Shelltrack & Foundrey: Banned from living within the city limits of the town of Black Jack.
The city of Black Jack Missouri has an ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by "blood, marriage or adoption." Yesterday the town council of Black Jack by an 8-3 vote, defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children.
Black Jack, the town that enacted the ordinance is a 10 minute drive from my house. Here's one of those issues that gets overlooked by mainstream press, down here in the fly-over territory of the Bible Belt.
The ordinance in question is
NOT about Christian morality, but primarily designed to keep real estate values in Black Jack up by keeping certain "undesirable" elements out of the town.
Granted the town of Black Jack is well over 50% black and 5 of the 8 city council are African Americans, but the median income in this town of 7000 residents is $70,000 which is squarely within the middle class income bracket. You can find more than a few black Republicans in Black Jack Missouri.
In the early Sixties my own parents made a verbal pact with their real estate agent to never sell their home to a black family in Florissant, the very next town to Black Jack. That all changed when real estate agents began to steer blacks to purchase homes in north St. Louis county in the late Seventies.
Black Jack and other north St. Louis County towns like Hazelwood, Ferguson and Florissant were targeted for blockbusting and panic peddling by real estate agents in the Seventies. Real estate agents developers made a fortune on overcharging blacks for nice homes and white flight created a demand by white families for new housing starts in west St. Louis County.
What was once a racial issue is now an issue of class.
One of the primary concerns is that Black Jack has been approved for more Section 8 housing for poorer families. It's a class issue, rather than one of racial discrimination.
Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have three children and are not married. Shelltrack and Fondrey don't deserve to be have their privacy invaded by "family status" check, denied a home on the basis of their moral values and run out of town on a rail by a bunch of looney Christians.
Take a look at the picture I posted of Olivia and Fondrey. They hardly look like gang bangers or rabble rousers.
As my fellow blogger libertarian Chris Bennett writes:
One needs occupancy PERMIT to live in this town. I can see what the real estate agent or landlord says upon signing a lease: "Not to intrude on your privacy but I was wondering if you are married? Because the ordinance demands that in order to live here you must be married or I can't sell/rent this property to you."
Government at any level should not be forcing any moral or religious values on any citizen. Has the Taliban invaded Black Jack?
Yes Chris, but it's the GOP Christian Taliban of the Bible Belt. The kind of All-American friendly family oriented town that goes to church on Sunday and keeps low income families out of the city limits with restrictive zoning codes passed in the name of Christianity, morality, & family values. Gimme that old time hypocrisy! Praise the lord and keep the riff raff out of town.