Regulations unfair and unreasonable

I read your story on the City of Monroe’s proposed regulations for homeless encampments with dismay. These regulations are obviously a reaction against the recent presence of Tent City 4 on the grounds of our sister congregation, Northshore United Church of Christ in Woodinville. They assume that Tent City 4 created safety problems for the residents of the neighborhood around Northshore UCC. This assumption is simply false. There were no problems, and the only threats of violence came from the church’s neighbors against the church, not from the residents of Tent City.

Monroe’s proposed ordinance is not an attempt reasonably to regulate facilities like Tent City 4, it is clearly an attempt to prevent them from coming to Monroe altogether. The 40-foot setback rule, for example, would make it virtually impossible to find a site anywhere in Monroe. The City of Woodinville tried to stop Tent City 4 from coming to Northshore UCC. They lost in court at considerable expense to the city. I have no doubt that the same thing would happen to the City of Monroe were it to try to enforce these grossly unreasonable and unfair regulations.

Rev. Tom Sorenson

Monroe Congregational UCC