Several Atlanta City Council members raised fears Tuesday that the 2026 FIFA World Cup could mean a law enforcement crackdown on homelessness, with police displacing or even arresting unsheltered residents near downtown matches.
"There's a concern that we are at risk of criminalizing homelessness in a way that is contrary to the values that we have as a city," District 4 Councilmember Jason Dozier said during an April 21 work session held by the council's Community Development and Human Services Committee on the city's World Cup preparations.
Dozier said House Bill 295, awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp's signature, will complicate Atlanta's ability to compassionately address homelessness before, during, and after the tournament. The bill pressures local governments to enforce quality-of-life laws against unhoused people by letting property owners sue if cities don't. That includes offenses like public camping, loitering, panhandling, shoplifting, and public drug use. "Our state leadership has not been as values-driven as we have been as a city," Dozier said. "That [bill] puts legal risk on municipalities if they don't clean up or criminalize homelessness in these sorts of ways."
The committee also reviewed the city's reformed encampment-clearance protocols, which were overhauled last year after a tent-city sweep left 47-year-old Cornelius Taylor dead, crushed by a Department of Public Works bulldozer. The new protocols mandate advance warnings and greater coordination with outreach providers before any clearance.
Eight World Cup matches will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium between June 13 and July 15. Monday night's council vote created a public entertainment district spanning downtown for the duration of the tournament, stripping out the open container provision over concerns from Castleberry Hill and downtown residents.
