Tenants Win $252,500 Settlement from Georgia's Blakely Housing Authority and Its Executive Director
Friday, April 01
- Organization: U.S. Newswire
A class of African- American tenants of the City of Blakely Housing Authority (BHA) and the Concerned Citizens' Committee of Blakely and Early County, Georgia (CCC) today announce the $252,500 settlement of their housing discrimination claims against the BHA and its Executive Director, Daniel Cooper. The Consent Order settling the action, filed on the plaintiffs' behalf by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, not only provides the plaintiffs with $252,500 in damages and attorneys' fees, but also requires Mr. Cooper to resign from his position as Executive Director and implements wide-ranging changes to the operation and management of the BHA, empowering tenants at each of the BHA's housing complexes in Blakely, Georgia.
Plaintiffs Queen King, Sharon Johnson, and Evelyn Reed, on behalf of the plaintiff class, along with plaintiffs Bonita Mays, individually, and the CCC, alleged that the BHA and Mr. Cooper established and maintained racially segregated housing by allowing white applicants to skip over African-American applicants with higher positions on the BHA waiting lists, in violation of the BHA's own written policies, so that the white applicants could be placed in an area of the BHA allegedly reserved specifically for white residents.
The plaintiffs also alleged that the defendants imposed more onerous terms and conditions of rental on African-American tenants than white tenants. For example, the plaintiffs alleged that Mr. Cooper conducted armed patrols of the predominately African-American areas of the BHA apartment complexes, and harassed and detained African-American tenants and their guests, without provocation, treatment to which he did not subject the predominately white areas of the complexes.
Plaintiffs further alleged that the defendants retaliated against them for forming a tenants' association to address the alleged discriminatory conduct, as well as for engaging in public protests about such conduct, including attempted evictions, increased rents and the imposition of unwarranted fees.
In addition to the monetary payment and the resignation of Mr. Cooper from his position, the Consent Order requires the BHA to follow a non-discriminatory policy in placing tenants in apartments and provides for oversight of the BHA's policies and practices for a four-year period by the United States Department of Justice. It requires the BHA and certain of its employees to undergo fair housing training and to enforce the rules and conditions of rental equally and not according to race. It also requires the BHA to forgive any past-due balances of former BHA tenants who wish to move back to the BHA and, depending on their individual circumstances and applicable government regulations, to have other negative information expunged from their BHA files. Finally, BHA must hold elections for a BHA tenant to hold the position of non-voting member of the BHA's Board of Commissioners.
As the Court concluded in granting final approval to the Consent Order, "the terms of the settlement between the parties grant virtually every request for relief short of Defendants' admission of liability," and the settlement entitles "named Plaintiffs and class members (to) receive significant monetary relief as well as programmatic relief."
"This settlement proves that African-Americans are not powerless against the forces of racial discrimination, and that they can indeed fight back and prevail against those who seek to perpetuate the sad history of racial discrimination in Blakely and other areas of the South," said lead class representative Queen King.
"This settlement makes clear that racial segregation and discriminatory conduct by public housing authorities and their employees will not be tolerated in Georgia. No one should have to live in a climate of tyranny and oppression," said Benjamin Cawthon, president of the Concerned Citizens Committee of Blakely and Early County, Georgia. "All of those who are living in denial that racial discrimination exists and will not destroy our community, state and nation need to engage in immediate reconciliation and address all forms of racial discrimination, in their own homes and communities as well as across the nation," Mr. Cawthon added.
"No amount of money can ever make whole those who have experienced this kind of discriminatory treatment, but this settlement gives current, former and future BHA tenants some real measure of justice," said Michael Foreman, Deputy Director of Legal Programs of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the national civil rights organization representing the plaintiffs. "Just as important, the Consent Order creates policies that will empower the BHA tenants and provides an example for others to follow."
The plaintiffs are represented by the Lawyers' Committee in Washington, D.C.; John R. Braatz and Christopher A. Raimondi of the New York, N.Y. office of Proskauer Rose LLP; and Betty Walker-Lanier of Tifton, Ga.
