Hundreds Suffer As City Shuts Down Church For Helping The Homeless

[rangerrebew]

Hundreds Suffer As City Shuts Down Church For Helping The Homeless
May 2, 2017 | Annabelle Bamforth


A church in Davenport, Iowa, facing zoning restrictions related to its outreach program to feed the homeless, is appealing its local council and questioning the legality of the city’s regulations. This all stems from a cease and desist order they received — because feeding the homeless is not allowed when you’re zoned as a church.

Pastor Jim Swope founded Timothy’s House of Hope in 2009 and is associated with Compassion Church, which was founded by Pastor Nick Cantwell. One of the primary missions of the church is focused on outreach to poor and homeless individuals, offering addiction resources, haircuts, a food pantry, clothing, and meals at no charge, according to the ministry’s website. Timothy’s House of Hope center has estimated thousands of meals served each month.

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/hundreds-suffer-as-city-shuts-down-church-for-helping-the-homeless_052017

[EC]

But of course.

Can't have people helping each other. That's what the government is for, innit.

[LateForLunch]

But of course.

Can't have people helping each other. That's what the government is for, innit.

It is vitally important for people to understand the deadly-seriousness of far leftists in this regard. Marx was vehement about allowing ABSOLUTELY NO COMPETITION WHATSOEVER WITH THE STATE in regard to handing out dispensations or charity to the needy. He understood (as do his followers) that there can be no quarter given to any competing faction or ideology which does not wholly and completely embrace The Great (Statist Socialist Utopian) Plan.

Churches were especially hated by Marx, (his father was a clergyman, oddly enough) and Marx reserved some of his most savage and viscerally-hateful condemnations for them in both Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto.

Easy to see why. If one believes in God, then one is far less likely to cede all authority and control to an overweening , puissant, oppressive State.

[geronl]

I was thinking if they bought a small commercial building and made one a free hair cut place, one a free meals place etc, what would the city do about it?

[Sanguine]

It is vitally important for people to understand the deadly-seriousness of far leftists in this regard. Marx was vehement about allowing ABSOLUTELY NO COMPETITION WHATSOEVER WITH THE STATE in regard to handing out dispensations or charity to the needy. He understood (as do his followers) that there can be no quarter given to any competing faction or ideology which does not wholly and completely embrace The Great (Statist Socialist Utopian) Plan.

Churches were especially hated by Marx, (his father was a clergyman, oddly enough) and Marx reserved some of his most savage and viscerally-hateful condemnations for them in both Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto.

Easy to see why. If one believes in God, then one is far less likely to cede all authority and control to an overweening , puissant, oppressive State.

I agree; this is very serious.

[Oceander]

So what do the zoning laws actually say?

[LateForLunch]

So what do the zoning laws actually say?

Does it really matter, sieur!?! A responsible leader would work out a way for them to continue their operations ( which clearly benefit the community) or would have invited them to suggest a method to do so legally, not try to eradicate them from the community.

The State is the only plaintiff in this, if I understand the issue. There are no aggrieved parties who are being harmed or seeking damages other than a vindictive state authority seemingly looking for an excuse to drive a Christian organization out of town.

[EC]

Seems more like some NIMBY trying it on.

[Oceander]

Does it really matter, sieur!?! A responsible leader would work out a way for them to continue their operations ( which clearly benefit the community) or would have invited them to suggest a method to do so legally, not try to eradicate them from the community.

The State is the only plaintiff in this, if I understand the issue. There are no aggrieved parties who are being harmed or seeking damages other than a vindictive state authority seemingly looking for an excuse to drive a Christian organization out of town.

It does matter what the law says because that's the starting point for this.  And if the law clearly says they cannot do what they've been doing, then their first order of business should have been getting a waiver so they could do it legally.

[LateForLunch]

It does matter what the law says because that's the starting point for this.  And if the law clearly says they cannot do what they've been doing, then their first order of business should have been getting a waiver so they could do it legally.

Agreed.

