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Activists respond to DOJ settlement

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The Community Action League (TCAL) recently  a press conference in response to the $2 million settlement in the Antelope Valley Section 8 discrimination case. Members of the community applauded the United States Department of Justice lawsuit settlement, noting that it marks the beginning of a “healing process” for residents.

The agreement resolves allegations that the Housing Authority of Los Angeles County and the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale “targeted African Americans with discriminatory enforcement” of the Section 8 housing choice voucher program, according to a statement issued by the Justice Department.

“What we started out to do is to change policy in the way that Section 8 deals with African Americans,” said Rev. V. Jesse Smith, co-founder of T-CAL. “No longer will there be unannounced compliance checks. No longer will seven or 10 sheriff’s deputies show up at a Section 8 residence, armed and ready to invade the home. That is now finished.”

The settlement orders the housing department to pay $1.97 million in damages on behalf of itself and the two cities. This is combined with a previous justice department settlement with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for related conduct. In the latter case, individuals proven to have been harmed by the discriminatory enforcement involving the Section 8 program will share a total of $2.67 million.

Over the years in Lancaster and in Palmdale, many Section 8 voucher holders were discriminated against and now these persons will have their voucher terminations removed from their public housing record; other persons who were improperly terminated will be reinstated to the voucher program. The justice department found that both the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster between 2004 and 2011 initiated and teamed with the housing authority and the sheriff’s department to engage in a “targeted campaign of discriminatory enforcement” designed to prevent Black persons from living in their cities.

“This is a victory for me today,” said Palmdale’s Alberta Jackson. Her Section 8 voucher is expected to be reinstated. “I had the Palmdale police come into my home, looking around for something. But they had no search warrant available and proceeded to hold me at gunpoint.”

The city of Palmdale responded to the settlement, stating that it merely provided financial assistance to the housing authority to adequately perform fraud investigations required under the federal voucher program.

“After five years of intense scrutiny and two lawsuits, we paid nothing into the settlement,” said Palmdale City Attorney Matthew Ditzhazy. “We have maintained from the beginning that the city of Palmdale did nothing wrong and should never have been dragged into this lawsuit.”

The sentiment was similar in Lancaster.

“The fact remains that the federal government pursued a witch hunt in our city … in our valley,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “I am professionally and personally offended by the baseless allegations the city of Lancaster has been subjected to under the justice department’s authority.”

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