Several dozen people advocating for Atlanta’s homeless population protested in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday. The protest came one day after the police arrested six people who had set up tents and signs outside City Hall in support of a newly formed union of homeless individuals.
The new group, called the ATL Homeless Union, came together over the weekend to advocate for the city to better address the needs of homeless individuals, including long-term housing options, access to water and improved preventative medical care.
The group is also asking for “a seat at the table” to provide input on city policies.
“We need the city to divert resources away from band-aid ‘solutions.’ We need real solutions, put forward by the people who are closest to the problem,” the union said in a press release Sunday.
At 7:30 a.m. Monday, police were called to the area around City Hall, where protesters had set up tents, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. Officers spoke to members of the group, and some were directed to available services, police said.
Around 1:15 p.m., police arrested six people who stayed on the scene; footage shared on social media shows police pulling protesters out of tents.
The protests continued Tuesday as several dozen people gathered for a march outside City Hall in solidarity with the ATL Homeless Union. The group walked around downtown and repeatedly chanted, “Homelessness is not a crime, mental illness not a crime” and “What do we want? Housing. When do we want it? Now.” Dozens of residents also sent in comments for Tuesday’s City Council meeting criticizing the police’s actions on Monday.
William Price, one of the organizers for the ATL Homeless Union, was among those arrested. Price, who is homeless, said the union wants to elevates voices of homeless individuals and convince city officials to “do more.”
“Something had to be done about this homeless situation in Atlanta — it’s out of control,” Price said. “If we’re here and part of this community, we should be a part of everything that goes on in City Council also. We’re people too.”
Price said as he was arrested yesterday, he was “slammed on the side of [his] neck” and lost a nail. The APD report noted that one arrestee “suffered a small cut on the finger and also complained of neck pain.”
Alfred Shivy Brooks, an activist and City Council candidate who attended the protests both days, said he was “disappointed” in the arrests that took place.
“There seems to be no care about arresting people in the city. They’d rather just hide the issue of homelessness,” Brooks said. “They’re making crime the biggest issue but they’re not making poverty an issue, they’re not making mass homelessness an issue, and it’s time to make sure that we address the right issue.”
City Council President Felicia Moore said she met with some of the activists outside the jail following Monday’s arrests, and said the concerns and demands of the new union are “certainly understandable.”
“I would certainly encourage that we do continue to have dialogue with that group,” Moore said Tuesday. “I’m reaching out and certainly interested in hearing more about what they have to say.”
A spokesman for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said “assisting individuals experiencing homelessness remains a priority for the administration.”
The spokesman said the city set aside $1.5 million in funding for homelessness services at the beginning of the pandemic, and allocated $18 million of CARES Act funding toward a rehousing program for homeless individuals. That program is spearheaded by Partners for Home, the nonprofit that heads up the city’s homelessness strategy, and has helped move 700 people into permanent housing.
A study in early 2020 found there were about 3,200 homeless individuals in the city of Atlanta, either living on the street or in shelters, though that number may have fluctuated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
