Though this is good news for opera productions....it still doesn't help the situation for the orchestra itself. The symphony has made cuts in staff and pay cuts to the musicians. While they are raising money to promote two opera performances a year, they're not giving money back to the artists which they made cuts to who perform continuously throughout the season. Yes, do what you can to promote opera but the entire orchestra shouldn't have to suffer for two opera productions. Focus on your core and make it strong and once you have that solid foundation then elaborate performances can be considered. I don't think opera would be nearly as rewarding if you were listening to arias backed up by a recording as opposed to a live orchestra. If the company can't raise money to support the artists, then opera, as well as any elaborate productions, should take a side seat until a time which their core, the musicians, aren't suffering.
It's so odd to me....the law. When someone is actually committing a crime, it's extremely hard to get anything done about it. On the other hand when someone's not doing anything wrong it seems like police interrogate and invade any aspect of that person's life. Yes, these people made mistakes in the past and it doesn't mean they won't make another one but it really doesn't make it any easier for them not to make one if they're constantly being harassed. Being constantly harassed, they'll always feel like it doesn't matter what they do so why even try. Seems like police could care less. They get a pitiful paycheck as it is. What reason do they have to care about someone's privacy? It's not like they're getting paid to. It just goes without saying that you're not innocent until proven guilty, you're guilty until proven innocent.
I don't know. Seems like it does cross the line a little.
I wish that those not living here would understand the situation placed on the neighborhood. The UGM is not simply a homeless shelter. They specifically cater to alcoholics and drug addicts. This is an extreme danger to our community. The school bus stops immediately in front of the 107 Signal Hills Drive location where they are moving. They are housing those who are dangerous. This will greatly impact the safety of the neighborhood.
The people here are of the working class. There is no money to influence politicians. They do good to have money so their children can have a baseball glove to play in the summer.
Not everyone who says they believe in Jesus has good intentions. There are many homeless that will say anything to have a place to live and food to eat. It's foolish to believe that everyone that enters there has a heart of gold. Yes, Jesus can do great things in people who want them to happen and who work for them to happen. God helps those who help themselves.
Ask yourself this..... Is having this shelter here worth compromising the safety of even one child?
It seems that you are saying that you are one of the ones hated.?.? I must say that calling yourself, or calling those within the UGM, disciples and that God has chosen you, or UGM, over the rest of the world, i.e. other Christians, would be a highly disputed issue. (Since that is what you said in your quoted bible verse.)
Here's another verse to ponder:
Leviticus 19:11
Do not steal, do not lie, do not deceive one another.
The executive director has lied to the neighborhood about what type of people he is housing at the mission, the purpose for the house next to the church, and why he came to leave previous locations, among other issues. He also lied when he claimed not to be aware that he was in violation of the zoning laws, building codes, and fire safety. He has broken the law, hence the reason for the law suit, and he is continually breaking the law by moving his individuals in a house the city has cited as being an illegal duplex. He is now attempting to SPITE the neighborhood and lease an abandoned building located at 107 Signal Hills Drive almost immediately across the street from the location the city has forced them to move out of. This information was given to me by the Planning Commission and the UGM is requesting to have it rezoned as well. This building has no windows, no plumbing, and no electrical. It has been boarded up for at least 5 years. The building needs to be condemned!! If the safety issues in the church were a problem I can only imagine what they will face at this abandoned building.
Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
Leviticus 19:15
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
In the end,
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
"Mr. Rector also disputed that 35 to 40 people stayed overnight. He said about 18 people are there now." - So does this mean that even he isn't sure how many people are staying there? One week ago, he said there were 24 people staying there, and before that he said 22. Now he says about 18.
"He said he never knew he was in defiance of zoning laws and has tried working with the city." - The mission was inspected by many city officials and was told by all of them that he was in violation of city codes including zoning before moving the mission residents in. He moved them in anyway. They have been using this facility in violation of zoning all along and are well aware of this.
