"Pastor Sues City for Housing Homeless in Church: Federal Lawsuit Filed"

Pastor Chris Avell, who faced zoning violations for housing homeless individuals in his Ohio church, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Bryan and its officials, alleging discrimination on the basis of religion. The city claims Avell ignored warnings to comply with zoning ordinances and cites fire code violations as reasons for its actions. Avell's lawsuit contends that the city engaged in a harassment campaign against the church and violated its rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The city, however, maintains that its actions were necessary due to significant safety issues at the church.