One Love Longview (OLL), the only non-faith-based, LGBTQ-affirming resource center for homeless and struggling residents of Longview, officially closed its doors on Feb. 7.Â
Amanda Veasy, the organization’s executive director, said that since becoming a legal nonprofit in 2020, One Love Longview has provided vital services, including mental health and substance abuse counseling, free medical care, prescription assistance, meals, showers and other day services. In 2024, Veasy said One Love Longview expanded its services to offer a high school education program for 18-to-51-year-old community members.
Veasy said that despite early success and community support, the organization faced significant opposition after relocating to a new location in Longview’s business district. According to Veasy, local business owners rallied against One Love Longview, calling for its closure and involving city council and law enforcement. Veasy said the organization was further strained by a loss of funding, as she said donors were pressured by anti-OLL groups to pull their donations.
One Love Longview, which relied entirely on community funding, could no longer cover its more-than-$30,000-a-month operational costs, Veasy said.
Veasy said that this closure leaves a gap in services for Longview’s struggling populations.
“Without One Love Longview, there is no safe place around for some of our clients,” Veasy said. “We serve people who don’t fit the mold of traditional shelters — veterans with PTSD, people with mental illness, and those of us who are simply trying to survive.”
On February 11, You Are The Power (YATP), a nonprofit that addresses government overreach, released a video showing a Longview police officer arresting Michael Blake, a homeless OLL client who Veasy said suffers from PTSD and psychosis. The video, which has garnered more than 100,000 views already, depicts Sgt. Chip Koepke of the Longview Police Department using pepper spray against Blake and knocking him to the ground within 20 seconds of arriving on the scene.
No de-escalation techniques were used, despite Koepke being a state-certified mental health officer trained to handle such situations.Â
YATP released a statement via Facebook on Feb. 19 that says Koepke resigned from the Longview Police Department this week.Â
“YATP could not confirm whether his resignation was in lieu of termination or occurred while under an internal affairs investigation for the incident involving Michael or an entirely unrelated matter,” the nonprofit’s post reads.
As the situation unfolds, Dallas Voice will be investigating and providing updates on the impact of this closure and the challenges One Love Longview faced in what Veasy described as a battle against local opposition and governmental pressure. Stay tuned for further coverage.
— Caroline Savoie