ANC2C02 Forum

Open Letter to MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and Deputy Chief Diane Groomes
... and Third District Commander Larry McCoy,

Dear Officials,

I spoke with PSA Captain Melvin Gresham earlier today outside the Kennedy Recreation Center who informed me that per his most recent conversations with Commander McCoy and the chief official at Third Baptist Church, the barring notices that were filed against myself and my neighbor are still being enforced by the MPD contrary to other statements I have heard from other officials including our new PSA Lt. Micah Pate.

First, for the record, is the church still officially barring ANC2C02 Commissioner Kevin Chapple from entering the church even though neither he nor myself or my other neighbor committed any crimes? Furthermore, does this also mean the church officially prohibits our Commissioner from attending meetings in the building when other government officials (such as the MPD) are speaking about issues that concern his single member district (such as gang related crime, shootings, drug trafficking, etc) which also the area in which the church is located? And even if I wanted to go in and get baptized or just pray to Jesus, or ask one of the ministers for spiritual guidance, or ask the church to pray for a loved one who is sick and shut in — am I still barred?

Second, if all this is the case, please confirm for the record whether the MPD will be sending officers to speak at the church where elected government officials are banned?

Third, do you know whether or not a church — which conducts itself like an exclusive and private club, like the golf courses that used to ban the likes of Tiger Woods — barring criminally unconvicted tax paying citizens and elected government officials from entering their building at all times is still eligible to maintain its tax exempt status on contributions it receives and the property in owns? Or said another way, shouldn't a church that claims tax expempt status, but conducts itself like a private club be guilty of breaking some law?

I would appreciate a timely response and further direction on obtaining any answers which you are not able to provide.

I would like to note that, while the church insists on such ridiculous restrictions, our Ward 2 Councilmember has given “millions” of tax payer dollars to various groups and unelected persons in the city and our neighborhood to address and solve crime problems on a grass roots level and, as the councilmember noted Monday, these organizations, in light of recent waves of violent crime, have clearly failed to show that they deserve such funding.

In the future, I hope that the MPD will focus its energy and attention on fighting crime and apprehending criminals instead of wasting time empowering incompetent individuals and organizations who, in their ineptitude, have done nothing but perpetuate these problems in our community and the city by diverting resources better used for hiring and training more officers to work on our streets. These large sums of money could in the future be used to expedite the implementation of shotspotter technology to detect shootings and aid in the pursuit and arrest of violent criminals and for more bike police and foot patrols in the Shaw neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Martin Moulton