[StBernard] St. Bernard Zoning Ordinances Discriminate, Suit Says

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Zoning Ordinances Discriminate, Suit Says

Case Challenges Efforts to Prevent Minorities from Moving to Lily- White New
Orleans Suburb, Groups Say

10/3/2006 12:30:00 PM


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To: National Desk 

Contact: Jonathan P. Hooks of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, 202-662-8326

ST. BERNARD PARISH, La., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An ordinance
barring single-family homeowners from renting to anyone except blood
relatives discriminates against African Americans and Hispanics, according
to a lawsuit filed today by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action
Center (GNOFHAC) and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. In
St. Bernard Parish, an overwhelmingly white area where over 93 percent of
all such homes are owned by whites, this will disproportionately exclude
minorities and perpetuate the parish's history of segregation, the groups
say.

"After Hurricane Katrina, displaced families of all kinds remain in
desperate need of housing, especially around New Orleans. But rather than
welcome people back, St. Bernard is slamming the door in their face," said
Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee.

The ordinance, passed on Sept. 19, builds upon other exclusionary measures
taken by St. Bernard that have the intent and effect of excluding
minorities, the complaint alleges. In particular, the St. Bernard Parish
Council has acted to ban and restrict owners from offering rental units
disproportionately used and needed by African Americans and Hispanics.

For example, in November 2005, the parish passed an ordinance restricting
leasing of units in multi-family developments. In March, an ordinance
barring rental of all single-family homes was passed. The present ordinance
creates an exception but one that is essentially limited to whites only.
Combined, these ordinances choke off rental housing desperately needed since
the storm -- and disproportionately needed by minorities. (In St. Bernard,
only 20 percent of whites are renters, while the figure is 45 percent for
blacks and 31 percent for Hispanics.)

"Given the history and the effect of this ordinance, the facts are clear:
St. Bernard is trying to keep out Blacks and Hispanics," said Joseph D.
Rich, director of the Fair Housing and Community Development Project at the
Lawyers' Committee. "The rationale for this new ordinance -- that they want
to promote owners only -- doesn't make sense. It's just a pretext for
discrimination."

The lawsuit seeks an order declaring that the ordinances violate the Fair
Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604, which prohibits discrimination which "makes
unavailable" dwellings on the basis of race or other categories and other
civil rights laws, including the Equal Protection clause of the
constitution. In addition, plaintiffs seek a court order enjoining the
ordinances.

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