Tuesday, February 14, 2012
News Task Force NOT booted from Peachtree-Pine
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 1:13 PM
The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless just got another in a long series of 11th-hour reprieves, although this one cut it closer than most. Ordered by a Fulton County judge to vacate its Peachtree Street shelter by tomorrow, the group learned yesterday afternoon that an emergency stay on their eviction order had been granted by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
You can read a point-by-point breakdown of the Task Force's motion on Atlanta Progressive News, but all you probably need to know is that, until the appeal has been decided, Anita Beaty and crew won't be kicked out and the United Way won't be taking over.
I'm told the appeal is expected to move faster than the original case did, with the likelihood that oral arguments could take place by summer and a ruling could be issued before the end of the year. However, I also understand that lawyers for Premium Funding Solutions, the company that actually owns the Peachtree-Pine property, are planning to file a motion asking Judge Craig Schwall to order the Task Force to pay rent and utilities while his decision is under appeal.
You might recall from a previous post that Schwall seemed to regret allowing the Task Force to stay in the building rent-free, so he could conceivably rule in favor of the defendants getting paid.
What would a 100,000-square-foot building rent for? Even at $5 a square foot — far below market for Class C office space — we're talking $6 million a year. I'm guessing that wouldn't happen.
The most interesting question to me regards the scope of the appeal. It's a sure bet that Task Force attorney Steve Hall will try to introduce evidence of a city-wide conspiracy reaching to the highest levels of government and industry designed to strip the shelter of its public and private funding. Judge Schwall didn't rule on any of that stuff, so the layman barrister in me thinks the appeals court won't consider it, either — which wouldn't leave the Task Force much of a case.
If the court does decide to hear the conspiracy evidence … well, I just hope they know what they're in for.
I'll have updates as they come, folks.
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Comments (11)
Showing 1-11 of 11
That woman is luckier than a cat. Eventually she'll use up all of her lives.
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Anyone who glanced at the judge's rambling, emotional tirade knew he was handing an easy stay to the Task Force.
bbbbbut... nobody likes anita! how could this happen?
how could CL have been so so wrong? wishful, spiteful thinking does not always change reality. earlier scott posted that there was nothing wrong with conspiracy if it was for the common good -- actually it is wrong to defraud someone, though as it can run one afowl of civil or criminal charges -- but he is right atlanta is run by big boys and mean girls running things from behind the scenes.
This cancer will be carved out of the municipal body eventually.
Looks like to me that with all the commercial property vacancies there should be somewhere to house these folks with out a big hoo ha. Get over it. Homeless people need homes and jobs.
@TexGfield
"there should be somewhere to house these folks with out a big hoo ha"
Agreed -- how about Peachtree Pine? -- in their municipal wisdom, though, the city of Atlanta changed their zoning regs after PtP was founded to make sure this was no longer possible to set up a shelter in the city (read the article linked above). They also changed the laws to make the alternative -- sleeping outside aka "Urban Camping" -- against the law. this solved the problem of homelessness many years ago as we all know.
It has astonished me how consistently posts to this ongoing issue have been against Taskforce; and I can't really say I disagree. The only problem I have is this seems to be more about Anita Beaty and her less than civil behavior, and less about the men who live there. It's a mess, I know. But its just been so surprising to find few people coming out against the eviction of Taskforce, especially when right now we don't have enough beds to help all these people. Perhaps Peachtree-Pine is an enabler for some afflicted people, but this discussion has been surprisingly bereft of discussion of what will happen will the shelter closes.
Then again, no positive change will likely happen while it remains open...
As I understand it, the shelter wouldn't close right away; instead the United Way would take over management from the Task Force, and would almost certainly do a better job helping residents transition out of homelessness.
BPJ, how can we help people transition out of homelessness when the very root of the problem is unaffordable housing and lack of jobs?? If things keep going south as they seem destined to do, we could all be homeless soon.
Scott Henry, you are a disgrace. You should go work for the AJC - who, ironically, wrote a much more compassionate piece about PP than you could ever hope to do. I usually detest the AJC, but they stepped up this time. I think you and that journalist should switch papers. CL is SUPPOSED to be the alternative to the malicious mainstream media, but instead it's in BED with it, and you, sir, are a huge part of the reason why.
I like what willycity said. He's right - these CL articles about PP ALWAYS focus on Anita Beaty and how terrible she is. I am no fan of her, but CL NEVER focuses on the plight of the homeless, except in superficial ways. CL writers like Henry POSE as concerned progressives but they are really part of the malicious mainstream who think that the homeless are to blame for their circumstances, rather than viewing them as victims of a vicious system that could propel us ALL into homelessness.
Never ceases to amaze me that some of these people with billions and millions of dollars can't come up with a plan to offer some housing to these folks. What kind of damn dumbasses are they? Why kick around the less fortunate? Some of you stuffed shirt loafer CEOS get off your asses and get this solved. Loafers.
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