Having a family member die from an accident is undoubtedly tragic, but when someone’s laziness and negligence caused that death, it’s only natural to seek justice. And justice is precisely what Georgia resident Darlene Chaney is seeking for her brother’s traumatic death: being run over by a city bulldozer. 46-year-old Cornelius Taylor was crushed to death while he was in a tent within a homeless encampment. To prep for Martin Luther King Jr. Day earlier this year, Atlanta city officials had ordered the entire premises to be bulldozed down. Now, Chaney is suing the city for killing her innocent brother.
“We’re here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,” Chaney said, according to The Guardian. It would have only taken a few minutes for the bulldozer driver or anyone else to check the tent to see if anyone was still inside. Nevertheless, no one did, leading to Taylor’s “tragic and preventable” death. It’s not like he wanted to be there either, as his sister claimed he was ready to rebuild his life and was quite positive about what the future had in store for him. Now, that future will never come to pass because someone was too “lazy” to do a simple 10-second look-through of his tent.
Needless to say, online users are outraged that city officials would allow this to happen. “Dr. King is spinning in his grave over this. ‘Clearing out’ the homeless is a concept that goes against everything that MLK stood for,” remarks a Redditor. Another points out how Taylor was run over across the street from the church that Martin Luther King Jr. preached at. “Truly horrifically evil.” While an innocent homeless man being killed for a holiday celebration is horrific, one person questions the family members suing the city. “This guy was homeless; where was his family when he needed help? Now they want a payday,” they remark.
However, others were quick to point out how it’s not easy helping someone out of a homeless lifestyle, especially if there are financial and mental issues involved. Whether it was drugs or other problems, it’s easy to jump to conclusions, but it doesn’t really matter anymore when the man’s life has already been taken. Whoever is responsible should be held accountable, and the city will hopefully improve its homeless situation so that people in need can receive the help they deserve.
