A State Gone Crazy
By wfrench | April 1, 2008
I wish I could take credit for the title, but Daniel Bader had beaten me to it and in my opinion he has earned it. California’s bureaucratic BS runs deep, but Daniel’s story takes the cake. Can you say government facilitated extortion.
Daniel posted an ad on Craigslist.com for an apartment available for rent. The state, on behalf of Fair Housing Counsel of Orange County, is now suing him for discrimination because he said, the apartment was “Well suited for 1 or 2 professional adults.” Without being able to confront his accusers Daniel was subjected to a $4000 fine and required to take Landlord classes. Surprisingly, $4000 is still less then what it would cost to fight these accusations. To make matters worse, the state did a full investigation and found that Danial HAD NOT discriminated against anyone, but the ad on its surface was discriminatory enough. Intent does not matter in this case.
I own a condo that my wife and I rent out. This story really hit home and helped me realize that I don’t want to look for a new tenant. Heck, maybe it’s time to sell the condo and invest the money in Oil. They seem to be doing ok lately.
Read more about it on Daniel’s site, http://www.stategonecrazy.com. Keep up the good fight Daniel!
Topics: Rant |
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 am
HUD and HUD Affiliates Fair Housing Shakedowns
The HUD and HUD Affiliates practice of shaking people down and trying to extort money is alive and well. Heck, just see what HUD did this year. Read this from the Honolulu Advertiser:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/board/printthread.php?s=071d30acf984a22fc80b8600645d265e&threadid=15209
Bush’s HUD Secretary Turns To Extortion
After Philadelphia’s housing director refused a demand by President Bush’s housing secretary to transfer a piece of city property to a business friend, two top political appointees at the department exchanged e-mails discussing the pain they could cause the Philadelphia director.
“Would you like me to make his life less happy? If so, how?” Orlando J. Cabrera, then-assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, wrote about Philadelphia housing director Carl R. Greene.
“Take away all of his Federal dollars?” responded Kim Kendrick, an assistant secretary who oversaw accessible housing. She typed symbols for a smiley-face, “:-D,” at the end of her January 2007 note.
HUD Secretary Alphonson Jackson resigned this year as did Orlando J. Cabrera, then-assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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Some of these people are still in power at HUD! The culture of “shaking” people down, even with no specific accusation, just that “it is alleged that you are in violation of XXXX Code” (THE ACCUSER). No matter what your response is denying it, it does not matter. After their HUD Investigator (JUDGE and JURY), a subordinate of the HUD person that generated it, “investigates it”. They then send a “Conciliation Agreement” also know as an Extortion Agreement (everyone I have known that has seen it, says “that’s extortion”. The extortion agreement states 1) Someone alleged something, we can give no specifics 2) You deny it 3) We can put this behind us for $4000 “donation” (EXECUTIONER), of which we (the Accuser) will approve to which HUD related group it will ultimately go…at least one on our list, plus you take classes for $250 a pop from a HUD affiliated Agency like ACORN or Fair Housing Council of OC (all the same shakedown network) 4) You agree that you were not coerced to pay this and you are not admitting wrong doing 5) If you agree and pay, you agree to not discuss when anyone 6) If you don’t pay the we will continue the process of dragging this out and moving to a situation where a lawyer will cost you more 7) Also if you do decide to pay up, you have to promise not to talk. They tshut you up if you don’t pay and shut you up if you pay.
The CORE of the problem lies at HUD. The National Fair Housing Alliance does not police it and HUD is corrupt. Having them either of them police it IS THE FOX GUARDING THE HEN HOUSE!
My recommendation is to contact Ex HUD Secretary Jack Kemps Office at Kemp Partners in Washing DC - KempPartners.com. Kemp and other ex-HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros have proposed a new HUD Enforcement group to be created and then work with the new Secretary Shaun Donovan. Will this take the ability to shakedown from the current HUD and HUD Affiliates, and put it in the hands of those trained to respect individual rights and laws? The Affilates are not trained in Constitutional Rights, and if they are trained in law, then write the Bar Association in your state. Or will it further embolden these thugs?
I would also recommending going to Google Blog Search. Do a search on every key work you can and see who is talking about it. Speak up even if anonomously. Tell your story, state your views. Contact your elected officials, and contact writers and reporters.
The controversial ACORN is one of these shakedown groups, HUD sponsored and if you watched CNN Lou Dobbs last week, you would have seen the ACORN 8. The ACORN 8 are actually trying to get to the truth about embezzled funds, and ACORN actually morphing into 200 other organizations under different names but all just like these little HUD shakedown affiliates. If you think it is bad now, the future scenario is frightening. There needs to be a Congressional Hearing about these HUD and HUD Affiliate shakedown practices. And also, how many of these small HUD recipients (that we pay for with are tax dollars) are related. Are there many in one or another state that are actually run by the same people. Like the hundreds that the ACORN 8 say exist, which can be confirmed seaching Sec State records.