CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “The lot hereby conveyed shall be used for residential purposes only and shall be owned and occupied by people of the Caucasian race.”
That inflammatory statement is the first rule listed on Myers Park’s deed restrictions. Two years ago, Newschannel 36 spotted the wording on a “sample deed” listed on the Myers Park Neighborhood Association website. The complaints that followed our coverage prompted the NACCP to complain to the Charlotte committee that polices discrimination.
Now, Charlotte Mecklenburg’s Community Relations Committee (CRC) has formally called that website publication “discriminatory” and the NAACP is making demands.
“You have to do more than say, ‘Oops I’m sorry.’ We’re tired of people getting caught doing racist things and then just saying, ‘Oops, I’m sorry,’” NACCP NC president Dr. William Barber said Monday.
That wording is nearly a hundred years ago from a time when rules like that were common in Charlotte neighborhoods. Myers Park’s attorney, Ken Davies, tells Newschannel 36 the provision is illegal, and furthermore, it has not been enforced. However, deed restrictions cannot be easily amended.
It is the publication of that sample deed on the associations website that prompted review from the CRC, based on a complaint from the NAACP. The committee cited additional language on the website that emphasized how seriously Myers Park takes its deed restrictions.
“Prospective purchasers of homes in the Myers Park neighborhood may have seen the MPHA’s website containing the restrictive covenant and been discouraged from looking for a home in Myers Park,” the committee wrote. “The Respondents have engaged in discriminatory practices made unlawful by the City of Charlotte’s Fair Housing Ordinance.”
The MPHA and the NAACP now have 30 days to negotiate a response. If no agreement is reached, the city could file legal action.
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Article courtesy of: msnbc.com
