Baptist Minister Loses Appeal of Shelter Vote

Having exhausted his appeals at City Hall, the Rev. Wiley S. Drake next week will face criminal charges related to his aid to the homeless.

On Monday, City Council members unanimously denied the minister’s appeal to overrule the Planning Commission and approve plans for a large building that would serve as a homeless and outreach shelter on grounds of the First Southern Baptist Church.

The church now has about 30 homeless people sleeping on its grounds and several hundred more dropping by for food and clothing.

Planning commissioners last month said they had to deny the plans because Drake refused to accept the conditions they wanted to attach to the building permit.

The biggest point of contention was a set of guidelines used by other county groups to prepare rules and regulations for their homeless shelters. Drake said his church bylaws should suffice.

Council members, citing numerous complaints from neighbors about the homeless at the church and 70 police reports of criminal activity, said they could not approve a permit without conditions for operation.

Drake said he could not go along with changes the city wanted him to make to his plans. He insisted that all of his activities are an exercise of religion, which is protected by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Everything we do is a form of religious worship at our church,” Drake said.

The feud between the minister and the city does not end there.

On Monday, a mediator will try to resolve criminal misdemeanor charges the city filed against Drake last fall for violating municipal anti-camping and other housing codes. If that fails, the two sides are set to go to trial April 10.

Gregory P. Palmer, the deputy city prosecutor handling the case, said that even if officials resolve their dispute with Drake, the minister cannot resubmit his building proposal to the Planning Commission for another six months, according to municipal codes.