Public housing residents testify before the United Nations Special Rapporteur

On November 8, 2009, ACLU clients Glenda Smith and Esther Sharps testified before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnick, during the National Town Hall Forum she held in Washington, DC at the conclusion of her 18-day official mission to the United States to investigate housing rights violations. This was the first official visit to the U.S by a U.N. Special Rapporteur on Housing. Glenda Smith and Esther Sharps are public housing residents in Annapolis, MD and plaintiffs in the ACLUs case, Sharps v. The Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis. They testified about discriminatory banning policies that tear families apart.
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[UtherPendragan]

I gave you a bunch of reasons. You don't even address those reasons, you just come back with this lame statement. There's no reason to deny them public housing on top of that.

We are done now, I don't talk to idiots that want to give free housing to criminals.

[klalkity]

If dangerous people get out of jail, why not pass laws to fix that instead of doing weirder things to them like assuming they all need to be homeless or back in jail? You are just paranoid and going back things the wrong way.

If you have any record at all it's unlikely you'll be able to get a very good job at all for the rest of your life. They'll never afford to buy a house. No one will want to rent to them. There's no reason to deny them public housing on top of that.

[UtherPendragan]

Yeah right everyone with a record. You say that like its a bad thing. Which criminal behaviors do you want your child getting into? Which ones are ok? Which gang do want your son to join? Lose rights? Do you think you have right to a free place to live? This is public housing for poor people, don't poor people have enough crap in thier life already? Do you really want to force them to live among criminals? What about there rights? The right to feel secure in there person papers and property.

[UtherPendragan]

Dangerous people get out of jail everyday. Some more dangerous than when they went in. What part of public housing don't you understand? There are rules. There are requirements and guide lines. This is a government issue. Why do you care more about the ex-con than the sweet little chlid unluckly enough to be born poor and living in government housing? Liberals are crazy, everytime you hear about some kid raped and murdered its always some guy that has already done time for something similar.

[klalkity]

If you watch the video you'll see that they are kicking out anyone with a record, which is what you implied as well. Not everyone who is a convicted criminal deserves to permanently lose rights otherwise granted to citizens. If they are let out of jail, they should be afforded every right consistent with letting them out of jail.

If they are so dangerous, keep them in jail.

And we're talking about people living next door to you, not in your own home.

[UtherPendragan]

Public housing, let me say that again, public housing. You only get the free housing if you meet the requierments and follow the rules. Even homeless people get kicked out and banned from shelters if they cause problems. If your dealing drugs or beating people up I guess they could send them to go live next door to you and your family. Seeing as your so compassionate and understanding. Hell why nont let them stay at your place?

[klalkity]

Convicted criminals, if they are dangerous, should be in jail! If they are let out, they are qualified human beings to be wherever the hell they want.

Unless conditions of their release forbid it, they should be able to live wherever the fuck they want just like anybody else. What do you want them to do? Be homeless?

[UtherPendragan]

Public housing should just let anyone regardless of past convictions live there?

What about the other people living there? Do they have the right to be protected from convicted criminals?

Who do we feel sorry for? The family of the criminal or the familys living next door to the criminal? We already have public housing for criminals its called prison.