A sign has been plastered over the Old Wheat Street sign in honor of the late Cornelius "Psycho" Taylor since last year. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
On the evening of Jan. 16, 2026, a group of no more than 30 people gathered on a portion of Old Wheat Street near Ebenezer Baptist Church.
With flickering yellow tea lights in hand, the group formed an arc around a wreath adorned with white flowers and a silk name ribbon reading – “In Loving Memory of Cornelius Taylor.”
A wreath adorned with white flowers, a tribute to the late Cornelius Taylor. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
Advocates, family members and friends of Cornelius “Psycho” Taylor joined that night to honor the one-year anniversary of his death. The group is pushing for more to be done after he was struck and killed by a city-owned vehicle during a homeless encampment sweep in Atlanta last year.
“His death has given my life a purpose,” said Allen Hall, a long-time friend of Taylor’s who believed the incident was a wake-up call to change his life.
“Before I was out here, I was strung out on drugs. I was an alcoholic. You know, and I was committing panhandling, doing everything, eating out of garbage cans, and doing everything.”
Hall lived in the now-demolished encampment for about five years. After Taylor’s death, he and other residents there were moved off the streets into permanent housing, shelters or hotels.
Allen Hall speaks to the advocates, family members, and friends of Cornelius “Psycho” Taylor, who joined that night to honor the one-year anniversary of his death. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
The same year, the City of Atlanta and its partners committed to housing 400 homeless people in the downtown area through an initiative called Downtown Rising.
The initiative, implemented through the nonprofit Partners For Home, was only halfway complete as of November 2025. Officials with Partners For Home say they are expecting to meet their goal by mid-February.
The city has made other commitments through its Rapid Housing Initiative to deliver 500 smaller housing units for the unhoused. So far, just over 260 are complete.
The gathering on Old Wheat Street lasted over an hour. Before it was over, Taylor’s sister, Darlene Chaney, emotionally expressed her belief that the city could do more to help.
“Atlanta had failed to serve justice, so we are still fighting. We will continue to fight,” Chaney said. “I’m still counting on the city to do right, not just by Cornelius, but on behalf of all the homeless people in Atlanta.”
Darlene Chaney and her brother, Cornelius Taylor. (Courtesy of Darlene Chaney)
Taylor’s family filed a lawsuit against the city last summer. Mawuli Davis, an attorney at Davis Bozeman Law Firm, has been representing the family since then.
“The city filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit … they caused Cornelius Taylor’s death, and they should be responsible for that. Sadly, they aren’t taking responsibility,” Davis said.
Davis says the family’s response to the city’s motion to dismiss the case is soon to come.
Meanwhile, advocates say they are pushing for a portion of the street where Taylor died to be renamed after him.
Some folks, like Tim Franzen, took to Atlanta City Hall during a recent city council meeting on Jan. 20 to make their case.
Allen Hall (left) stands outside Atlanta City Hall among other advocates and friends of the late Corelius “Psycho” Taylor, pushing for a portion of the street where he died to be renamed after him. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
“Street names are how cities remember. There are lessons we leave for future generations. Renaming this section tells the city and everyone who passes through it that Atlanta acknowledges what happened here and commits to never letting it happen again,” Franzen said.
