Posted on 08/04/2005 11:17:29 AM PDT by SoDak
A 72-year-old Sioux Falls man is stirring up quite a controversy. He's made it known he doesn't want deadbeats or people who can't speak English living in his rental properties. In fact, in February, Ron Johnson ran an advertisement in the Sioux Falls Shopping News stating that very fact while trying to rent out a home. Now Johnson has been ordered to undergo training on fair housing practices.
Johnson says, "If you were to ask me if I'm prejudice, I'd have to say well it depends on what you mean by prejudice."
Ron Johnson owns ten different rental properties. And the 72-year-old says he has nothing against minorities. In fact he's rented to many in the 50 years he's been in business.
But now, he says it's his right to rent to people he can understand, people who speak English. He says, "I can't communicate with them. I have to rely on hand signals and grunts and groans."
Johnson says he wants to be able to help his tenants if they need it. He says, "It just doesn't make any sense. Anybody will know you've got to be able to communicate and this is my country, my house. I shouldn't have to walk around with an interpreter."
Because of the ad he placed, Johnson now has to take a class on fair housing and hand out pamphlets to tenants about discrimination. He says, "Respondent agrees not to commit any act of discrimination against any person in the terms, conditions or privileges of a rental of a dwelling."
Johnson never thought his ad would turn into a discrimination complaint and to this day, doesn't think what he did was wrong. He says, "Absolutely not. I would go to my grave with that thought."
The discrimination complaint against Johnson is not the first in the area. In fact, according to the Fair Housing of the Dakotas, between January and May of this year, there have been nine allegations of housing discrimination in the Sioux Falls area. Last year, there were 21 complaints filed.
While it should be perfectly legal for a person to choose who he lets borrow his very valuable property, this guy is likely in for a dificult go.
I sympathize with him. I've had tenants who were selective in their ability to speak English. I usually took a Spanish speaker with me if I had a problem with them.
I guess we were all wrong.
The communists really did win.
Sorry Mr. Johnson, but the America you think you live in died a while back.
You're no longer a citizen, but just a member of the North American Community now and if you don't cooperate, we'll give your property to someone we like better.
If he can stand it, let the property sit idle and do not renew on the tenants when their leases expire.
Johnson went about this the wrong way, he should have never been honest and told them up front that he wanted English speakers. He could require them to submit an essay on the "legal requirements and responsibilities of a renter" and require them to read it to him during the application process. Nondiscriminatory.
Not if it has a "disparate impact" on a protected class, so that wouldn't pass muster either.
Ahhh, yes. America....land of opportunity.
(Unless you are white and American)
I love how in this free country, Government dictates to private property owners who they MUST do business with.
Incredible.
So John Roberts would be against this guy too.
If he followed precedent, he would be.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents of legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability).
It actually doesn't say anything about linguistic ability, so I'm a little confused.
If you don't speak english, you aren't going to be able to fill out my application.. if you can't fill out my application you can't rent my apartment.... EHC can kiss my arse.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a law that said you must provide an application in the language of the applicant.
His biggest problem was his own big mouth. If he had just not said anything and made his decisions in private, there would be no problem.
You're right to some degree, but the "biggest problem" is the stupid law that prohibits people from doing business with only those they choose to.
The ACLU lawyer would have to argue that educating a potential renter about all rights and responsibilities would have a "disparate impact" on that renters protected class. Much different than "must speak english".
I can't see why. What he says sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Why should he learn a foreign language or hire an interpreter in his own country?
I suppose he could have an interpreter on retainer and just jack up the rental on all his units $100 a month to budget for the expense...
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