St. Luke's, Local Libertarian Join Forces

By Jessica DeStefano

A rally was held March 25 in front of St. Luke's Pentecostal Church in New Cassel to protest the proposed seizure of the church by the Town of North Hempstead's Community Development Agency (CDA) under the eminent domain law in the name of "community revitalization." The rally was organized by Westbury resident Richard Cooper, chair of the Libertarian Party of Nassau County.

St. Luke's worshippers, Libertarian Party members, and community leaders congregate on the steps of the crumbling facility at 822 Prospect Ave. to protest the CDA's seizure of the property. (L-r): Reverend Fred Jenkins; Richard Cooper, chair of the Libertarian Party of Nassau County; John Clifton, candidate for Libertarian nomination, US Senate; and Eddie Eason, Westbury/New Cassel Improvement Corp.

Reverend Fred Jenkins bought the vacant church previously occupied by Jeremiah Baptist Church with the intent of renovating it for his St. Luke's Pentecostal Church, which had gone 21 years without a building of their own. The CDA has designated the 822 Prospect Ave. site for revitalization, and is seeking to purchase the property. "The CDA's objective is to ensure that properties are being used in a manner that is consistent and helpful to the local economy," stated John Moss, council to the agency of Kroll, Moss and Kroll of Garden City.

Currently, a bill has been introduced to Congress to amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 which would prohibit the use of community development block grant funds for activities involving acquisition of church property, unless the consent of the church is obtained.