Feds sue Long Island Town of Oyster Bay, allege housing discrimination against blacks

Newsday ^ | 04/11/2014 | ROBERT E. KESSLER. AND TED PHILLIPS

[SeekAndFind]

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the Town of Oyster Bay and Town Supervisor John Venditto Thursday for allegedly discriminating against black people in two affordable housing programs -- one aimed at first-time buyers, the other at senior citizens.

In a complaint filed in federal court in Central Islip, prosecutors said both programs violated the federal Fair Housing Act because preferences were given to residents, or their children, living in the town, which has few black residents. To ensure that black people were not discriminated against in the selection process, the town should have given equal treatment to prospective occupants from the larger, more diverse metropolitan area, the complaint said.

"Housing programs designed to help young families and senior citizens purchase homes should be available to people of all races, including African-Americans," Eastern District U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement Thursday. "To the extent residency preferences prevent families and senior citizens from purchasing homes because of race, ethnicity or color, the preferences violate federal law and cannot be tolerated."

Jocelyn Samuels, the acting attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement, "if municipalities wish to adopt residency preferences such as those imposed by the defendants, they most do so in way that does not discriminate against people based on race."

Because of the town's policies, none of the occupants of the housing aimed at first-time home buyers are black, and, at most, a handful of occupants of the senior citizen housing are black, the complaint says.

[FreeReign]

Still, I know MANY upper middle class peeps in NY/NYC/NJ who were BIGTIME Obama fans.

Yup.

Oyster Bay Cove is the richest part of the Town of Oyster Bay. And as was pointed out, they voted for Obama.

[Focault's Pendulum]

But Section 8 in the middle of town would be great! Serve them right too.

Here's a little ditty for the inevitable, upcoming protest.

Section8
Section8
It's what we appreciate!
Section8
Section8
We gonna do an Oyster Gate!
Section8
Section8
Use my color as the bait!
Section8
Section8
Live nearby makes you hate!
Section8
Section8
Get your woman......Wait!

What??!

Look......

.....a squirrel.

[George from New England]

Or the cemetery is in the ‘Cove’ district/count. The dead control the vote in all 57 states.

[sport]

Everything and anything discriminates against Blacks, the sun, the rotation of the earth, gravity, water, rain ,snow anything that can have a name attached to it discriminates against Blacks.

[FreeReign]

They took the federal government’s affordable housing money, they are obliged to abide by the federal government’s rules, which have always included aggressively seeking black and Hispanic tenants in supermajority white areas.

I see no mention of federal money in these two programs offered by the Town of Oyster Bay.

Perhaps you can document your claim.

[GOPJ]

Why don’t black people like living with black people?

[Carriage Hill]

Obama: 53%
Romney: 46%

EMBRACE THE SUCK, Oyster Bay Cove!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Two lying left-wingers that both sucked.

[Carriage Hill]

No argument there; one just sucked less, and would have done less damage, less quickly.

[fieldmarshaldj]

...and then there’s Willard.

[FreeReign]

You have no idea what you are talking about.

[AllAmericanGirl44]

bkmk

[Clemenza]

Serves the Scarsdale and Larchmont crowd right.