When the Media Calls
This past Thursday there was a hailstorm of media activity at the mission following U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist’s ruling allowing homeless sex offenders to stay overnight at a shelter near schools. Quist determined that homeless people do not “reside” in emergency shelters if they only go there at night to sleep and have no guarantee of a place to stay on any given night.
The ruling came after Thomas Pauli, 51, froze to death in January 2009 after another mission in the city denied him admission because he was on the state’s Sex Offender Registry. He had a 1991 sexual assault conviction involving a pre-teen girl.
Several news stations descended upon the mission on Thursday (FOX 17, WOODTV 8, Channel 3 News and WGVU) to interview me surrounding the ruling of our lawsuit with the state regarding whether or not we can house men and women on an emergency basis who have committed a sexual offense. Because Mel Trotter is within 1000 feet of Catholic Central High School, and we also house women and children, the law as it was interpreted before the judge’s ruling was unclear whether homeless clients could stay in the overnight emergency shelter if they have a sexual offense in their record. Unfortunately it took the death of Mr. Thomas Pauli in 2009 to bring this critical issue to light and force the issue to go before a U.S. District Judge.
While we certainly do not condone or approve of sexual crimes or the people who commit them, we are committed to saving lives. And that means we aren’t willing to stand by and let anyone die on the streets of Grand Rapids because of the sins of their past. The bible teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. It also teaches us that there is hope, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” Romans 6:23. There is hope for forgiveness and eternal life for all who confess their sins and turn away from them and invite Jesus to become their Lord and Savior.
The reporters asked me if I thought we had won a victory due to the judge’s favorable ruling. I responded by stating “this is a victory for life, we will no longer be restricted from sheltering people who desperately need emergency shelter.”
It is very possible that some poor sinner may genuinely repent of their sinful lifestyle and give their hearts to Christ while sitting in a chapel service at the mission. This is our prayer. However, we aren’t naïve regarding the safety of our female residents and their children so; we have taken steps to strengthen our security at the mission by hiring new security staff to ensure that everyone is safe while they are with us.
Please keep us in your prayers.
