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.
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.
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