A downtown Atlanta apartment building mostly owned by the church of Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., has reportedly been evicting disadvantaged tenants while the church pays the senator a hefty monthly housing stipend.
Ebenezer Baptist Church, which pays Warnock a sizable $7,417 monthly housing allowance as its senior pastor, is 99% owner of the Columbia Tower at MLK Village, where residents have received eviction notices for owing as little as $25.88 in past-due rent, according to documents obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
Eight tenants at Columbia Tower, which is also run by Columbia Residential and described as a haven for the “chronically homeless” and those afflicted with “mental disabilities,” have been issued eviction notices since early 2020 for owing an average of $125 in rent.
Five cases were related to rent less than one month late, and two led to court-ordered evictions carried out by the Fulton County Marshal’s Department. Six of them were dismissed, and four remain open.
Columbia Tower at MLK Village in downtown Atlanta. (Google Earth)
As a charitable organization, Columbia Tower has paid $77.77 in property taxes during the past seven years and has received more than $15 million in taxpayer-funded assistance since 2005, according to tax records obtained by the Free Beacon.
“They treat me like a piece of s—. They’re not compassionate at all,” one 69-year-old Black resident who is a Vietnam veteran told the Free Beacon. He explained how he was issued an eviction notice last month for $192 in past-due rent. He told the outlet he was almost evicted last year over $179, but he was allowed to stay after he paid an additional $325 in fees.
Rev. Raphael G. Warnock delivers the eulogy for Rayshard Brooks at his funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church June 23, 2020, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton-Pool/Getty Images)
“It’s disheartening. It’s horrible. It’s actually horrifying,” another resident told the outlet. “We need the help. I understand churches take care of their pastors, but the excess, it’s not good. Not when you have people that need help here.”
The anonymous resident, who also paid hundreds in fees, said she was threatened with eviction after being one day late on her rent.
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“It was devastating and surprising. I know they have the ability to be patient with me and let me pay my rent. And it was paid,” the resident said. “I asked for patience, but I was totally ignored.”
Candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock waves to supporters during a drive-in rally, Jan. 3, 2021, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
Warnock was outspoken during his campaign about evicting people who are struggling.
“Unemployment benefits have expired, rent is due today, and many Georgia families are at risk of eviction in the middle of a pandemic,” Warnock wrote in an August 2020 tweet. “My opponents are supposed to be serving the people in Washington, but they’re clearly only concerned with serving their own interests.”
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Neither Warnock’s office nor Ebenezer Baptist Church responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by time of publication.