Montrose has long struggled with how to address the issues raised by an increasing population of unhoused people. However, in November of 2024, the city passed a camping ban, which made it a crime to camp without permission within the city limits. The local Methodist church opened its vacant area to the affected population to camp. Not long after, the City began issuing tickets to the pastor, Kevin Young. To date he has received more than 20 tickets for being in violation of the city statute prohibiting camping. The pastor argues that it is his Christian duty to house the houseless, and to offer them succor. This position invokes recent cases by the U.S. Supreme Court addressing the conflict between local law and religious belief in action (often called preferences to sanitize the language).
The Revolutionist 