NYC churches helping Sandy victims still face eviction
Alliance Defending Freedom attorney available to media after hearing at 2nd Circuit Monday
Friday, Nov 16, 2012
Attorney sound bite: Jordan Lorence
WHO: Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence
WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 19, immediately following hearing, which begins at 3 p.m. EST
WHERE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, 500 Pearl St., 9th Floor Ceremonial Courtroom, New York
NEW YORK — Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews following his oral argument Monday in favor of a ruling that would allow churches and other faith groups to continue meeting for worship services in New York City public school buildings on weekends.
The city continues to seek eviction of the churches from their meeting places even after many of the congregations have ministered to the communities in which they meet in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose administration has also come under fire for banning food donations to homeless shelters, has not intervened to stop his Board of Education’s ongoing efforts to oust the churches.
“Churches that have been helping communities for years should be allowed to continue to offer the hope that empty buildings can’t,” said Lorence. “The Constitution requires New York City to allow churches and other religious groups to meet for worship services in vacant school buildings on weekends on the same terms as other groups. It is tragic that the city continues its efforts to evict the very groups that are selflessly helping the city’s communities, including the public schools themselves.”
Churches meeting in New York City public schools for worship services have fed the poor and needy, assisted in rehabilitating drug addicts and gang members, helped rebuild marriages and families, and provided for the disabled. The churches have also helped the public schools themselves by volunteering to paint the interiors of inner-city schools; donating computers, musical instruments, and air conditioners; and providing effective after-school programs to help all students with their studies. The help to communities has only continued in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, especially on hard-hit Staten Island.
In June, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a permanent injunction that allows churches, synagogues, and other religious groups to conduct worship services in school buildings. The city appealed the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
The injunction is part of a nearly 18-year legal battle in Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York. The city has been trying to eject worship services from their public school meeting places under the claim that their presence violates the U.S. Constitution.
NEW YORK — Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews following his oral argument Monday in favor of a ruling that would allow churches and other faith groups to continue meeting for worship services in New York City public school buildings on weekends.
The city continues to seek eviction of the churches from their meeting places even after many of the congregations have ministered to the communities in which they meet in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose administration has also come under fire for banning food donations to homeless shelters, has not intervened to stop his Board of Education’s ongoing efforts to oust the churches.
“Churches that have been helping communities for years should be allowed to continue to offer the hope that empty buildings can’t,” said Lorence. “The Constitution requires New York City to allow churches and other religious groups to meet for worship services in vacant school buildings on weekends on the same terms as other groups. It is tragic that the city continues its efforts to evict the very groups that are selflessly helping the city’s communities, including the public schools themselves.”
Churches meeting in New York City public schools for worship services have fed the poor and needy, assisted in rehabilitating drug addicts and gang members, helped rebuild marriages and families, and provided for the disabled. The churches have also helped the public schools themselves by volunteering to paint the interiors of inner-city schools; donating computers, musical instruments, and air conditioners; and providing effective after-school programs to help all students with their studies. The help to communities has only continued in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, especially on hard-hit Staten Island.
In June, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a permanent injunction that allows churches, synagogues, and other religious groups to conduct worship services in school buildings. The city appealed the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
The injunction is part of a nearly 18-year legal battle in Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York. The city has been trying to eject worship services from their public school meeting places under the claim that their presence violates the U.S. Constitution.
- Fact sheet on the case
- Pronunciation guide: Lorence (LOHR’-ents)
Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly Alliance Defense Fund) is an alliance-building legal ministry that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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