Six days ago, representatives from Straight Street Revolution Ministries met with the residents of Weaver Road in Gainesville to discuss their plans to construct a new rehab facility for victims of sex trafficking. At Monday's Hall County Planning Commission meeting, it was apparent that the previous discussion failed to win many people over, as dozens of dissenting neighbors showed up to voice their opposition to Straight Street's rezoning request.
After the Commission heard multiple testimonies from both sides of the aisle for the better part of an hour, they came to a unanimous decision, with one member choosing to abstain, to not recommend the proposed amendment to the Hall County Board of Commissioners.
"This is a disappointing decision by the Commission," said Paul Glaze, who spoke in favor of the proposed amendment. "But if you can't win over the people you're going to be next to and you can't get the community behind your project then, to a degree, you don't necessarily deserve to be there."
Those who spoke in opposition either expressed fears for their safety or fears that their property values might possibly decrease if the proposed rehab facility was built.
Although some questioned whether or not these women were truly 'victims', not one person was against what Straight Street Ministries is trying to accomplish by providing a residential program to help women who want to remove themselves from the sex trafficking industry, get back on their feet and become productive members of society. They all said they just want it to happen somewhere else.
"We support the ministry," said Jim Amber, a neighbor whose property borders the site of the proposed rehab facility. "(Todd) Robson's a great man. What he's doing is great. The development will be beautiful. But the point is it's right smack dab in the middle of a residential area."
Despite the setback, Straight Street's Founder Todd Robson still has hope that the Hall County Board of Commissioners will vote to approve his rezoning request at the public hearing on Dec. 8.
Straight Street has been looking for a suitable property for their proposed rehab facility for over a year and a half now. There is no plan B, according to Robson. If this request is denied, the search will have to start over from square one and there is no telling how long it would take to find another suitable property.
"Now it's just going to be a lot of praying," Robson said. "Trust in God and have a lot of faith."