[Right_in_Virginia]

It does matter what the law says because that's the starting point for this.  And if the law clearly says they cannot do what they've been doing, then their first order of business should have been getting a waiver so they could do it legally.

Agree.

[GtHawk]

It does matter what the law says because that's the starting point for this.  And if the law clearly says they cannot do what they've been doing, then their first order of business should have been getting a waiver so they could do it legally.

There is a Baptist minister in Buena Park, the Rev. Wiley Drake, and he has been pushing the city for decades with his disregard of procedures and zoning laws, the problem the city has had with him is not the helping of the homeless but his attitude that he is above following building and safety codes. And apparently the city has had it with him again because they are dismantling a set of four modular trailers he illegally set up on the church property. The local residents actually don't support his outreach since it tends to draw a great deal of crime and filth to their neighborhood. Mayhap if he and his congregation did more to mitigate those issues and actually worked with the city he would have more support. I don't know if there are similiar issues involved with this story.

[Free Vulcan]

It's unusual for an Iowa town or city to do something like this. I wonder what's the backstory.

[Smokin Joe]

I was thinking if they bought a small commercial building and made one a free hair cut place, one a free meals place etc, what would the city do about it?

Like as not there is a commercial twist to this. Clothing? Hair cut for free ? Free meals? Free place to stay? Someone isn't collecting a lot of money for clothes, cutting hair, restaurants or groceries, rent, etc. One of the biggest objectors locally to such things was a realtor on the city commission at the County Seat.
The Socialists wanting their god to get the credit instead of Him, are just part of the picture. Follow the money.

[Oceander]

Like as not there is a commercial twist to this. Clothing? Hair cut for free ? Free meals? Free place to stay? Someone isn't collecting a lot of money for clothes, cutting hair, restaurants or groceries, rent, etc. One of the biggest objectors locally to such things was a realtor on the city commission at the County Seat.
The Socialists wanting their god to get the credit instead of Him, are just part of the picture. Follow the money.

Considering the partakers of the "free" services are the poor and the homeless, I doubt very much that somebody's not collecting something they'd be collecting without this group. 

[Smokin Joe]

Considering the partakers of the "free" services are the poor and the homeless, I doubt very much that somebody's not collecting something they'd be collecting without this group.

No? Some government organization would hand them a voucher, and some local business, possibly politically connected, would collect later. Instead of the church providing services for free.

[Hondo69]

Since the State is replacing God, where do we pray?  The IRS office isn't exactly right around the corner and the Post Office pulls down their roll down cage at 5:00 so it's a bit confusing.

[Gefn]

This frosts my cupcakes.

We are supposed to help each other.

[Sanguine]

This frosts my cupcakes.

We are supposed to help each other.

Yes, but I don't think we have enough information.  Is this church bringing large numbers of "homeless" people into a quiet neighborhood and there are resulting problems?  Or, is it a mixed-use kind of area and not affecting the quality of life?  Just not enough information.

[LateForLunch]

It's unusual for an Iowa town or city to do something like this. I wonder what's the backstory.

Sadly, Iowa has changed as a state. A massive influx of leftists  has infested the state. The percentage of the chronically unemployed has skyrocketed in recent years, and not all of it is due to economic changes. Some significant percentage is in the Iowan inner cities where the urban blight that effects all of the other large cities has taken root in the form of a permanent underclass that is marked by their tendency to avoid work, have children out of wedlock who then immediately go on government assistance, have no father in the home, engage in drug abuse (marijuana addiction the most common), and of course to vote Democrat.

[geronl]

Shutting down the programs is one thing, shutting down the church itself is a form of violence and unconstitutional.

[LateForLunch]

Shutting down the programs is one thing, shutting down the church itself is a form of violence and unconstitutional.

Hard to disagree with that. Of course, some of the other posters have raised the question of administrative issues and the degree that the church has adhered to them. Past experiences with some of these church groups suggests that though they may well be victims of Statist enmity and hatred, they may also be generating some of the actions against them by their own behavior.

I'd like to see more information about the big picture of this incident.