Fair Housing groups around the country demand Westchester enforcement

Westchester Case

June 14, 2016 — In papers filed in Federal District Court today, 10 civil rights groups from across the country are seeking to file a brief in support of the Court’s full consideration of the facts and perspective brought to the Court’s attention by ADC in a May 11th letter. The groups, pointing out that the failure to enforce the decree fully will embolden others across the country to continue to perpetuate segregation, asked the Court to order the robust remedies sought by ADC.

The 10 groups filing today are: Central Ohio Fair Housing Association, Disability Law Center, Enhanced Section 8 Outreach Program, ERASE Racism, Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Fair Housing Council of Orange County, Inclusive Communities Project, Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, and National Fair Housing Alliance.

The Enhanced Section 8 Outreach Program is represented by its General Counsel, Jerrold M. Levy; all of the other groups are represented by Mariann Meier Wang, a partner in the law firm Cuti Hecker Wang LLP.

Special thanks to Jim McCarthy for his leadership in this matter.

It's really in the court order — take a look

Because Westchester has consistently muddied the waters, because the Government and the Monitor have failed to explain to the public the provisions of the consent decree, and because the press frequently engages in “on the one hand, on the other hand” journalism, it’s not surprising that many people believe that we have nothing more than an ongoing negotiation of a political dispute.

In fact, the consent decree sets out specific obligations (and several important acknowledgments that Westchester was forced to make, including its authority and responsibility to litigate against municipalities that retain barriers to fair housing choice, and the appropriateness of doing so).

Read the decree

Enough is enough

Tired of years of Westchester violating a historic housing desegregation consent decree? Disgusted with the pretense of “progress”? Sick of attempts to downplay the scope of the illegal barriers to fair housing choice in the county? Want to see Westchester actually held to account for all of its wrongdoing?

I want action

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