At some point reality must set in for Jon Rector and the Union Gospel Mission. This facility is simply not sufficient for their needs. They do not have the square footage for the people they are currently housing or for the people they intend to house in the future. There are not enough bathroom and shower facilities. They currently have 1 shower to share. Even for "about" 18 people, this is unacceptable.
All I know to say at this moment is that every one in this community has every right to be in concern for their safety, the safety of their children, and the safety of the elderly. Mr. Kell and Jon Rector call this a homeless shelter. At the very least they are a homeless shelter. Truly what they are, at best, is a halfway house, catering to recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and yes sex offenders.
As for Mr. Kell's comment saying the community does not have all it's information, I know several of us that have done nothing but investigate the past and current situations of the Union Gospel Mission. I feel that personally I am very educated to what is being housed at that facility. I do not know of a single responsible parent that would allow their child to attend a service knowing what he has there. There are better locations to facilitate a half-way house situation than a neighborhood. I think if everyone else were really educated on what he is housing there, they would completely understand the concerns of our community.
As far as his "strict curfew" goes...all I can say is that there might as well not be a curfew because it is definitely not enforced.
The Union Gospel Mission claims to have found its new home. They are trying to reside in my community off Signal Mountain Road at the base of Signal Mountain and across from Mountain Creek Rd. As much good as the Mission may bring, I think it's a terrible thing to bring alcoholics, drug addicts, and convicts of all kinds into a residential neighborhood. Not only will this bring down property value in an already struggling economy, but it endangers everyone in the community. It is known that with homeless shelters of any kind theft, vandalism, panhandling, and harassment will increase and the safety of residents and their children will be compromised. As good as the Union Gospel Mission seems to be, why is it damaging a community. There are tons of foreclosed businesses for sale not located in residential areas where they could rebuild their mission.
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera announces two future shows
Though this is good news for opera productions....it still doesn't help the situation for the orchestra itself. The symphony has made cuts in staff and pay cuts to the musicians. While they are raising money to promote two opera performances a year, they're not giving money back to the artists which they made cuts to who perform continuously throughout the season. Yes, do what you can to promote opera but the entire orchestra shouldn't have to suffer for two opera productions. Focus on your core and make it strong and once you have that solid foundation then elaborate performances can be considered. I don't think opera would be nearly as rewarding if you were listening to arias backed up by a recording as opposed to a live orchestra. If the company can't raise money to support the artists, then opera, as well as any elaborate productions, should take a side seat until a time which their core, the musicians, aren't suffering.
Police say despite court ruling they will obtain search warrants
It's so odd to me....the law. When someone is actually committing a crime, it's extremely hard to get anything done about it. On the other hand when someone's not doing anything wrong it seems like police interrogate and invade any aspect of that person's life. Yes, these people made mistakes in the past and it doesn't mean they won't make another one but it really doesn't make it any easier for them not to make one if they're constantly being harassed. Being constantly harassed, they'll always feel like it doesn't matter what they do so why even try. Seems like police could care less. They get a pitiful paycheck as it is. What reason do they have to care about someone's privacy? It's not like they're getting paid to. It just goes without saying that you're not innocent until proven guilty, you're guilty until proven innocent.
I don't know. Seems like it does cross the line a little.
Letters to the Editors
To Ernestine Meadows,
I wish that those not living here would understand the situation placed on the neighborhood. The UGM is not simply a homeless shelter. They specifically cater to alcoholics and drug addicts. This is an extreme danger to our community. The school bus stops immediately in front of the 107 Signal Hills Drive location where they are moving. They are housing those who are dangerous. This will greatly impact the safety of the neighborhood.
The people here are of the working class. There is no money to influence politicians. They do good to have money so their children can have a baseball glove to play in the summer.
Not everyone who says they believe in Jesus has good intentions. There are many homeless that will say anything to have a place to live and food to eat. It's foolish to believe that everyone that enters there has a heart of gold. Yes, Jesus can do great things in people who want them to happen and who work for them to happen. God helps those who help themselves.
