A lawsuit being brought against a property owner regarding the Christ Church Camp of New Beginnings is being called "unique" by legal experts.
In an article published Wednesday in the Texas Observer, several legal experts weighed in on a pending lawsuit that the City of Amarillo has filed against Melvin McEwen. McEwen is the owner of the property that was one-time home of the Christ Church Camp of New Beginnings, a small area of tents that housed members of Amarillo's homeless population. Officials with the City of Amarillo say that the property owner, McEwen, did not follow municipal laws when allowing the camp to operate on his property.
In the article published in the Observer, Mary Mergler, director of Texas Appleseed’s criminal justice project, said that she was completely surprised about such a suit being filed. She said it is rare for a municipality to sue a service provider to enforce ordinances.
“I haven’t actually heard of a city suing the service providers to try to enforce their own ordinances. It is strange,” Mergler told the Observer's Chris Collins. “… I think it is a waste of taxpayer money to use these dollars to fight a legal battle against the people who are helping the city’s homelessness.”
Other experts surveyed, including attorneys from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the Texas Fair Defense Project also echoed similar feelings on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit followed after an Amarillo resident, Rusty Donelson, filed a lawsuit against the City of Amarillo for its actions to attempt to shutter the Christ Church Camp of New Beginnings.
Information was unavailable from the City of Amarillo, as the City of Amarillo's policy does not allow the entity to comment on litigation.
To see the article from the Texas Observer, click here.
