Bipartisan Commission Brings Investigation of Housing Discrimination to Atlanta
ATLANTA – Today, as Americans struggle with the meaning of an unprecedented housing and financial crisis, fair housing experts and civil rights advocates convened in Atlanta, the site of some of the worst housing law enforcement in the country, to investigate the devastating effects of housing discrimination in the city and region.
“I believe it is a crucial component of this commission to consider our government’s role in the continuing state of housing inequality and the reforms necessary to ensure its vigorous enforcement of the law,” said the Honorable Henry Cisneros, former Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary. “I am proud to be part of this historic commission to examine the state of fair housing in our nation.”
The hearing drew local, regional, and national housing advocates and residents to testify about the extent of illegal housing discrimination, its origins, its connection with government policy and practice, and its effect on communities in the region and across the nation.
“It has long been recognized that the Atlanta regional office of HUD is the most ineffective of its ten offices nationwide,” said Shanna Smith, president of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “That needs to be addressed.”
Atlanta was the final city in a cross-country investigation into the state of housing in America in the wake of the nation’s housing and financial crises.
The bipartisan commission, hosted by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the National Fair Housing Alliance, will release its findings and recommendations to strengthen housing laws in a comprehensive report on December 9.
A webcast of the hearing will stream live, in real time.
In addition to co-chairs Henry Cisneros and former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, the National Commission includes Pat Combs, former President of the National Association of Realtors; Okianer Christian Dark, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Howard University College of Law; I. King Jordan, President-Emeritus of Gallaudet University; Myron Orfield, Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law; and Gordon Quan, former Mayor Pro Tem and Chair of the Housing Committee for the City of Houston.
/ / /
“The FHA of 1968 was the capstone to the great civil rights laws of the 1960s that helped the U.S. align its actions with its ideals and values. However, 40 years after its passage, we’ve seen an erosion of those rights in the subprime meltdown and the mortgage lending and housing crisis. The American Dream of homeownership must be reinvigorated because where you live affects so many aspects of life. Housing goes far deeper than four walls – where we live can determine where our children go to school, where we work, and too often, our access to opportunity.” – Leadership Conference on Civil Rights President Wade Henderson
“The importance of this Commission’s hearings and upcoming final report is demonstrated again by the recent claims made by many that the Community Reinvestment Act is a major reason for the foreclosure crisis we face today. Testimony to be presented at the Atlanta hearing will demonstrate that there is no truth to this charge. Because of a long history of past discrimination against minorities, this law was necessary and has provided significant improvement in banking services available to underserved minority areas. The evidence at the hearing will show that the discriminatory and predatory lending perpetrated disproportionately on minorities seeking to buy a home had no relation to the requirements of this law. “ – Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Executive Director Barbara Arnwine
“The United States Department of Justice can play a powerful role in challenging the residential segregation that persists today. Unfortunately, its enforcement of fair housing laws has weakened in recent years. The Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is correct is shining a spotlight on that record. Our nation needs the Justice Department to enforce our civil rights laws at full strength.” – NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. President and Director-Counsel John Payton
“As we conclude this historic series of commission hearings, it has become clear that housing discrimination and the resulting neighborhood segregation are problems too costly for our country to ignore. I look forward to the commissioners’ recommendations for how we can effectively address housing, lending and insurance discrimination through enforcement and education, and achieve the Congressional purpose of the Fair Housing Act.” – National Fair Housing Alliance President Shanna Smith