HOUSING POLICIES OF EXCLUSION
BY EDDIE M.
The American
Dream is commonly associated with having a spouse, children, and a comfortable
living situation, but for Latinos in America, this is not such an easy task.
Housing policies have become very restrictive towards different racial groups,
due to a lack of compassion and empathy by the people making these policies.
There is still a lot of bias and bigotry in the world that is keeping Latinos
from providing the lifestyle that they and their families deserve. How deeply
does this discrimination affect racially diverse groups and what are they doing
to take action against this discrimination? In this blog post, I will discuss
the ramifications of these housing policies on Latino individuals, as well as
the Latino community as a whole. I will also try to offer some alternative
options that may be favorable to a Latino who has been scorned by these
restrictive housing policies.
In a news
article which I found on Fox16’s website, an apartment management company in Arkansas
became the center of attention when a complaint was filed against them for
denying housing to numerous Latino tenants. An investigation by the National
Fair Housing Alliance showed that the managers of these apartments refused to
supply rental applications to Latinos who were hoping to move in. It was also
discovered that both a white and a Latino individual called in to inquire about
the apartments and while the white person was answer within minutes, the Latino
person had to wait 12 days before they got a reply. Even after waiting all of
this time, the information they were supplied with was not suitable for them to
make an informed decision, basically deterring them from wanting to live in
that apartment. This must have been deeply hurtful to
that person of Latino descent once they realized what was going on and I would
not be surprised if they chose not to trust white people in authority positions
after this incident. It not only affects individuals, but the entire community
of proud Latino citizens because they become aware of the racism that is present in their society. This
can skew their sense of trust in the American lifestyle, meaning that anyone can
make a better life for themselves in America, which leads to a separation between
different groups of people. In this scenario, I would suggest that these
Latinos who were denied housing should move to a place that is more tolerant of
racial equality. New York and Los Angeles have been proven to be massive
attractors of Latinos; moving out to these places would most likely offer a
fairer chance of receiving housing. I am sure some areas are more accepting
than others; the inner cities would most likely be more accepting than the
suburbs.
We like to
think that racism is not prevalent in our community, but that is not always
true; sometimes there is blatant racism occurring right in our own backyard. A quote from
our class reading sheds light on the blatant discrimination that was present in
Levittown, Long Island. Referring to a clause in the lease for
housing, “It stated that the home could not 'be used or occupied by any person
other than members of the Caucasian race'” (Lambert 1997). You can see that
there is no sense of humanity or integrity within the values of this person who
said this quote. This type of bigotry is not solely restricted to Levittown or
Arkansas or any one place in the United States. This occurs all over the
country and it rarely receives the attention and media coverage that it
deserves. My advice to Latinos in these discriminatory situations would be to
alert the media and spread news of this? injustice as far as it can go. As long
as people are unaware of this racism, it will never go away. For true change to
take place, there needs to be a call to action in which people from all
different areas unite to work towards a common cause. By doing this, we can
change the injustices that take place and ensure that every person of every
race receives the respect that they deserve.
Lambert,
Bruce. “At 50, Levittown Contends With Its Legacy of Bias.” Course Content-
April 16: Levittown, The First Suburb, 1997.
“Latinos Denied Apartments Says Fair
Housing Complaint”. FOX16, 10/10/2013. http://www.fox16.com/content/news/state/story/Latinos-Denied-Apartments-Says-Fair-Housing/d/story/4yJnxsS7o0aTC2ZVnabRvA
I believe that this post covers a lot of the housing discriminations accruing in Latino communities. Raising awareness on these issues is the first step, the more people that understand and know about these action taken against Latinos the less it would happen. Another issue is that most Latinos would not take action because of the fear that legal actions can be taken against them. But least keep in mind that there are many policies already in place making housing discrimination illegal. That has not stopped people from denying minorities housing. I also believe that Latinos should have the right to live were they wish. New York City and Los Angeles should not be their primary destinations because they have been proven to be more racially equal. I as a Latina should not be denied housing in Arizona, for example because of my culture. We should not be restricted to the inner cities because that’s where we are most likely accepted, we should be able to move to the suburbs without the fear of exclusion.
ReplyDeleteThe housing policies that you speak of Eddie and the zoning laws that we’ve discussed in class are just some of the obstacles that Latinos face while pursuing the American Dream. I think one of the solutions to these problems is to continue to educate people and making them aware that these discriminations are happening. Like you mentioned, they are preventing some Latinos from having the same opportunities as everyone else. Education is what is going to help change all this. I don’t even think most people are even conscious of how racially segregated our society is and how prejudice people are of people who sound different or look different. That quote that you included about only allowing ‘the Caucasian race in Levittown’ is appalling. It’s still amazing to me how ignorant our society still is after all the fighting that has gone on in regards to equal rights. I wonder if it will ever end or if it will always transform itself into other altered prejudices over and over again?
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the quote you provided, Bender quotes a covenant from the 1940's about housing stating, "No person or persons of the Mexican race, or other than the Caucasian race shall use or occupy any buildings or any lot..." (85). It is almost unimaginable that this was legally documented and enforced. Historically, Latino/as and other minority groups have been blatantly discriminated against when it comes to housing, which has left a lasting effect that continues to inhibit their living situation today. To answer your question, the film we watched, "9500 Liberty" displays how the Latino/as in the town of Manassas fought against their discriminating non-Hispainc white neighbors in a peaceful but effective manner. I also think that Latino/as should be able to live where they wish, just like everyone else and not just settle to moving into the cities but I can understand that due to the discrimination and prejudice they face in subruban areas specifically, why they would not want to live there. The media has greatly contributed to the negative outlook people have about Latino/as because the only time they are addressed is when they are involved in a crime or something of the like and a responsibility should be placed on them to work to start fixing the damage they have done.
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