church shelter refuses police entry to count guests: Buena Park,
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Fri, 30 Jan 1998 21:45:43 -0800 (PST)
FWD By Daniel Chang The Orange County [CA] Register Jan 6, 1998
DRAKE ORDERED TO ALLOW OFFICIAL COUNT AT SHELTER
COURTS: City officials say the reverend refused to
allow police onto church property during an unannounced visit.
The Rev. Wiley Drake said Monday that he has complied with a
court order to reduce to 52 the number of people sleeping
overnight in an enclosed patio and homeless shelter at the First
Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park.
Buena Park city officials said they could not confirm that claim,
because police were not allowed onto the church's property for a
head count during an unannounced visit shortly after 10 p.m.
Sunday.
Municipal Court Judge Gregg L. Prickett, who in November
ordered Drake to prevent guests from sleeping in their cars and to
reduce the number of overnight campers, rescheduled a hearing for
Thursday. Prickett also authorized police to conduct a visual search
for overnight guests on church property.
"I never asked the officers to leave the property," Drake said
outside the courtroom Monday. Police asked for three things,
Drake said: a head count, a roster of guests and permission to
search the cars for occupants.
They left without a roster or permission to inspect the property,
Palmer said. Drake said he told police there were 33 people
sleeping in an enclosed patio on the church's back lot.
"Even if the people sleeping in the motel were there," Drake said,
"we still would have been under 52" guests overnight. Eighteen
homeless people from his church were sleeping at the Copper
Barrel Motel, courtesy of the city of Buena Park.
END FORWARD
HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK <http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/> Home Page
ARCHIVES <http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/archives.html> read posts to HPN
TO JOIN <http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/join.html> or email Tom <wgcp@earthlink.net>