Ask yourself this..... Is having this shelter here worth compromising the safety of even one child?
City looking to close mission's doors
Regarding on_a_mission's comment:
It seems that you are saying that you are one of the ones hated.?.? I must say that calling yourself, or calling those within the UGM, disciples and that God has chosen you, or UGM, over the rest of the world, i.e. other Christians, would be a highly disputed issue. (Since that is what you said in your quoted bible verse.)
Here's another verse to ponder:
Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal, do not lie, do not deceive one another.
The executive director has lied to the neighborhood about what type of people he is housing at the mission, the purpose for the house next to the church, and why he came to leave previous locations, among other issues. He also lied when he claimed not to be aware that he was in violation of the zoning laws, building codes, and fire safety. He has broken the law, hence the reason for the law suit, and he is continually breaking the law by moving his individuals in a house the city has cited as being an illegal duplex. He is now attempting to SPITE the neighborhood and lease an abandoned building located at 107 Signal Hills Drive almost immediately across the street from the location the city has forced them to move out of. This information was given to me by the Planning Commission and the UGM is requesting to have it rezoned as well. This building has no windows, no plumbing, and no electrical. It has been boarded up for at least 5 years. The building needs to be condemned!! If the safety issues in the church were a problem I can only imagine what they will face at this abandoned building.
Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
Leviticus 19:15
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
In the end,
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
City looking to close mission's doors
"Mr. Rector also disputed that 35 to 40 people stayed overnight. He said about 18 people are there now." - So does this mean that even he isn't sure how many people are staying there? One week ago, he said there were 24 people staying there, and before that he said 22. Now he says about 18.
"He said he never knew he was in defiance of zoning laws and has tried working with the city." - The mission was inspected by many city officials and was told by all of them that he was in violation of city codes including zoning before moving the mission residents in. He moved them in anyway. They have been using this facility in violation of zoning all along and are well aware of this.
At some point reality must set in for Jon Rector and the Union Gospel Mission. This facility is simply not sufficient for their needs. They do not have the square footage for the people they are currently housing or for the people they intend to house in the future. There are not enough bathroom and shower facilities. They currently have 1 shower to share. Even for "about" 18 people, this is unacceptable.
Chattanooga: Union Gospel Mission's new neighbors not happy
All I know to say at this moment is that every one in this community has every right to be in concern for their safety, the safety of their children, and the safety of the elderly. Mr. Kell and Jon Rector call this a homeless shelter. At the very least they are a homeless shelter. Truly what they are, at best, is a halfway house, catering to recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and yes sex offenders.
As for Mr. Kell's comment saying the community does not have all it's information, I know several of us that have done nothing but investigate the past and current situations of the Union Gospel Mission. I feel that personally I am very educated to what is being housed at that facility. I do not know of a single responsible parent that would allow their child to attend a service knowing what he has there. There are better locations to facilitate a half-way house situation than a neighborhood. I think if everyone else were really educated on what he is housing there, they would completely understand the concerns of our community.
As far as his "strict curfew" goes...all I can say is that there might as well not be a curfew because it is definitely not enforced.
Chattanooga: Mission urgently seeking a home
The Union Gospel Mission claims to have found its new home. They are trying to reside in my community off Signal Mountain Road at the base of Signal Mountain and across from Mountain Creek Rd. As much good as the Mission may bring, I think it's a terrible thing to bring alcoholics, drug addicts, and convicts of all kinds into a residential neighborhood. Not only will this bring down property value in an already struggling economy, but it endangers everyone in the community. It is known that with homeless shelters of any kind theft, vandalism, panhandling, and harassment will increase and the safety of residents and their children will be compromised. As good as the Union Gospel Mission seems to be, why is it damaging a community. There are tons of foreclosed businesses for sale not located in residential areas where they could rebuild their mission.