In Rare Legal Move, the City of Amarillo Takes Landowner to Court Over Homeless Camp

[TexasTowelie]

In a nearly unprecedented move, the city of Amarillo has made good on its threat to take a landowner to court over a homeless encampment on his property. City officials filed the lawsuit this month in state district court against Melvin McEwen, who they say flouted local ordinances by allowing roughly 30 homeless people to camp in tents on his property since October. On February 15, the city sent a letter to McEwen warning him and a local homeless activist to comply with city rules regarding temporary structures and public health, lest the city ask the courts to intervene.

Now that legal proceedings are underway, McEwen stands to owe about $150,000 as of press time — $1,000 a day since November 1 — in addition to the price of hiring an attorney and paying other legal costs. The lawsuit asserts that he violated a zoning rule prohibiting camping on private property for more than three days, along with fire safety and sanitation standards.

Local homeless advocates have said the city’s draconian ordinances prohibiting camping and sleeping in vehicles are part of a national trend to criminalize homelessness. McEwen couldn’t be reached for this story, but camp founder Amanda Brown-Hunter, who leases the land from McEwen for Christ Church Camp of New Beginnings, said she has “bent over backwards” to comply with city ordinances by placing port-a-potties and a handwashing station onsite.

Battles between homeless activists and city officials frequently play out in lawsuits, but it’s exceedingly rare for the government to sue someone for helping the homeless, experts say. “It’s unique from what I’ve seen elsewhere,” said Eric Tars, senior attorney at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. In many cases, cities are pulled into court by advocacy groups challenging laws that place restrictions on the homeless. In May 2017, for example, the ACLU challenged Houston ordinances prohibiting camping and panhandling, rules that “deprive homeless Houstonians of shelter, infringe on their right to free speech and ultimately constitute a criminalization of homelessness itself,” the group wrote.

Read more: https://www.texasobserver.org/rare-legal-maneuver-amarillo-landowner-court-case-homeless-camp/

Out of sight, out of mind. While the city has an interest in protecting public health and not allowing nuisances, this action is heartless.

[vercetti2021]

1. This city sucks

I've lived here all my life and honestly the government here is such a joke. Instead of doing anything for the homeless. They rather spends millions on a pointless downtown rejuvenation. Including a baseball stadium downtown...and a team they had trouble getting because they didn't want to pay any team to relocate. Plus we also have the worst drivers in Texas and the worst crime rates in the state at this point.

If I didn't have family here, I would have moved to Dallas, Houston, Austin or San Antonio at this point. Amarillo isn't a place to stop for anything besides eating and sleeping since it's on Interstate 40.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I never have been there,

but I had an aunt, uncle and cousins that lived there. They never told me anything that would impress me enough to move there. I spent most of my life close to I-35 so Austin, Georgetown or Dallas are the places where I would like to move to.

[vercetti2021]

3. Where do you live currently?

[TexasTowelie]

4. On the opposite side of the state in Wharton.

It's a bit too flat and too close to the coast during hurricane season.

[HopeAgain]

5. Fort Lauderdale Mayor tried to stop people from feeding the homeless

This kind of callous attitude can happen anywhere, even in one of the bluest counties in the country.