The suit, filed Monday, accuses the city and its officials of launching a harassment campaign against Dad’s Place, a church in Bryan, for keeping its doors open 24/7 for the homeless.
An Ohio pastor who was charged with zoning violations for housing people experiencing homelessness has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Bryan and its officials.
Earlier this year, Pastor Chris Avell decided to keep the doors of his church, Dad’s Place, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to reach out to the city’s most “vulnerable.” Bryan is a small city of about 8,600 people, 65 miles west of Toledo.
In December, Avell was hit with 18 zoning violations by the city, which claimed he had violated a city ordinance that says residents can’t stay on the first floor of that property. Further, the local fire chief found a slew of fire code violations at the church.
Avell pleaded not guilty to the charges at his Jan. 11 arraignment, according to online court records.
Now he’s suing the city, claiming discrimination on the basis of religion and claiming city officials have launched a harassment campaign against the church.
Imagine that, a pastor actually thinking to himself “what would Jesus do?” and doing that, and being punished for it.
This is why I, regardless of political lean, think the real enemy is bureaucrats. Bureaucrats aren’t even really people. They’re the lizard people all the conspiracy theory/tin foil hat wearers screech about.
You’re thinking of politicians. Bureaucracy is the scapegoat they use to cover their machinations. A functional society needs bureaucrats to do all the tasks that makes society work, without them everything would fall apart.
Most self-professed American “Christians” I have ever met do not follow or believe in the teachings of Christ.
They say the world looks down on the bureaucrats
They say we’re anal, compulsive, and weird
But when push comes to shove
You gotta do what you love
Even if it’s not a good idea!
I always thought churches were known as sanctuaries. It’s not like he’s permanently housing people, he’s literally providing sanctuary from the deadly weather