Posted on 10/21/2010 6:33:45 PM PDT by earlJam
No 'Christian' roommate for churchgoer Complaint filed with Fair Housing Center
Updated: Thursday, 21 Oct 2010, 5:51 PM EDT Published : Thursday, 21 Oct 2010, 5:51 PM EDT
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan filed a housing discrimination charge against a Grand Rapids woman who advertised for a Christian roommate on her church bulletin board.
The 31-year-old woman's attorney, who works for the Alliance Defense Fund , said this is a blatant violation of her First Amendment right to freely associate.
But Nancy Haynes of the Fair Housing Center told 24 Hour News 8 the woman has every right to seek and live with a Christian roommate -- but advertising for it publicly, even on a church bulletin board, violates federal law.
"She can be a Christian and she can even use that as a criteria for who she wants to rent to. She just can't state that. Because to state that is a violation of the Fair Housing Act," she said. "There are certain exceptions that apply. She can actually, in practice, not rent to a non-Christian. But she can't make the statement. The statement alone is a violation of the act. What she can do in practice she can't make a statement about."
Haynes said the Fair Housing Center began investigating after someone in the congregation, who was offended, filed a complaint.
The center then filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights , and the action is administrative, not criminal. The center asks for a response to try and negotiate a settlement. If they can't, it's possible that the Michigan Department of Civil Rights would determine if a violation happened and perhaps recommend a hearing.
The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter seeking dismissal of this complaint to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, but there has not yet been a response.
"I found (the woman and her attorney's) response very offensive. We're not punishing her for being Christian at all. If you're in the business of renting, it's a business transaction that's held to a standard under federal, state and local law."
The state wants the woman to get training in federal law, and reimburse the Fair Housing Center $300 for the time it took them to investigate.
Well, I’m getting flak right now on one of my friend’s facebook wall. It’s one of HIS friends who claims to be an ordained deacon in the Presybterian Church and also on his page claims to be a LEFTY and judging by his problems with my beliefs about Christ, he really is a lefty.
As the saying goes, being in a bakery does not make you a bagel.
Absolutely. As the Bearded Marxist says, we need to defend the First Amendment as written.
Can “re-education” camps be far behind?
Must be an Episcopalian or Methodist church...they would be offended.
Wow. Where I come from (never mind where), you’re allowed a great deal more latitude about picking a person to LIVE with. Business arrangement or not, a roommate or a tenant in the house you occupy is just a whole different thing than a tenant not under your own roof.
Unbelievable. What’s happened to America?
Is being a bureaucrat at the “Fair Housing Center” considered a job? Is it one of the “shovel-ready” jobs our leader created for us?
I’d tell these government screws to blow it out their a** so fast it would make their heads spin. Let them throw me in prison for this... please!
You CAN discriminate...you just can’t SAY you are discriminating...yeah, stupid, isn’t it...magritte
For the record:
http://www.indianroommates.in/Detroit
http://www.usaindian.net/usa-indian/Indian-roommate-finder-search-USA.asp
We are really a whacked society....
So, he contacted the business office at the WarshPost and said he preferred a student.
The Post ran the want ad ~ it said "STUD PREFERRED".
Half the gay blades in DC called checking on the availability of that rental.
"the Fair Housing Center began investigating after someone in the congregation, who was offended, filed a complaint."
(sarcasm)
Oh, but that would be different.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll bet no one filed a "Fair Housing Act" complaint on that one...
so at what point can you not request a male/female roommate? It seems even requesting a roommate discrimnates against those of us who don’t want a roommate.........
Does anyone believe this? I don't. I think that someone with an agenda was actively trolling through various churches and looking at bulletin boards specifically to find cases like this.
It might have been an atheist activist looking for anything actionable, it might have been a homosexual activist who would have then attempted to find out if the woman discriminates against lesbians, or it might have even been someone associated with the "Fair Housing Center" (snort) who was looking for a chump they could spring their crap on and thus justify their tax-sucking existence.
What I would be willing to bet megabucks on is that it was NOT a regularly attending member of that church's congregation and that the "Fair Housing Center" will fight to the death to avoid revealing who made the complaint. Further, I would go so far as to say I bet there are a LOT of complaints submitted by that person.
Which clause of the Constitution gave Congress the right to regulate advertisements for roommates? If, then, it is not authorized by the Constitution then it is no more a law than one I would write and post on the internet. It is time, indeed past time, that we challenge the overreaching of Congress.
I agree. In fact we need to take back that language which was intended to protect those of faith. Our side should more strongly educate the masses as to what separation of church and state is really all about.
Couldn’t she just state that her roommate must “conform to normal Christian behavior?” I would think that would solve the problem.
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