Posted on 09/08/2003 11:22:04 AM PDT by dukeman
TAYLOR, MI – Johnie Heard lives in Section 8, low income, government housing which is owned by the city of Taylor, Michigan. She has lived in the housing development for 10 years, but last year was threatened with eviction from her home for displaying an 8-inch, stop sign-shaped window sign containing the following message: “24 Hr. Prayer Station.”
Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, and Erik Stanley, Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel, represented Ms. Heard in a lawsuit filed last year claiming violation of her right to free speech, as well as violations of the Fair Housing Act.
The Housing Authority instituted eviction proceedings against Ms. Heard last year because she refused to take down the prayer sign in her window. Ms. Heard not only lives in low-income housing, but also watches children in her home for a living. She was faced with a loss of housing as well as a loss of her livelihood simply for displaying a small religious sign in her window. Other residents were allowed to display numerous secular signs, such as holiday signs and sports team signs, without being told to remove them.
After the City’s attempt to evict Ms. Heard was dropped, she filed a federal lawsuit claiming violation of her right to free speech and violation of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the terms of housing on the basis of religion. The only reason the City targeted Ms. Heard’s sign was because it is religious.
On the eve of depositions in the case, the Housing Authority agreed to settle the case. As part of the settlement, the Housing Authority adopted a new rule allowing residents to display signs in their windows or on their doors. The Housing Authority also paid Liberty Counsel’s attorney’s fees and costs and paid a substantial amount of damages to Ms. Heard. Shortly after the settlement was reached, the manager of the complex was terminated.
Staver noted, “I’m astounded that the City would attempt to evict a single woman living on a shoestring budget solely for displaying a religious message in the window of her home. As a government housing facility, the city of Taylor and the housing authorities must respect the First Amendment rights of these residents. Certainly, the residents have the right to display religious messages in the windows of their own homes.”
Staver added, “We are very happy with the result in this case. The new policy and the large monetary payment by the Defendants in this case should wake up other housing authorities to understand that they must abide by the Constitution.” Staver concluded, “What the City and the Housing Authority did in this case was wrong and should outrage all of us. This settlement shows that they are not above the law.”
The manager was terminated? Sounds like harsh punishment.
The Housing Authority has no money. We, the taxpayers, paid a substantial amount of damages to Ms. Heard. The settlement took our money, food off our table, clothes off our children's back.
When will people learn that they are personally paying for the miscreants in government? This money comes out of our wallets.
Any fines or settlements should be paid by the individual's who were responsible for the wrongdoing. It should come out of their wages, bank accounts, or 401Ks, not ours.
If the manager tried to evict someone because of their race, they would have been fired. Why not for anti-Christian discrimination?
>If the manager tried to evict someone because of their race, they would have been fired. Why not for anti-Christian discrimination?
I presume they meant the manager's employment was terminated, rather than the manager himself.
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