Manassas Changes Definition Of Family

[lostnfound]

This is amazing. Why are people so threatened by diversity? Why the need for cookie-cutter families? Incredible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/27/AR2005122701216.html

Manassas Changes Definition Of Family
Activists Criticize New Housing Limits As Anti-Immigrant

The inspector slid into his Crown Victoria, a police radio on his belt, addresses in hand. It was after 5 p.m., and he and his interpreter rolled into Manassas, down a street of benign ranch houses strung with lights. They parked, walked to a door and knocked.

"Mrs. Chavez?" Victor Purchase asked in the quiet evening.

There had been a complaint, he said. The city needed to know not just how many people lived there but how they were related. He handed Leyla Chavez a form and explained that she could be prosecuted for lying.

...

There was Chavez and her husband. Their two sons. A nephew. The man who rented downstairs. His girlfriend.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Where's Focus on Family on this one? Hmmm?

<<<<<crickets >>>>>>>

thank goodness
they are keeping to
their racist selves
(at least so far)

what frauds.

[shenmue]

2. Huh?

Your nephew is considered unrelated? Do they understand the definition of the word nephew?

What if they had taken him in because of an emergency? Would they still roust them out again?

What uncharitable, narrow-minded, religion-establishing bastards. I hope the courts kick them in the ass on this one. This screams unconstitutional to me, or at the very least, heartless.

:dunce:

:mad:

[Eric J in MN]

3. The article said the ACLU is getting involved.

It's ridiculous to have govt telling us that 7 people in a 5 bedroom house is too many.

[lostnfound]

5. It's crazy. What a loving world they want to create.

Where you are only allowed to look out for your own, not for your sister's kid or brother's kid.

And do you think there's any chance they'd enforce this at a mansion? Some fire marshal would show up and say he needs to inspect all of the bedrooms? I suspect it's a bit unlikely.

[bluestateguy]

4. Seems kind of nanny statish to me.

nt

[northzax]

6. there are some really strange things in this

for instance. You can have one family with 10 children, even if the parents are not married, (as long as there are two, unrelated parents in the house) so the Brady Bunch is fine, but if you have a house, and your sister and her two children move in, after she is widowed, then you are breaking the law. If she brings her husband along, you are fine.

I love the idea that I can have my gay lover and his five children move in, but not my sister and her two children. a boarder paying cash? fine. your uncle and his increasingly senile wife? nope. stupid.

[Lex]

7. Here's a good long DU thread from a few days back

on the same story (lots of good info provided):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=22572

[lostnfound]

8. Thank you. I did a search on Manassas but somehow missed this one. nt

[MountainLaurel]

9. UPDATE: The rule has been suspended

Manassas has suspended enforcement of an ordinance that makes it illegal in most cases for extended relatives such as aunts, uncles and cousins to live together as a family, city officials said yesterday.

The City Council is considering its options, including the possibility of repealing the ordinance, which was overwhelmingly affecting Latino residents and has been harshly criticized in recent days by civil rights and fair housing groups.

"Our responsibility is to protect the safety, health and well being of our citizens," council member J. Steven Randolph (I) said after a meeting with the city manager last night. "But how we do that is limited by a number of factors. We are sworn, and rightfully so, to support the state and federal constitution, and we have to make sure that what we do is reasonable and not arbitrary."

Earlier in the day, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced it would challenge the ordinance, calling it "an unconstitutional government infringement" on the rights of families and a tool to target families based on nationality.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401986.html

Kudos to the ACLU, other groups, and all the individuals who spoke out!

:applause: :applause: :applause: