Suburban Seattle Residents Sue To Prevent Church From Hosting Tent City

The Seattle (WA) Times on Wednesday reported on a lawsuit filed earlier this month seeking to prevent religious leaders on suburban Mercer Island from hosting Tent City 4, an encampment for the homeless. The city of Mercer Island granted a temporary use permit for the encampment to set up at the Mercer Island United Methodist Church from August 5 to November 10. Greg Asimakoupoulos, president of the Mercer Island Clergy Association, said: "We don't want to be viewed as the suburb of the city that's blind to the needs of people of metropolitan Seattle." However a group of Mercer Island neighbors, calling themselves the Mercer Island Citizens for Fair Process, are seeking an injunction arguing that Tent City 4 will be a nuisance. They also argue that their rights under the due process clause were violated. A hearing on a... [read full story]