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.

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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.”

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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.

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“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. (Atlanta News First) – There is a good chance you’ve heard the song “Walk It Out.”

“He set the world on fire with it,” said F’ard Shahid, close friend and co-writer.

“When you play that song anywhere, you’re going to get up and dance,” said Rudolph Robinson, close friend.

Anthony Platt, better known as DJ Unk, passed away Friday at the age of 43, shocking his family, friends, and fans.

“It’s been very emotional. The last 24 hours I’ve been trying to stay busy,” said Robinson.

Shahid and Robinson were standing next to Platt before he became a star. Shahid helped write his hit “Two Step.”

“They were just trying to get a comeback to walk it out, they were just trying to keep that momentum going,” said Shahid.

Platt’s record label revealed the devastating news Friday, asking everyone to keep his family in thoughts and prayers.

DJ Unk rose to fame during an era where snap dance music in hip hop was popular.

“It was like what was going on at the time. It was like a westside thing. Everybody was coming out with their different versions, that was his version,” said Shahid.

To this day, his friends say his legacy lives on.

“That was like one of the best times of our life. All the work, dedication we put in to Big Oomp Records and we finally get a hit,” said Robinson.

His friends said he not only made a huge impact on Atlanta, but the loss will be felt around the globe.

“I’ve traveled to some of those places around the world with him, and they knew those songs,” said Shahid.

A cause of death has not yet been released.

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