AUGUST 23, 2024 RACIAL JUSTICE INDEED from last page played encouraging racially restrictive covenants and denying mortgages to individuals who lived in areas without the covenants, and (d) the many other racist housing policies that contributed to segregation in Washtenaw County. 3. Education about restrictive covenants should impact current housing policy debates. When setting housing policy today, it is critical to know the history of housing discrimination in Ann Arbor. For example, there are those in Ann Arbor who wish to (1) stop development of new housing projects, (2) maintain one-family housing zoning throughout large parts of the city, and (3) prevent a dedicated source of funding for affordable housing. Policymakers need to understand that racially restrictive covenants and other racist housing policies caused current segregation in the city and how some of these proposals would effectively freeze discrimination in place. What should be done about them? Currently, the process of repealing covenants on a home is complex, expensive and time-consuming. However, with guidance from our Advisory Board, Justice InDeed is in conversation with community partners about ways to repeal racially restrictive covenants through neighborhood/community organizing, litigation and/or legislation. Justice InDeed is committed to finding ways to amend the deed and repeal the racial covenants without erasing or "whitewashing" history. Would repealing the racially restrictive covenant in my neighborhood, or on my house erase or "whitewash" history? Absolutely not. Justice InDeed is strongly against erasing the history of discrimination. Under this project, Washtenaw County homeowners do not redact the racially restrictive covenants or physically remove the document from Register or Deeds files. Rather, we file a new amendment document that (1) explains the harm done by racially restrictive covenants, (2) repudiates and reveals the racist restriction, and (3) replaces it with a covenant prohibiting discrimination. So historians researching the chain of title on the property would both see the original language of the racial covenant and the amendment repealing the racially restrictive covenant. Plus, Justice InDeed is mapping all neighborhoods and homes in Washtenaw where racially restrictive covenants existed as a reminder of the pervasive and ugly history of housing discrimination in our county. Author's experience Now I want to add some personal views that involve rental properties that reflect racial and economic inequality and discrimination. The rule that a renter's income must be three times the rental rate is another way to say if you are not wealthy, then we don't want you to occupy our rental property. There are also a lot of landlords who won't consider low-income people at all who have Section 8 or a Housing Choice Voucher, and will not cooperate with this program. Then there are landlords who won't keep the rental properties up to standard knowing that most renters will tolerate substandard living conditions because they don't want to become homeless. A lot of the leasing managers are not honest about some of their billing policies or practices. For example, I live in housing that did not make it clear that the property owner divides the water bill from a fourunit rental property into what is supposed to be your water bill payment each month. There are eight other renters from two other building units who use the laundry room washer. Who pays for that water? They expect you to pay the utility in full the same GROUNDCOVER NEWS 7 day they give you a bill that is simply a printout they make — not from an official utility company. This is surely illegal! The rental payment portal has no way to designate what your payments are for. If I don't pay the utility in full, they take the money and say I did not pay my rent. I feel inequities like this will always exist because money is more important than human life nowadays. Justice InDeed was featured on Centering Justice Webcast. Listen to the conversation and hear how you can make an impact in unearthing our racialized history. If interested, reach out to justiceindeed@futureroot.com. Join Justice InDeed on Monday, August 26, 7-8 p.m. for a virtual work session (on Zoom) to further document racially restrictive covenants on property deeds. Register on the Events page on their website, ceindeedmi.org justiMENTAL HEALTH IS health. TALK ABOUT YOURS TODAY! 24/7 mental health and substance use support 734-544-3050 LEARN MORE about programs funded by the community mental health and public safety preservation millage
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