"A homeowners association is essentially a private government. ... They don't have to respect your civil liberties the same way a real local government has to. They don't have to worry about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights."
Winona Blevins, an elderly widow who lived in a planned community in Houston called Champions, was astonished when a constable came to her door one morning and told her he had a court order to evict her. Something doesn't add up here. If they are not a real government, they why are their decisions being backed up and enforced by taxpayer paid, real public employees??
It's definitely screwed up. I have a different take, though. I don't think that homeowners' associations are their own government so much as they tend to be organizations that abuse the legal system to get what they want. They collect fees every month from homeowners. If you want to buck them, they'll take you to civil court and sue the pants off you. They'll break out the neighborhood covenants, tell the judge which ones you're violating, and the judge will rule that you have to step in line or start paying fines and possibly go to jail.
The homeowners' associations have more money for lawyers than you do, so they'll spend you to death in court. It's either do what they say or go broke defending yourself in court. The homeowners' associations can tell you what kind of siding to have on your house, what kind of lawn to have, and what color to paint your house.
There are people who are facing fines and jail because they are flying the American flag in violation of neighborhood covenants. The homeowners' associations took them to court, got the judge to rule in their favor, and now the homeowners have to comply or face penalties for contempt of court. I think it sucks.