, according to Little Kenny’s family, he had gone to Florida and now appeared to be on the run.

“He came from a good family,” former homicide detective Melvin Dean said. “A real solid family in the community.”

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Little Kenny’s grandmother was the first Black woman to own a gospel television network and his father was a professional wrestler turned celebrated minister. But when Little Kenny lost his father just one year before Blount’s death, those close to him say his life began to fall apart.

“His father’s death was such an impact on him,” a family spokesperson shared. “He was grieving so bad that he could not handle coming to his father’s funeral.” 

According to the spokesperson, Little Kenny started carrying a gun and began showing signs of paranoia, believing that someone may be following him.

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Blount’s family—including Manns and his now adult-son A.J.—continue to keep his memory alive.

“I want the people in Atlanta to remember that he protected his community. He protected his family,” Manns said. “He was just…a really good guy, a great dad, a great partner, a great friend, and I think they would be proud and should continue to be proud of him.”