JUDGE ISSUES TEMPORARY STAY, CRA CRITICIZED FOR NOT FUNDING CLEANUP REQUEST

As reported by a WSVN Channel 7 News report, Judge Valerie Manno-Schurr ordered a temporary stay to the demolition of three historic buildings in Overtown Tuesday until a full hearing could be held within two weeks.  "the order is more than a year old," she said, "I don't see a rush to demolish it now."  However, no one can enter the building until the formal hearing, which means that the Apostolic Revival Church is without a home, albeit temporarily.  For Pastor Allen of the Temple, it was just another consequence of the misrepresentation by the City of Miami Community Redevelopment Agency of the two different buildings, one abandoned and the other structurally sound and containing the church as one and the same.   "This is not the church." he said frustratingly pointing to a picture of the abandoned building next door, "THIS is the church."

The CRA, meanwhile continued its campaign to categorize the three very different properties as "the building", "overrun by drug addicts", "locks can't even keep out the crime" and a "liability to the City" which was echoed in the news media.  "It might come down at any time" said the City Attorney after the Judge's ruling.  "I guess that's why we have a City Agency Director inviting the news media and camera crews inside the building for tours every day, why isn't that a liability to the City?" said Brad Knoefler, whose organization applied for a CRA emergency grant more than a week ago that would have cleaned up and secured the property against tresspassers, the very things the CRA claim make it urgently need to be demolished.

Countering the media spin, Doris Hall, spokesperson for the owner of the property, blasted the CRA in a letter to Jim Villacorta today:

Mr. Villacorta, if the urgency of the demolition requests stems from the public liability from people entering the property and the trash strewn around the property, why would you not allocate funds on an emergency basis, as you are allowed to fund up to $4,500 without Board approval. Would this not be considered negligence on your part, since your CRA Trust fund is holding over $70 Million Dollars needing to be reinvested with the taxpayers and residents in Overtown to create jobs and revitalization of these properties? We believe that this illustrates that the true intent of the CRA is to demolish and acquire the properties through an eminent domain-like procedure in violation of Federal, State and local laws, in order to assemble the remaining parcels for a large development.

Later on that evening, The Apostolic Revival Temple held its regular Wednesday serivce and feeding of the homeless in the small park across from the church.  "God has not said the church will be demolished."  he said, "The word of God has not spoken."  The turnout was low due to the cold, but one man, Barry Moore, caretaker of the church who now must sleep on the street due to the Judge's order , appeared unfazed.   "At least I've got plenty of blankets", he said with a smile.