Mediation Ended in City-Church Dispute

The city prosecutor has called off his attempt to mediate a long-running dispute between the city and a pastor who allows the homeless to sleep at his church.

The conflict is now set to be resolved in Municipal Court next Thursday.

The mediation, which had been recommended by a Municipal Court judge, was intended to work out details of a homeless shelter that the First Southern Baptist Church wants to build on its grounds.

The church and its pastor, the Rev. Wiley S. Drake, have been charged with several misdemeanors, including a violation of the city’s anti-camping ordinance. Drake is facing fines and possibly jail time.

The Planning Commission last winter denied Drake a permit for the shelter, largely because the pastor and the city could not agree on a manual of operations for the facility.

City Prosecutor Gregory P. Palmer said he withdrew from mediation because he believed Drake had violated an agreement not to discuss the dispute with the media while negotiations continued.

Palmer also said the church had failed to provide requested information and failed to deliver the promised operations manual by the Thursday due date.

Palmer accused Drake of failing to mediate in good faith, based partly on statements Drake has made about his intention to continue giving the poor sleeping space no matter what.

“That policy procedure manual was going to be a doorstop,” Palmer said.

Drake’s attorney, Jon Alexander, said he was surprised by the city’s action. He accused Palmer of not making a good-faith effort.

“I think the city has been acting in bad faith all along,” he said. “I feel sorry for the homeless people, and I also feel sorry for Judge [Richard] Behn, who tried to help us resolve this in mediation.”

Drake also faces a hearing on a lawsuit filed by the city on the same issues.