West Wilson Coalition Noise Lawsuit

Wilson County residents and supporters,

Your continued support of the noise ordinance petition is greatly appreciated. A number of us have been in regular communication and meeting with county officials to track the progress and advocate for a noise ordinance. Although some efforts have been made, unfortunately, it does not seem that a noise ordinance will pass soon nor will the noise cease. The West Wilson Coalition (WWC) is writing to ask if you would be willing to participate in a private lawsuit by either of the following:

1. Listing your name in the suit

2. Donating funds to legal fees

3. Sharing on social media outlets

For most of us, the main reason for pursuing a noise ordinance is the excessive noise from Global Vision Bible Church (GVBC). While we respect everyone’s right to the freedom of religious expression, we also believe that part of loving thy neighbor includes keeping the noise down to reasonable levels while also being respectful to neighbors and local authorities. The community continues to have its peace disrupted on a regular basis; a lawsuit seems to be the reasonable next step to protect our community from this nuisance.

GVBC is currently building new ‘structures’, but these measures have been minimally effective at minimizing noise thus far. Most of the surrounding neighbors continue to have their peace impeded upon multiple days of the week with varying hours both day and night for extensive periods of time. The incessantly loud music and yelling continue to be heard inside people’s homes, with doors and windows closed. We are unable to enjoy spending time outdoors during their meetings, children have difficulty getting to sleep, and this repeated noise is causing a significant amount of psychological stress to those in the surrounding area. Currently, 76% of the 2,002 petition signatures are those from local neighborhoods of Mt. Juliet, Green Hill, and Old Hickory. It is evident that this nuisance impacts a geographically large number of homeowners.

Considering the contentious tone taken by Greg Locke and GVBC, it is understandable that some may not feel completely safe bringing a personal lawsuit. Therefore, we are proposing a multiple-plaintiff lawsuit with a minimum of 100 people who are adversely affected by the noise. The egregious noise affects many surrounding subdivisions including Chandler Pointe, Normandy Heights, Cobblestone Landing, Hickory Hills, Brookstone, Radford Farms, Kelsey Glen, Mount Vernon Estates, and Willoughby Station. There are approximately 3,400 homes in the area and approximately 8,500 inhabitants. There should be an ample amount of participants with this dense population.

The WWC has spoken to several attorneys and has found one well-versed in our cause and believed to be best suited for the job. In order to move forward with litigation, the attorney requested a retainer in the amount of $10,000. We have created this fundraiser in an effort to raise funds for the suit and maintain momentum. We will need funds AND enough willing participants to move forward with this.

If you’d like to participate or want to learn more, email westwilsoncoalition at gmail.com or click the contact button on this fundraiser. Please include the following:

Full name

Address

Phone number

If you’d simply like to donate to this cause, please do so here. A separate trust fund for the lawyer will be set up later as this grows. Should this fundraiser and participation not reach the goals we need to move forward with the lawsuit, all donations will be donated to the legal fees of the ongoing lawsuit by a neighbor against GVBC. If this completely covers their legal fees, any remaining funds will be donated to the nonprofit Autism Society of America.

In the interest of transparency, all donors will be provided with regular updates on the use of funds and financial documents will be made available upon request.

Thank you,

West Wilson Coalition