Reproduced from an article appearing in the Center for Justice Newsletter, "The Call To Justice", Vol.2, Issue 1, Winter 2007.
In April of 2004, a cross was burned on the front lawn of the Anderson family’s home in Elk, Washington. David and his wife, with their adopted sons Aaron and Adam, were devastated, frightened, and confused. David is Native American and his sons are African-American.
Four local teenagers were arrested and pled guilty to the crime of Malicious Harassment in Spokane County Juvenile Court. The youths and their families however adamantly refused to acknowledge racism in this act, instead describing it as a prank, and an act of boredom. The Andersons were frustrated with the relatively minor criminal sanctions imposed and the lack of accountability for this hate crime. Northwest Fair Housing helped the Andersons file a claim for civil race discrimination with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Unfortunately, HUD did not take the racial motivation for the case any more seriously than the criminal system in the Anderson’s opinion.
Frustrated with the state and federal governments’ weak response, the Andersons turned to the Center for Justice to file a lawsuit in Federal District Court alleging that this act constituted a violation of their civil rights under the Federal Fair Housing Act. The four responsible families reached a significant monetary settlement shortly after being confronted by the lawsuit. The Anderson family finally felt like the seriousness of this hate crime was recognized by both the perpetrators and the legal system.
Adam and Aaron are now playing Division I football and pursuing their college degrees at University of Idaho. The money will help them obtain their educational goals, but more importantly it confirms that ultimately our community’s legal system has zero tolerance for hate crimes.
Northwest Fair Housing and the Center will continue to collaborate on mediating and remedying illegal housing discrimination. Litigation is usually a last resort in resolving conflict. In this case it was the tool that got the perpetrators attention and remedied the damages of the Anderson family. |
