Evangelical Singer's Plan For Skid Row Concert Backfires

LOS ANGELES, CA — Evangelical Christian Sean Feucht triggered widespread alarm when he announced plans to sing his Gospel music to the homeless of Los Angeles with a series of New Year's concerts over the next several days. His critics dubbed the concert a superspreader event targeting the most vulnerable of Los Angeles residents and promptly organized a blockade to try to stop the singer and his followers.

Feucht's concert series was set to kick off near skid row Wednesday night, but it largely turned out to be much ado about nothing. Though several evangelicals turned up to evangelize to the homeless, Feucht was not spotted as of 9 p.m. Wednesday. His history of promoting maskless gatherings troubled city leaders and homeless advocates alike. Councilman Kevin de Leon took to Twitter to ask Feucht to reconsider before it was too late.

Feucht, a volunteer pastor and failed Republican congressional candidate from Redding, has a history of defying COVID-19 health mandates. He's been on tour hosting "Let Us Worship" open-air concerts nationwide to push back against government restrictions on religious gatherings.

Wednesday night's public event was expected to take place at 7 p.m. near the intersection of Fifth Street and Towne Avenue, but homeless advocates with the L.A. Community Action Network and other organizations want to protect the vulnerable population from the virus and staged a vehicle "blockade" against it starting at 6 p.m.

The planned concert appeared to draw as many opponents as followers of Feucht.

On Twitter, Feucht said he was undeterred by the efforts to block him, writing, "THE GREATER THE RESISTANCE, THE GREATER THE BREAKTHROUGH!"

Besides Wednesday's planned performance on skid row, he planned a concert Thursday at Echo Park Lake, followed by a New Year's Eve party at a church parking lot in Valencia.

Some of the singer's events have featured hundreds of maskless worshipers tightly packed together as they sing and dance, which is something skid row activists said they fear could further spread the virus at a critical time when Los Angeles County is facing record case counts and a severe shortage of intensive care hospital beds. The state this week also extended its stay-at- home order banning public gatherings.

Charles Karuku, a Feucht associate who travels with the singer, told The Los Angeles Times that they tell followers to heed government health guidelines, "but we are not law enforcement. It's up to the people how they choose to come."

Feucht's Facebook page, in a Tuesday post, stated: "Our epic 2020 journey with God across America culminates in Los Angeles in just two days. Join us in person and online ..."

A Facebook event page for the New Year's Eve event, happening at 9 p.m. to midnight at 28776 The Old Road in Valencia, showed that 479 people had indicated they were "going" -- although it was unclear if they planned to physically be there or watch online.

In a YouTube video posted with the script "Claiming the coast of California for JESUS!!! #LetUsWorship," Feucht was with his family on the beach when he said, "We are launching into this epic two days together ... as we join with thousands from across America in person -- and online," leaving a deliberate pause between "in person" and "online."

He said he's "excited to party in the New Year together" with surprises planned at midnight. He said he planned to celebrate the New Year "by seeing God break out in Los Angeles," noting that "God is not finished with California."

He also noted that he's planning to provide meals to the homeless during his events.

Stephen "Cue" Jn-Marie, pastor of Church Without Walls on skid row, is helping organize the blockade of cars on skid row and told The Times, "We know based on his track record whatever he's going to do is going to be maskless. The problem we're facing is even prior to the stay-at-home order, people come into the community and say they're bringing resources but what they're bringing is the disease."

The California Poor People's Campaign wrote a letter calling for city and county officials to stop Feucht's events and enforce health orders against gatherings. Mayor Eric Garcetti warned Wednesday that police would be out in force on New Year's Eve to prevent gatherings. He said officers and county health officials plan to be on hand at Wednesday night's skid row event to ensure order and urge people to wear masks.

Feucht also has upcoming events scheduled in Orange County and San Diego, according to his website.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.