By Rich McKay
ATLANTA, June 5 (Reuters) - When Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics, police were accused of arresting homeless people by the thousands. The crackdown resulted in a welter of lawsuits and news stories that caused long-term damage to the city's reputation.
Now the Georgia state capital is looking to show the world that it has moved on, as it hosts World Cup games this summer. The event is expected to draw 500,000 visitors and have an economic impact ranging from $500 million to over $1 billion,
according to a study commissioned by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Atlanta has ordered new train cars for its transit system, brightened downtown with new murals, and spruced up the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for eight World Cup matches, including a semi-final.
Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens has made addressing homelessness a priority. A $60 million program was launched two years ago, the largest effort in Atlanta's history. In May the program neared the goal of building 500 tiny apartments that can be transitional or permanent for people who have been homeless.
The homeless population is around 3,000 in a city of half a million, according to federal government figures, a relatively low rate compared to many other U.S. metro areas.
But there is still too much of an emphasis on moving on homeless people without giving them the support they need, homelessness advocates say.
Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said Atlanta had improved how it works with homeless people since the 1990s, but that the city was clearing camps without offering enough effective services or housing.
Michael Nolan, a counselor who has worked with homeless people in Atlanta for many years, had a similar view.
"Today, the city talks about outreach, safety, shelter referrals, and housing placements," he said. "Some of that may be real... The endgame is the same: move the poor and homeless out of sight."
ANOTHER BLACK EYE?
In 1996, police made 9,000 arrests of homeless people for loitering, panhandling and other minor offenses in and around the Olympics, according to the Brookings Institution.
"What happened in the Olympics stands as one of the most egregious series of events to happen to the homeless in America," Whitehead said.
"People got arrested, sent to jail for minor offenses, given one-way bus tickets," he said. "It was a blueprint of what not to do."
Atlanta still periodically carries out sweeps of homeless camps.
In the last two years, city workers in Atlanta have torn down numerous camps in and around downtown, including 10 near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A city bulldozer ran over and killed a man sleeping in his tent last year. The city then convened a task force that recommended repeated outreach and tent-checks, and giving encampment residents notice of sweeps and the option to relocate to a shelter, or, when possible, permanent housing.
Some homeless people say they believe the coming World Cup has led to more attention.
Benjamin Brown, 54, has been living on the streets since 2017. He said police officers had recently told him and fellow homeless people three times to move from downtown, where the games will be played.
"It's all about the World Cup," said Brown, who works as a contractor and also sells loose cigarettes. "They didn't offer us help or gift cards or nothing. We just had to move."
Reuters found him and 25 other people, including children, living in tents in Mechanicsville, a neighborhood about two miles (3 km) from downtown.
In a statement to Reuters, Atlanta police said the department "remains committed to ensuring a safe, orderly, and compassionate environment for everyone in our city, including individuals experiencing homelessness."
Mayor Dickens, who did respond to Reuters interview requests, has said that encampments are unsafe.
Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond said that according to city officials recent sweeps were unrelated to the World Cup, but cautioned that the world's gaze would again be on Atlanta.
"We could get another black eye, it depends on how the city reacts," Bond said. "I'm worried that police will start arresting more people downtown. This is a moment to watch."
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; additional reporting by Jayla Whitfield-Anderson. Editing by Donna Bryson and Rosalba O'Brien)
